As the guest of the NGO-Monitor at a recent event, Douglas Murray, a highly respected public intellectual, related his encounters with journalists and the media who promote what he calls "fake news". The first and most important job of a journalist is and should be to tell the truth. Unfortunately, as Murray explained, many so-called journalists are simply propagandists for left-wing and anti-Israel causes.
Welcome to the informational circus which media and newspapers around the world promote as “the free press,” an essential ingredient of every democracy. He cites, for example, the BBC, the NY Times, the Washington Post, and Haaretz, which portray terrorist organizations, such as Hamas, as “freedom fighters.”
Instead of clowns to amuse you, there are anti-Israel journalists. The goal, however, is the same: to create a different reality. The war against Hamas, they propose, is not about terrorist atrocities, but Palestinian Arabs who are victims of “Israeli genocide and war crimes.” It’s not about Islamic terrorism, but the denial of Palestinian Arab self-determination and statehood. It’s about “Israeli terrorism,” “the occupation,” and “ethnic cleansing.”
As Murray observes, this is a new form of Nazism in which the victims are Palestinian Arabs, not Israelis. Palestinianism has become a new civil rights movement that supports terrorism and seeks to destroy Israel. “Palestinian Arabs are starving,” they claim, while Hamas steals the supplies that are sent into Gaza and murders those who oppose them.
This kind of biased journalism has contributed to the rise in Jew-hatred and hatred of Israel that is surging throughout North America, especially on university campuses. Sadly, Murray observes, journalists have failed to investigate those who are involved in anti-Israel protests and those who organize and finance them. Although he was not specific, this would include the Muslim Brotherhood, which has centers in nearly every university campus in North America and Europe – proclaiming the “global intifada.”
When facts don’t matter to journalists, Murray explains, they become propagandists, distorting the truth to serve their opinions. Instead of exposing the scandal of UN organizations, such as UNRWA, the ICC, and the ICJ, many journalists justify an anti-Israel bias. Murray also spoke of the hypocrisy of NGOs, such as the Human Rights Watch, which are dedicated to condemning Israel.
Instead of critical thinking, they indulge in fantasies, such as the “two-state-solution,” and the Olso Accords – the greatest hoax in Israeli history. Examined by psychiatrist Kenneth Levin in his book, “The Oslo Syndrome, delusions of a people under siege,” it relied on the belief that by making more concessions to terrorist organizations, such as the PLO and Hamas, they would become our “partners for peace.” Brainwashed and betrayed as terrorism increased, Israeli leaders ignored the danger and offered more rewards. Hamas’ attack on Oct 7 broke this irrational belief for most, but not all.
The wars against Hamas and Hezbollah showed that Israel was unprepared for urban and tunnel warfare, although it quickly developed methods for neutralizing the tunnels. Israel would not engage in massive bombings of civilian populations, even those that harbored and assisted terrorists..We would not do what allied armies did in World War II to defeat Germany and Japan. We would sacrifice our own soldiers to prevent harming civilians.
Although he didn’t deal with the situation within Israel, he mused why the media and journalists ignored what Hamas, thanks to Qatar and Egypt, was doing in the Gaza Strip.
In Israel, the role of the Public Broadcasting Corporation (PBC), a government supported entity, is the subject of a proposed law to privatize it. Some journalists are opposed, claiming that such a law would undermine freedom of the press – as if working for a private company would prevent them from expressing their opinions.
In fact, the bill exposes the way that political economy works. The PBC's outrageous budget (800 million shekels) is simply an indirect subsidy for the Labor Party, since those who work at the PBC are members of the Histadrut, a union monopoly, and most probably support the Labor Party and its policies. This is the case for all government corporations. That's why Leftists oppose the bill. The PBC is very important for the Labor Party because it shapes public opinion – to promote their opinions.
Murray’s moving tribute to Israel, especially to those who are fighting and those who have died, received a standing ovation. It was well-deserved.
Good journalism is based on integrity, objectivity, and honesty -- the search for truth. Murray’s warning, and the work of NGO-Monitor, are critical for the future of all western democracies.