Gideon Levy, Haaretz - Winner of the 2012 Dishonest Reporter:

Gideon Levy

Pesach Benson..
Honest Reporting..
17 December '12..

In a break with tradition for HonestReporting readers, this year’s Dishonest Reporter winner is not a member of the international media but someone disturbingly close to home.

It’s no secret that some of the most critical stories concerning Israel in the international press are lifted straight from the pages of Israel’s very own Haaretz newspaper, and all the more so thanks to its English language website.

While Haaretz is entitled to fulfill its role as a critical domestic judge of Israel and its government’s policies, what happened when it published a story that was — quite simply — dishonest?

Gideon Levy’s front page article ”Most Israelis support an apartheid regime in Israel,” backed by a survey, made headlines around the world:

Israeli back discrimination against Arabs: poll (Sydney Morning Herald)

Israeli poll finds majority would be in favour of ‘apartheid’ policies (The Guardian)

Israelis approve discrimination if West Bank annexed: poll (AFP)

Levy regularly demonizes the Jewish state to foreign audiences and in his own newspaper columns. He regularly goes beyond legitimate criticism of Israel, crossing red lines and allying himself with those who refer to Israel as a racist “apartheid state”, promote boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) and wish to see the very destruction of Israel.

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No Time for Israel

Time Magazine: November 2009 - November 2010

Honest Reporting
In-Depth Analysis
29 December '10

Executive Summary

When Time magazine published its September cover story, "Why Israel Doesn't Care About Peace", we were stunned by the bias of the article and its fundamental misrepresentation of Israeli attitudes. We wondered whether that article was a one-time failure of objectivity or if it represented a prevalent bias in Time’s reporting on Israel. So we reviewed Time’s reporting on Israel over an entire year. November 2009 –November 2010, 73 articles, photo galleries, and quotes of the day.

We found that while the cover story may have generated the most outrage from those who care about Israel, it was entirely consistent with the way Time interprets and reports on the conflict. Time’s dismissive attitude towards Israel’s peace efforts was just one example of an editorial bias that runs deep. The impression readers would get from reading Time is that the Israeli public and its leaders have no interest to making reasonable compromises that would satisfy the moderates in the region. The refusal of Israel to give in on demands for a complete settlement freeze and acceptance of a Palestinian State with Jerusalem as its capital at a minimum demonstrates (to Time at least) that Israeli peace overtures are not at all serious.

Palestinian officials such as Mahmoud Abbas are presented as peace-seeking moderates. A photo gallery shows Abbas traveling the world to shake hands with international diplomats in his quest for peace. Quotes of the day are attributed to the likes of Saeb Erekat who use the forum to place all the blame upon Israel for a failure to achieve peace. Meanwhile, extreme Palestinian demands and the continued daily incitement against Israel by official Palestinian Authority sources are ignored.

Any information that would counter Time's perspective is either omitted or misrepresented. They imply that Jewish claims to parts of Jerusalem such as the Old City stem from the 1967 War, rather than thousands of years of almost unbroken residency. Archeological sites that prove thousands of years of Jewish history in the city are labeled "ideological" and summarily dismissed. Space is given to those who level charges at Israel while often Israeli responses are simply left out of articles.

As a result, Time's reporting on Israel leaves readers with a distorted picture that was only amplified by the September 13th cover story. While that article was enough for us to award Time with our 2010 Dishonest Reporter Award, it was entirely consistent with the anti-Israel bias we found.

(Read full "No Time for Israel")

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Dishonest Reporter Award 2010

Our annual recognition of the most skewed and biased coverage of the Mideast conflict.

Honest Reporting
Media Critiques
22 December '10

Other than the collapse of peace talks, this year's biggest Mideast story was understood in shorthand.

The Flotilla.

Basing its international legitimacy on unfounded claims of a humanitarian crisis, the Free Gaza Movement organized a number of attempts to break the Israeli-Egyptian blockade of Gaza by sea.

In the past, Israel had allowed individual small ships to reach Gaza. Before the Mavi Marmara, Lauren Booth -- who "won" HonestReporting's 2008 award -- was the name most associated with the expeditions.

But the size of the convoys and the number of activists trying to reach Gaza became more than an annoying PR stunt that Israel could afford to play along with. The primary risks: allowing Hamas a corridor to smuggle weapons, and permitting terrorists threatening Israel to enter the Strip, all in the guise of humanitarian aid.

The Free Gaza flotilla of May played the media game remarkably well. Advance work on social media, a passenger list including a considerable number of journalists and flotillistas, and lots of digital equipment, all combined to get their stories online. In fact, they went a little overboard: footage captured by the IDF included "peace activists" declaring, "I want to be a shahid," "We can die as martyrs," and scenes of rioters preparing metal rods to attack soldiers.

But the Israeli army demonstrated its own media savvy; the army filmed the raid and posted the video online. The result? IDF footage of its forces coming under violent attack went viral on YouTube, countering claims that the naval intercept was unnecessarily aggressive. One grainy still from the video of soldier being beaten by rioters became the event's most iconic image.

(Read full "Dishonest Reporter Award 2010")

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Donald Bostrom's Letter to Santa

Honest Reporting/Backspin

24 December 09

Dear Santa,

Please send me hard evidence that the IDF stole organs from Palestinian kids. I don't have any, and Jewish bloggers are still breathing down my neck. Notwithstanding this Dishonest Reporting award, I still consider myself "nice."

Sir, let me remind you of your ties to the 2001 Alder Hey scandal. It's very curious that all the improperly harvested organs came from British kids on your "Designated Naughty Children" list.

It would be a real tragedy to see your image equated with the Israeli army amid calls for an international investigation, especially right before Christmas.

I look forward to your reply.

seasons greetings,

Donald Bostrom

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