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Monday, April 26 2004Why the over-reporting of Israel?In today's communique to subscribers, we ask for feedback on the question: Why does Israel receive such disproportionate media interest? Is it the convergence of three major world religions in Jerusalem? Is it the fact that Israel is a Jewish nation? Or is it something else entirely? Please share your thoughts on this matter in comments below. [To receive HR communiques by email, just signup above.]
TrackBackTrackBack URL for this entry: Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Why the over-reporting of Israel?: CommentsI don't think there's any doubt about it -- the fact Israel is a Jewish state is the key reason for the intense media scrutiny. If the Jewish state were in Uganda, as was once suggested, then Uganda would be the most covered place on Earth! Philip, I disagree. First of all, thanks as always Honest Reporting for this interesting article! I have always wondered about this...I'd say the fact that Israel is midway between East and West is another factor - the old trade route. And now, with the Iraq war, only more so is its placement significant as a bridge between Arab nations and the democratic west. I think the problem is not the amount of coverage but the quality of coverage, and the double standard applied to Israel. Arabs have been continually emigrating to western countries, and have formed, amongst other things, major consumer blocs. The news is, at the end of a day, a business, and a business which caters to its audience. As an increasing majority of its audience is feverishly anti-semitic, the news will continue to skew toward anti-semitism. I think the Mideast gets so much play partly because the media are leftist and it's a leftist cause. The left isn't going to criticize a black African country, but Jews were vilified by Marx himself. After all, the Arabs get a free ride from the leftist media because they are 3rd world people of color. I have long felt that there is over-reporting for two reasons: 1) the first and easy one is a continuing form of anti-Semitism, 2) the second is Arab propoganda and 3) correspondents can move and report freely in Israel, the only democracy. Perhaps Israel should think about this and yet I am always worried about any erosion of freedom. Please help me to inform about my novel, "The Little Terrorist". (easily obtained from Amazon.com). It deals with the intifada and the training of children as terrorists. It came out before 9/11 and has information about Osama bin Laden and Mohammed Atta. Book clubs have read and loved it but now sales hve fallen off so any publicity would help. While I find the secular news coverage of Israel abhorring, it does not come as a surprise to me that Israel is covered so often in the press. Any Christian who has read and studied the prophecies in The Old Testament and The New Testament know that prophecy and The LORD Jesus' return is centered around Israel and the end time events concerning Israel. If, perhaps, you are not familiar with these prophecies, I ask you to spend time either reading books by, or watching "Manna Fest" the t.v.ministry, of Perry Stone. Other excellent end-time event prophecy teachers include Bill Cloud, Hal Lindsay, Grant Jeffrey, and Joe Van Koevering. I recently attended the International Prophecy Conference in Tampa, Florida sponsored by God's News Behind The News ministry and,according to scripture, we are near the very end of all things. Let it not surprise you to hear more and more of Israel in the news...hearing international proclamations of hatred towards Israel, etc, etc, etc. Prophecy cannot be changed when spoken by The LORD God Almighty. WE can change, however, by giving our lives and hearts to The One Who loved us and gave Himself for us.....Jeshua....The LORD God Almighty Himself. Seek the scriptures for in them you will find eternal life and that life is found ONLY in God's Son. As a result of upbringing,and mainly religious education, almost every person in the world has his personal agenda to convey when it comes to Jews and Israel: after all, christian and muslim holy texts which still govern the bulk of humanity, have hundreds of references to Jews, and no reference to Chechens, Mauris,Irakis, Hutus and Tutsis. Since the Western Media is still the one that overshadows all the rest, Israel&Jews attract the headlines, through which the Gentile vents his own agenda, which would be mostly negative or , at times-as it also happens, positive, depending on whether he believes that the Jews are Deicide & cursed or the Chosen People. I think the sticking point in America is due to the fact that Israel gets aid. The thing that irritates me is nothing is said about Egyptian aid which I believe is equal to Israel's thanks to Camp David. In Europe and elsewhere, I think they're judging Israel by Western standards because it is a democracy. And a lot of times it is seen as a David vs Goliath fight with Hamas, Hezbollah, Fatah, PFLP, etc being the David in their eyes. Throw in Anti-Semitic remarks by the likes of Farrakhan and Buchanan to the equation and there you have it as the world sees it. For one reason or another, the tiny Hebrew nation has captured strong interest in the West and Moslem worlds for over 2000 years. Too bad that other than in early Roman times (between 1st Cent. BCE and 3rd of CE), the interest has been mainly inimical. Why expect that to change now?? GOOD MORNING! Zec 14:2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle... Zec 12:9 And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. Zec 14:16 And it shall come to pass, [that] every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. very truly yours The reason is ONE: ISLAM WOULD NEVER TOLERATE A LOOSE OF THE LAND ONCE CONQUERED FOR ALLAH. They consider e.g. Spain the islamic land - but Spain is large and strong, so Spanish Muslims didn't began intifada. After last successful terrorist attack WE MAY EXPECT INTIFADA IN SPAIN. French Muslims are threatening French government, because they feel France is weak. We, the Jews, are the "Chosen People". The over-reporting of Israel in the world press and popular media shows that the world knows it to be true. We, the Jews, are the principal deniers of the fact. Harry Steiman I agree with many of the postings, Israel is reported on most often because the eyes of the world are constantly on that