Journal for the Study of Antisemitism

140 JOURNAL FOR THE STUDY OF ANTISEMITISM [ VOL. 1:139
East, where for over a half-century Israel has been locked in a pitched battle
against its neighbors for recognition of its national legitimacy. Those who
feel that the Jewish state has been treated unfairly by the media have difficulty
fathoming how others might harbor a different perspective. Contrarily,
many in the Moslem world view the Western press as biased against
Arabs and other practitioners of Islam. 2
Critics of Mideast coverage are facile at ferreting out what they feel is
the widespread use of judgmental terminology, and accuse the media of
relying on language that nurtures ambiguity and confusion.
Is it fair, for example, to label Hamas a “militant” organization instead
of a “terrorist” one? Is there an inherent bias in declaring that “extremists
on both sides” contribute equally to a “cycle of violence”? Are there specific
and accurate definitions of words like “occupation,” “massacre,” and
“freedom fighter” by which the media should abide?
Or do journalists rightly reject the possibility that buzzwords can
quickly turn to bombast, or ignore the idea that words can wound? Terrorist
or militant? Occupied or disputed? Cycle of violence, or cause and
effect? The actors and their actions are news, but media descriptions can be
quite political–and consequential. 3
As George Orwell admonished in his 1946 essay Politics and the
English Language: “[P]olitical language–and with variations this is true of
all political parties, from Conservatives to Anarchists–is designed to make
lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of
solidity to pure wind.” 4
This article presents a brief overview of press freedom under the First
Amendment, attempts a working definition of media “objectivity,” examines
various codes of professional ethics for journalists, and analyzes specific
cases in which such standards have allegedly been abused or
abandoned in Middle East reporting.
“OBJECTIVITY” AND THE FIRST AMENDMENT
The oft-stated and highly desired goal of modern journalism is objectivity,
the detached and unprejudiced gathering and dissemination of news
and information. . . . It’s a pity that such a goal is impossible to achieve.
2. See infra notes 155-177 and accompanying text.
3. See Yariv Safati, “Hostile Media Perceptions, Presumed Media Influence,
and Minority Alienation: The Case of Arabs in Israel,” Journal of Communication
57 (2007).
4. See http://www.quotedb.com/quotes/2912.