David Collier is an investigative journalist whose website exposes antisemitism and all forms of extremism.
Make no mistake, the Jewish Chronicle made a huge error in trusting a source they should not have done. But as embarrassing as this episode may be – the attempt to turn this event into a national scandal of epic proportions is a transparent politically motivated attack. The real crime of the JC in the eyes of those attacking it – is that it has a pro-Israeli outlook and sits towards the right on the political spectrum. For Guardian readers, Yachadniks, and Hamas operatives dressed up as BBC Journalists – there are no bigger crimes.
What makes it worse is that much of the escalation was driven from within the community – the Jewish left. Attacking their own in the midst of a brutal and bloody war – just when British Jews may possibly need the Jewish Chronicle more than we ever have before.
The Jewish Chronicle event
The Jewish Chronicle relied on a journalist named Elon Perry. He had been taken on as a freelancer over the summer. Earlier this month Perry produced what seemed like a major scoop about a plot to smuggle Hamas leaders and hostages out of Gaza. This was a loaded claim – with political implications about long term IDF and Israeli presence along the Philadelphi Corridoor (the Gaza /Egyptian border that Hamas has used for smuggling).
This news story spread back to Israel – elements in the intelligence services scratched their heads – and the IDF began to investigate the claims. And here it gets really messy. There are plenty of major divisions between opposing sides in how to continue (or end) this conflict. And as this story contained nuggets of possible propaganda (fake news) coming out of the Netanyahu camp – or news planted to seem like it - lots of sources eagerly began to investigate Elon Perry and his past claims – some of which clearly appeared to have been exaggerated (because nobody else ever exaggerated their CV).
From this moment the actual truth no longer mattered. Perry had been caught fabricating something – possibly even news stories (it is also still possible he himself was duped by a source) – and it became an instant liability to stand by him (for those who think I should be with the mob holding torches burning down Perry’s house – that is not my style – I know how this game works and the actual depth of deception here is still completely unknown).
Whatever the truth, this story carries significant errors on the part of the JC – in trusting someone (and their sources) that they should not have. The Jewish Chronicle carried out an internal investigation – and to its credit, the JC then swiftly deleted all of Perry’s contributions – and apologised.
But in this world – Jews (and their organisations) are not allowed to make human errors – and when they do – they are treated far differently from when others make the same type of mistakes.
A Guardian episode
The Jewish Chronicle was mugged by a journalist into posting fake news. Now if only we had a benchmark to test this against?
Oh look – remember this from 2016? Joseph Mayton – who had a *SEVEN-YEAR* – working relationship with the Guardian, was caught fabricating quotes:
The episode is considered so insignificant it does not even appear on the Guardian’s Wikipedia page. You can be absolutely certain the JC’s Wiki page will forever have its own episode given major coverage:
This is how anti-Jewish bias works. Unequal treatment creating different footprints – all gathering together to sway opinion in one direction.
And even though the Guardian had carried out an investigation and knew that the journalist had fabricated some of his stories – the GuardianLEFT UP other articles that Joseph Mayton had written. They are still there today. Legitimising a journalist who apparently wrote about events he had never attended.
Kudos to the JC then for having more ethically forceful policies than the Guardian.
The Guardian example is especially notable because the journalists who made the most noise about the Jewish Chronicle episode – had no problem at the time carrying on for the Guardian. Why? Because this is not about being caught with a bad journalist at all – this is about a far greater crime – the crime of not being a left wing mouthpiece that hates Israel.
The left-wing attack
The first major name to stab the Jewish Chronicle in the back was the Guardiancolumnist Jonathan Freedland. If you read his ‘resignation‘ note properly – the real reason for his stepping back is all too clear:
The irony and levels of hypocrisy necessary for a Guardian columnist to write those words about another media outlet are off the charts – but they tell you the real reason Freedland has walked away.
He appears comfortable in the Guardian’s (far larger) fake news factory – but opposes anything ideologically in a different part of the spectrum. It is easy to argue then that he – rather than the JC – is the problem.
Another journalist who spent years at the Guardian quickly followed – Hadley Freeman:
We are facing jaw-dropping hypocrisy and irony again. The BBC has literally spent the last 11 months posting fake news – breaking its own guidelines over 1500 times and dressing Hamas supporters up as journalists. This is the platform Hadley chose to attack the JC from?
This all a politically motivated stunt. Just look at those using platforms to attack the JC as if the episode is some type of unforgivable national scandal.
Baroness Warsi: Warsi is a well-known Israel hater. She posted an attack citing the JC’s right-wing leanings.
David Baddiel: Clearly of the ‘non-Zionist’ left. Naively walks hand in hand with Baroness Warsi not realising she makes political mincemeat of him in their podcast.
Lee Harpin: In my opinion, one of the laziest, most untrustworthy, and ethically corrupt journalists I have ever had the misfortune of working alongside. How he still has a job in the industry I have no idea. Openly attacked the JC (why wouldn’t he – he has been a Yachad mouthpiece for years now).
James O’Brien: Goes without comment that he would put the boot in. He has retweeted a dozen or so posts attacking the JC from his account.
Yachad: Yes the rancid anti-Netanyahu mob that that spawned the anti-Zionist youth group Na’amod. Of course they attacked the JC. And their post again highlights this is an ideologically driven attack – trying to shut down right-wing voices:
And all of this infighting feeds our real enemies – an example from UK based extremist group CAGE piggybacking on the ride:
All this noise is not about the JC getting burnt by a bad journalist.
It is an opportunistic political free-for-all because the Jewish Chronicle has committed the crime of not being just another left wing mouthpiece.
In the eyes of the left the ‘unforgivable’ crime of the Jewish Chronicle is that it has a pro-Israeli outlook. That is what this is really about.
Reposted from the writer's website.