little country ready to pounce on it for any tiny misadventure. No other country is criticized as much even if its transgressions are greater. Antisemitism plays the major role as prior to the rebirth of Israel, the individual Jew was demonized. Now with so many countries falling over each other to prove how liberal and tolerant they are they can demonize all Jews with one fellow swoop by concentrating on anything negative they can invent against Israel and then claim they are only anti Israel government and not anti Jew. Hilda I agree with many of the postings, Israel is reported on most often because the eyes of the world are constantly on that little country ready to pounce on it for any tiny misadventure. No other country is criticized as much even if its transgressions are greater. Antisemitism plays the major role as prior to the rebirth of Israel, the individual Jew was demonized. Now with so many countries falling over each other to prove how liberal and tolerant they are they can demonize all Jews with one fellow swoop by concentrating on anything negative they can invent against Israel and then claim they are only anti Israel government and not anti Jew. Hilda Israel is always in the news because of the Leftist agenda to demonize Israel. Additionally, the Islamists are pouring tremendous amounts of money into various channels to propagandize against Israel and that is why Roto Reuters, and the AP (associated Palestinians) and BBC (Bigger Bull Chips) and the Guardian of all falsehood etc. pour out a constant stream of Israel villification. Clearly what this all boils down to is what the Bible says would be happening to Israel just before the Anti-Christ comes to power. Every nation's focus would be on her. We must stand with her to the end as Americans. We must encourage other Christians to stop being apathetic so we don't lose our country to wicked Presidents and rulers who wont support Israel. Is anyone aware that over 400 Vietnamese Christians were killed over the Easter weekend? We wouldn't find that out by reading the New York Times or by watching the BBC. Getting the latest news about Israel every day is a short and concise hit. No need to learn history. People feel like experts and go on to self-righteous indignation, "educated" by a a few infomercials repeated ad nauseam. Throw in a few buzz words like peace, justice, refugees, apartheid, that for sure conjure up an emotional response. Now what atrocity did Israel commit today? It's like tuning into the current soap opera. Expecting the average reader or TV viewer to process what's happening in the Sudan, Eritrea, Sierra Leone or Vietnam is asking too much from short attention spans. I believe Isarel is over-reported on for 3 reasons. #1-I believe that anything Jewish commands alot more attention. When anti-semitic things happen or Israeli so called "aggression" happens, this is over-reported due to the many powerful Jewish buisness leaders. #2-The world is generally anti-Israel and anti-semitic so that any opportunity to "crucify" Israel will be reported. #3-I believe that many Jewish reporters and Newspaper and Magazine Publishers feel a need to be sympathetic towards the "Palestinian" cause or on the small guy's team. Many Jews seem to be left wing and this represents their very bias towards the small, supposedly innocent people like the "Palestinians". This is the root of my belief- that unless a new found Jewish cohesion is found throughout the world, Jews in the world and in Israel will continue to suffer in greater, more dangerous amounts. These are my views. People can respond to me email (please don't spam me) with their views. Shalom:) Its a sign of the times. I'm sure it will intensify as time goes on. It's all part of the fulfillmemt of Scripture. The Kingdom of YHWH is approaching. When the time is right according to Elohim, our saviour Yahushua will intervene, and carry out such prophecies as Zec 12:9 and others, and thus usher in His Kingdom. The reason the whole world focuses so intensely on Israel is that on a cosmic level, they know that the Jews really ARE the most important people in the world. We are few and our country is tiny, but the world revolves around us. The promises in the Torah that we will be an eternal people, that we will never disappear, and that we will be a blessing to those who bless us--all of those promises have been fulfilled. (Look at how wealthy America is, because she has been so good to us, and allowed us to keep the Torah in peace.) Unfortunately when we Jews try to abrogate our Covenant, other promises are also fulfilled: that our enemies will never stop hating and pursuing us, that we will never have peace if we abandon our Torah. This eternal hatred serves to remind us of our Jewish identity, and brings us Jews together in the awareness that we are one people, G-d's people. Our enemies pay us homage every day, as the most important people in the world. Please see Thomas Friedman "From Beirut to Jerusalem" for an interesting interpretation. Basically, it's about places like Jerusalem and Bethlehem that are much more familiar to Christian ears (from the old testimony), then anywhere else in Congo or Sudan. So, it's just easier and more interesting to hear news from the Holly land... Why is Israel so over-reported? 2.It may change again: The media has a "rat pack" mentality and reporting was entirely slanted the other way from 1946 to 1982. 3. Cheer up ! Golda Meir used to say: I prefer to receive your condemnations than your condoleances ! ******************* I live in Canada. There has been a number of anti Jewish violent events notably in the past few months here. The Jewish school destruction in Montreal and the desecration and vandalism of Jewish cemetries in several locations in eastern Canada come to mind. The cowardly guilty parties generally do not come forward and many Canadians believe that this vandalism and swastika inscriptions at the scene of the crimes indicate Nazi instigation. However one situation had revealed that West African involvement including Morrocan youths were involved. Again the media seems reluctant to indicate any wrongdoing on the part of Arabs here whether they receive financial kick backs or are afraind to upset these individuals for fear of fanatical vengeance directed toward them. Just thought I would add this to the information others have presented.
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