BeitEmet – House of Truth

The Bias of Verification: How the Media Trust Terrorists but Question the IDF

—

by

David
in


The Bias of Verification: How the Media Trust Terrorists but Question the IDF
media bias

There is no justification to prefer Jihadi liars over the military of a democratic state.

By Rinat Harash, Honest Reporting

Trusting someone is tricky because it isn’t automatically clear if they are telling the truth or not. To assess reliability, one usually takes into account their history, relationships, and values.

But when it comes to coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, media outlets ignore this tried-and-tested method. They take as gospel everything they hear from the terrorists, whose Jihad is built on lies, while questioning the validity of what the army of a democratic state says.

Admittedly, it’s hard to verify facts when the only sources of information are the warring sides. But media often add the caveat phrase that they “could not independently verify” a claim only regarding the statements of the IDF. Those of the Gaza Ministry of Health or the Gaza Civil Defense — all Hamas fronts — are quoted without such a judgmental disclaimer.

Here are some recent examples from The New York Times, Newsweek and The Washington Post:

The fact that a disclaimer is added only to IDF statements, even when they appear literally near those of the Hamas sources, is alarming because it shows bias that is either too deep to be conscious (by the reporters, writers, and editors), or too agenda-driven.

The result is a moral inversion: subtly suggesting that Israel is lying, while the Gaza authorities (i.e. Hamas) are telling the truth.

News coverage should be balanced and fair — media outlets should add a disclaimer to both claims or none at all. But above all, they should not give the same moral weight to both sides of this conflict.

There is no justification to prefer Jihadi liars over the military of a democratic state.

Keep Israeli Soldiers Warm – Send Winter Jackets!

We are honored to thank the young men and women of the IDF who risk their lives every day to defend the citizens of Israel.

Join us in sending winter care packages and personal notes of support to Israeli soldiers who are out in the cold all day.

Warm up a soldier’s heart with essential winter wear including fleece jackets, hats, gloves and more. Keep an entire unit warm!

THE SOLDIERS REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR LOVE AND CONCERN!

SEND YOUR JACKET AND PERSONAL NOTE TO ISRAELI SOLDIERS!

The post The Bias of Verification: How the Media Trust Terrorists but Question the IDF first appeared on United with Israel.
United with Israel