February 13, 2012 Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away Danielle Kurtzleben: The Peace Process is over. Finally Susan Johnston: The Myth of Economic Inequality Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Farro Salad: An ancient grain is now new again as the base of a tasty tangle of flavorsome vegetables, chickpeas and salami February 10, 2012 Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: The biblical case against small-mindedness involved diminishing His precious prophet Caroline B. Glick: The Peace Process is over. Finally Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage Rachel Koning Beals: Gen X Women Continue to Shrink Gender Investing Gap The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Durand: Who Says You Can't Make Restaurant Favorites at Home?: MANGO AND STICKY RICE February 9, 2012 Jeff Strickler: An argument a day keeps the divorce away, they say Clifford D. May: CAIR's Crusade against The Third Jihad Melissa Healy: Study finds jolt to the brain boosts memory Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation Emily Brandon: 10 Necessities for a Great Retirement Spot The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Winter Squash and Red Swiss Chard Risotto is Colorful Cozy Cold Weather Fare (includes detailed dos and don'ts) February 8, 2012 Rivy Poupko Kletenik: Tree hostility: The auspicious history of the evolution of Tu B'Shevat Steven Emerson: Planting Trees is Racist?! Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups Anne Applebaum: Russia's Potemkin democracy Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs Emily Brandon: 10 Necessities for a Great Retirement Spot The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets) February 7, 2012 Kathleen Hennessey and Christi Parsons: Obama not worried that birth-control move will hurt his re-election chances with Catholics, other faithful Caroline B. Glick: Obama's rhetorical storm Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design David Francis: How to Avoid an IRS Audit The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen: These homemade energy bars (3 recipes) are far better workout fuel than commercial ones, packing power and taste February 6, 2012 Scott Peterson: Iran's top ayatollah: We're trumping the West Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland' Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good Philip Moeller: Where Smart Investors Put Their Money Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard? The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: Vegetable Frittata --- leftovers never tasted so scrumptious February 3, 2012 Rabbi Dr. Warren Goldstein: Living with ideals --- in reality Caroline B. Glick: Fool me twice Jonathan Tobin : Adelsonphobia Strikes in Nevada Caucus Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US Kimberly Palmer : 8 Ways to Get Ready for Retirement Now Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Durand: A quick cookie recipe: Hazelnut and Olive Oil Shortbread: Sweet, Nutty, and Savory February 2, 2012 Rabbi Yaakov Rosenblatt : Welcome Home, Governor Perry Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran Kelsey Sheehy : 5 Tips for Choosing an M.B.A. Concentration Rachel Koning Beals : Investors Increasingly Tap Social Media for Stock Tips Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day The Kosher Gourmet by Leela Cyd Ross : Savory vegetable pie is a taste of European bistro with minimal effort and maximal flavor February 1, 2012 Nara Schoenberg: What to do when you've been dissed Michelle Malkin: First, They Came for the Catholics Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran Lisa M. Krieger: Possible breakthrough in preventing Alzheimer's Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures Susan Johnston: 5 Apps for Organizing Your Expenses at Tax Time The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: The famed chef's Broccoli and White Bean Soup can easily be a lunch in itself, or a nice antipasto --- and is hard to mess up January 31, 2012 Paul Greenberg: Separation of Church and State works two ways Caroline B. Glick: Hamas and the Washington establishment Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: Uncle Sam is joining in efforts to crack down on Islamists' critics Danielle Kurtzleben: The 10 Worst Cities for Finding a Job Laura McMullen: 3 Tips to Overcome a Bad Grade in College The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Durand: Orzo dish mixes plump, chewy grains with caramelized onions, garlic, mushrooms and sweet potato January 30, 2012 Rabbi Avi Shafran: Blind faith and physics Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers Menachem Wecker: 3 Do's and Don'ts for Healthy Studying in College The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Butternut Squash Gratin with Tomato Fondue is a combination of the sweet and creamy January 27, 2012 Rabbi Berel Wein: What Pharaoh can teach us sophisticates about being stubborn Caroline B. 