Being a Jewish Journalist in Jerusalem

The roads of journalism, especially when it comes to the Middle East, are very hidden and not always - if ever - going through clean zones of the human mind (I am too kitch and fluffy, here I know).

New York Times will have a new bureau chief, who - 'anyone surprised ?' - is not so Twitter-friendly with the Jewish state and many Western journalist sent there, from chief media institutions, are highly recommended for this position if they do not speak Hebrew, and do not like the Jewish state and, if possible, are fluent in Arabic. This remainds me of some situations I am quite familiar with when a journalist with a solid background in the Middle East issues was completely banned of writing news about the area, unless accepted titles consonant with the dirtiest pro-Saddam and pro-Iranian propaganda. 

Comparatively, an undergraduated of Arabic studies will always be qualified to report about the Middle East. I am the first to recognize the important of being able to read the newspapers of the country you are covering in the original language. I am only fighting for the same right of being qualified if a fluent speaker of Hebrew. Anyway, they will not send me to report about Egypt of Bahrain anyway - 'too biased, you know' - but they will not have any second thoughts to do so with a journalist close to Hamas. Are you able to see the logical failures of such an approach?

From many ridiculous points of view, the overall attitude of the New York Times regarding the Jewish issues, is at least schizophrenic: the coverage of the horrific events during WWII was shameful (if you want to know more, pay a visit to the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC and you will give up any effort of reading your NYT ever); but they also used to publish the Jewish dateson the front pages (there were some good Chabad influences here, as far as I know); recently, they  published several articles about the Haredi life (including an article about eating disorders, whose logic I was not able to grasp) but also a fantastic statement of Thomas Friedman, about "Jewish lobby". Balanced reporting means to confuse completely your readers through the fringe of madness?

I don't want to answer. In the last 12 months I am reading NYT maybe once the month and the Guardian probably twice the year. I avoid as much as possible Haaretz.  

PS: I saw this article only now: CNN decided to 'reorganize' its office in Jerusalem by firing the Israeli Jews journalists. Abu-Dhabi looks as a better source of news, for some of Turner's employees...