Opinion

Does IDF (Israel) produce BBC and US News Headlines? Media & Gaza

Published

November 15, 2012

Abu Reem

Consider the headlines that everyday Americans (and increasingly British) see in their papers and news outlets. Is it any wonder that the majority of casual-observing Americans may actually think that Palestine as Goliath and Israel as David in this conflict?

Gaza: Palestinian boy ‘killed by Israeli gunfire’ (consider the quotation marks around this BBC headline)

Four dead in Gaza Strip fighting (sounds like a equal-footing fight where both sides lost people? Wrong, all 4 Palestinians in this misleading headline in LA Times)
Continued rocket fire from Gaza steps up pressure on Israel government to respond (Makes Israel sound like a responsible adult, even while the story should have been about the civilians in Gaza killed, not the rockets who hadn’t hurt a single soul by then)

Gaza militants signal truce with Israel after rockets (Reuters in the act too– so were rockets the only issue?)

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Gaza strikes intensify, frightening Israelis (this headline in USA today wins the prize for the most outlandish headline one can imagine. By this time on Nov 12, not a single Israeli civilian had died or been injured, yet tens of Palestinian civilians had died. Yet, Israelis had more right to be described as “frightened”)

Three Israelis killed by Gaza rocket as violence escalates (based on this headline in BBC, you’d think no Palestinian was killed… wrong. The story goes on to relay the news of 15 “mainly militant, but also children” Palestinians. Wow!

Editor’s note: Add more so we can update this post.

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Abu Reem

Abu Reem is one of the founders of MuslimMatters, Inc. His identity is shaped by his religion (Islam), place of birth (Pakistan), and nationality (American). By education, he is a ChemE, topped off with an MBA from Wharton. He has been involved with Texas Dawah, Clear Lake Islamic Center and MSA. His interests include politics, cricket, and media interactions. Career-wise, Abu Reem is in management in the oil & gas industry (but one who still appreciates the "green revolution").

9 Comments

Aser Rehman Mir

November 15, 2012 at 4:22 PM

Consider the below BBC headlines and articles. Such callous misreporting and lies of the unfolding events.

Gaza missiles fired at Tel Aviv: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20349280

Rocket threat: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20343180 (Before it was titled “How Palestinian and Israeli firepower compare”.

Hague: Hamas to blame for escalating tension in Gaza and Israel: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-20338088

Almost every video footage, news article or feature on the BBC is in conjunction of the views from the IDF, spokesperson and every military

Reply
Yasmin

November 15, 2012 at 4:38 PM

Yes unfortunately very true but I was pleased to see that the Washington Post published a heart wrenching image of a BBC journalist carrying the deceased body of his 11 month old son on their cover page! It is truly unfortunate that they don’t publish more things like this so that the general American public can become more aware.

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Faith

November 15, 2012 at 5:54 PM

3 Israelis killed in Gazan rocket strike (approx words) is the how London’s Evening Standard reported the news tonight.

The paper even put a picture of the BBC Arab journalist’s dead child underneath so as to create the impression that this was one of the Israeli deaths.

http://www.standard.co.uk/panewsfeeds/israelis-killed-in-rocket-strike-8319124.html

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amad

November 16, 2012 at 5:15 AM

Please feel free to add other examples of headlines as already started…

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Amad

November 17, 2012 at 6:33 AM

Consider this article from WAPO reproduced in Boston Globe:

Israel readies Gaza invasion as Hamas rockets zero in
http://bostonglobe.com/news/world/2012/11/17/israelis-mobilize-for-potential-ground-assault-gaza/WSNhpwcVgSJIgd0zTNrh0L/story.html

First of all, the headline always will have a justification for whatever Israel is doing.

Secondly, the article itself will make one puke. It reads almost as a journal entry for an IDF public relations guy:

“While Israeli officials maintained that they did not seek war,”

“A ground operation might be seen as necessary to hobble Hamas’ still-potent military capabilities in Gaza, the stated goal of the three-day-old Israeli operation. ”

“Casualties have been far lower in the current operation, suggesting that Israel is highly motivated to avoid a repeat of Cast Lead”

Reply
omar

November 18, 2012 at 4:50 PM

This is arrogance

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azmathmoosa

May 3, 2013 at 6:18 AM

what if the same tactics are being used by the media to demonise afghan’s taliban?

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Ahmed

July 1, 2013 at 1:14 PM

I hate to spoil your rosy view of kufrism/ capitocracy, but it is the filthy rich global elite$ banksters that actually run and manipulate the world in their global agenda…(almost), not a meaningless diversionary cross on piece of paper every 5 years.
in addition to the biased ‘news’ or propaganda, there is a pro-jewish/zionist tv programme on every single night..check it, and most hollywoood films have a (sugar coated) programming pill in it too one way or another.
This means the main media ( and governments) are in their pockets too. So really we are all slaves to the private paper- money control tokens they print out on their printers. If you dont want to be a slave, then make your own systems you believe in..otherwise we must be lying to ourselves.

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barry

August 21, 2013 at 10:43 PM

so if the world is run by “rich jews” to humanity’s present detriment, then it should stand to reason they should also get credit for financing the success of western civilization.
all that infrastructure along with the political freedom to utilize it -including freedom FROM religion propelled the west from horsebuggy to spacecraft within 3 centuries.

Reply