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Jewish World Review Oct. 14, 2003 / 17 Tishrei, 5764 The Cult of Objectivity By Jonathan S. Tobin Hypocrisy on 'terrorism' gives lie to media's self-image http://www.jewishworldreview.com | The headline across the front page of The New York Times on what was for Jews, their Day of Atonement, told its readers all they needed to know about the Arab-Israeli conflict. "Israel Attacks What It Calls a Terrorist Camp in Syria," the gray lady screamed on Monday, Oct. 6. By using the phrase "what it calls," the Times left no doubt about its opinion of the credibility of the claim, and the rights and wrongs of the conflict. The same article could have been headlined something that was actually neutral about the story, like "Israel Attacks Syrian Base" or "Palestinian Base," or it just could have called it a "camp," as did the unusually sober Philadelphia Inquirer on the same day. That would leave readers to make up their own minds. The editors of the Times are entitled to express their opinion (as they did the following day, when their editorial page condemned both the attack and President Bush for rightly saying that Israel had a right to defend herself), but the principles of objective journalism should have prevented them from inserting it into a headline. WHO'S A TERRORIST? That the Times would provide us with such a blatant example of the lack of objectivity in Middle East reporting is interesting, given that there is a lively debate going on in the news business over how journalists should label the sort of people who hang out at what Israelis call "a terrorist camp." Virtually ever major American newspaper, including the Times and the Inquirer have decided, as a matter of policy, that members of Palestinian terrorist groups — such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Al Aksa Martyrs Brigade — should be called "militants," rather than "terrorists." Nor should, we are told, the organizations that claim credit for massacres, such as last week's bombing in Haifa that took the lives of 19 Israelis, be referred to as terrorist groups. Doesn't this fly in the face of accurate reporting and common sense? Journali sts answer that "terrorism is an "emotive" term that compromises their objectivity. This was hard enough to defend before Sept. 11, 2001, but the aftermath of that event has further exposed the hypocrisy in their approach to covering terrorism. Why? Because virtually all of the newspapers and broadcast networks that refuse to call Palestinian killers of Israelis terrorists have no compunction about calling the 9/11 murderers terrorists. How do journalists get away with this double standard? They employ sophistry, obfuscation, and what Christine Chinlund, the ombudsman of The Boston Globe, admits is "hairsplitting." Chinlund and Michael Getler, her counterpart at The Washington Post, have both recently penned articles explaining this policy and deriding their critics as "partisans" of Israel who don't understand journalism or the Middle East. Chinlund asserts that to "tag Hamas, for example, as a terrorist organization is to ignore its far more complex role in the Middle East drama." Getler chimes in by quoting the Post's style manual as saying that "we should not resolve the argument over whether Hamas is a terrorist organization." Huh? To even entertain the notion that there is a debate about whether a group that targets innocent civilians for death is a terrorist organization is itself an act of partisanship that gives murderers an unearned legitimacy. HAMAS BY ANY OTHER NAME Both newspapers are prepared to call specific Hamas attacks "terrorist" attacks, but insist that to attach this label to the group or its members would be wrong. Such a rickety standard is hard enough to defend, but their position is complicated by their approach to the "terrorist" Al Qaeda network. Chinlund defends this practice because "the definition of Al Qaeda in the Unit ed States is almost solely based on the 9/11 attacks," making it an "allowable exception." And what, we might ask, is Hamas known for in Israel, or anywhere else, except as the slaughterers of innocents? Getler goes further and betrays his paper's bias by asserting America's innocence in contrast to Palestinian resistance to a "humiliating Israeli occupation." Yet isn't Getler's reference to Israel and its actions itself an acceptance of a slanted view of reality that takes the Palestinian point of view and rejects that of Israel? In other words, according to Getler and those who agree with him, Israelis deserve to be blown up in cafes and buses, but Americans do not deserve to be killed. So much for objectivity. Far more honest was the Orlando Sentinel's Manning Pym, who meekly admitted that "the horse is out of the barn on the labeling of Al Qaeda." He understands his readers would be outraged by the paper's calling the 9/11 killers "militants," as it does to those who kill Jews in Israel. From this frame of reference, when it comes to their reporting of Al Qaeda and Hamas, American journalists are merely provincial rather than biased. Ironically, one of the few who dispute this nonsense works for The New York Post, a paper whose news pages are notorious for their lack of objectivity. Post columnist Eric Fettman recently asserted that the media's take on terrorism is a pretense that suggested "terrorism doesn't really exist and that words aren't important. They are, and using the word 'terrorist' is not unfairly taking sides — it's acknowledging the reality of a genuine and dangerous ongoing threat." He's right. Hypocrisy over terrorism gives the lie to the cult of objectivity that animates so much of the American media's puffed-up self-image. Those who defend the double standard have no honest answers for their critics. They will tell you that "yellow journalism" is confined these days to tabloids like the Post, but the truth is that bias is just as virulent at the Times and at its lesser cousins, like the Inquirer. That this is so is an ongoing scandal that American journalists ignore at the peril of their profession's standing with the public. Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington and in the media consider "must reading." Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here. JWR contributor Jonathan S. Tobin is executive editor of the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent. Let him know what you think by clicking here. In June, Mr. Tobin won first places honors in the American Jewish Press Association's Louis Rapaport Award for Excellence in Commentary as well as the Philadelphia Press Association's Media Award for top weekly columnist. Both competitions were for articles written in the year 2002. © 2003, Jonathan S. Tobin