A War of Words (in the Hype of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict, the Line between Reality and Propaganda Can Easily Confuse Even the Most Objective Foreign Correspondent)
IPI Global Journalist, pp. 20-23, First Quarter 2004
4 Pages Posted: 12 Nov 2008
Date Written: 2004
Abstract
Most journalists look at their work and see professional pride, not personal prejudice. Even many of those who do the biased bidding of their employers could be characterized as decent, fair-minded, hard-working. In the Middle East today, however, where the conflict is still largely a war of words, reporters may often miss the forest for the trees. While such a result could be caused by the inherent limitations of their craft - constant deadlines, sometimes severe space restrictions, the pressure to produce dramatic stories - when their inherent political bias are combined with ignorance of broad historical perspectives, the result is often a world-view slanted in favor of totalitarian regimes.
Keywords: Middle East, Israel, Palestinians, journalism, language
JEL Classification: N45, O53
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation