Antisemitism Report 2009 - World Jewish Congress

newmatilda does not need to adhere to journalistic standards of reporting and opinion writing. As the writers
are not necessarily trained journalists and their work does not fall under the jurisdiction of a news editor, such
standards are not always upheld.
Despite the fact that Australia has laws against racial vilification, the report maintains that it is both more
difficult to prosecute violations of these laws in new media sources and that incriminating articles are easier to
remove. The report also claims that due to the fact that this information is made available to the general public,
holding newmatilda to lower standards of journalistic integrity would be inappropriate.
During the period in which the ADC studied newmatilda, the site provided a disproportionate amount of
coverage on Israel. More than one article per week was published on the subject during the first three months of
2009, while only one article addressed the situation in Burma and no articles covered Darfur, North Korea,
Zimbabwe, and Tibet, other countries possessing humanitarian-related news.
Newmatilda features Al-Jazeera as its sole newsfeed. In its Frequently Asked Questions section, the site states
that as Al-Jazeera has a non-Western focus, it brings balance to the Australian media, as it carries stories that
Australians otherwise might not pursue. The ADC maintains that while Al-Jazeera is a legitimate news source,
newmatilda offers no alternative sources which would present the other side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The issue which the ADC finds most disconcerting is the fact that the Web site maintains very lax control over
its comments section, which features responses of a highly anti-Semitic and anti-Israel nature. The comments
make a variety of claims, such as denying the Holocaust or claiming that it was exaggerated or "used" by the
Jewish people; claiming that Jews have no right or historical attachment to Israel; that anti-Semitism does not
exist; that Jews control the media; that Jews are a threat to the world and would infect the world with the
plague; and that Israel is supported by "blood money." While it is likely that some of these comments breach the
racial vilification provisions of both the Australian states and Commonwealth, newmatilda rarely deletes them
and when it does, it does not do so immediately - granting the comments an extensive readership.
In April, the ADC wrote to newmatilda, expressing concern over the site's comments page. In response, Marni
Cordell, editor of newmatilda, thanked the ADC for providing feedback and wrote "We believe we provide a fair
coverage of this important nexus of issues - but we are very committed to publishing informed /opinion/ pieces,
and our content reflects that. The possibility that your organization doesn't share the outlook of the bulk of our
contributors - who also differ among themselves - does not make us unfair."
"If you read opinions on our site that are not commonly found in the major dailies or in publications like the
Australian Jewish News, then that is one sign that we are doing our jobs," Cordell's response continued.
The ADC states that its primary concern regarding newmatilda is the effect that prejudicial coverage has on the
attitude of Australians towards the Jewish people, both in Israel and in the Diaspora.
As there is a documented connection between events in Israel and incidents of local anti-Semitism, the report
posits that by hosting comments slandering Israel and Jews on unjust terms, newmatilda's lax policies
undermine the freedom and security of Australian Jews, regardless of whether or not this is the site's intent.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1246443716603&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Internet newsletters, sent to individuals with an interest in a specific subject, also can serve
as vehicles for hate propagandists, as do websites maintained by extremist groups.
In December, students at Scots College and Kambala Girls School Sydney established a
Facebook group ―jew parking appreciation society‖ which, after it was brought to public
attention was taken down by Facebook and resulted in a public outcry against the students
responsible for it.
In January, an Australian racist created a facebook group ―Attack on Gaza is an act as a war
crime and a crime against humanity‖ (sic), which included comments such as ―look what the
Israelis learnt from the Nazis! Charming isn‘t it?‖ (5/1/09); ―HITLEER SHUD HAVE
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