No news from police states wouldn't be better
In Gaza as in Iran and North Korea, journalism strives for the "best obtainable version of the truth"
Do we want media coverage of horrible police states, even though it will be messy and involve rounding some corners? That is the true question that arises from the furor sparked by the pro-Israel media watchdog honestreporting.com with its findings that Gazan journalists of the foreign media witnessed Hamas atrocities on Oct. 7.
Naming several photojournalists associated with the Associated Press, Reuters, the New York Times and CNN, last week’s report fed into a wider narrative of media unfairness toward Israel. As the former Middle East Editor of AP and ex-chairman of the Foreign Press Association for Israel and the Palestinian territories, I say what the heck, I’ll jump right in.
The would-be expose amounts to little beyond noticing that photos taken inside Israel – including disturbing images of abductions and dead bodies – were credited to Gaza-based Palestinians. They clearly had entered Israel without a permit – but the implication was of more dire skullduggery than that.
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