Image via Wikipedia//Protest for Gilad ShalitSocial media and blogging challenged seriously journalism in the last years, but when it comes to professionals, rules didn't change too much. We still need to respect the rule of - at least - three sources, the accuracy and balance of affirmations, the separation between opinion and facts.
Although "thanks" to citizen journalism anyone with a computer and basic literacy can produce information worthy to be called news, a journalist is professionally qualified to publish the articles for the use of the public opinion. As an authorized source of information, he or she can turn into an opinion maker influencing the power brokers and the decisions of the readers or listeners.
The conflict from the Middle East is a considerable source of
inflammatory opinions displayed on blogs, newspapers or anonymously, on the Internet forums dealing with the situation from the region. One latest example is Larry Derfner, senior reporter for the Jerusalem Post, who together with Richard Silverstein are writing a blog called Israel Reconsidered. Following the Palestinian attacks in recent weeks, killing eight civilians, Derfner wrote a blog post - later removed - where he expressed the opinion that "they have the right to use terrorism against us", because of the "occupation". And as a victory of the normality,
he got fired by JPost. In an apology published on his
blog, Derfner is trying to explain his words, as in fact the failure to go beyond the partisanship need any further translation of such an obvious Hamas-like discourse.
Long time ago, after reading and watching the news about terrorist attacks I was waiting for an insightful explanation and analysis from the part of the left: what kind a state could be offered by such terrorist organizations - for example, what kind of diplomats will a Hamas-led statehood will provide etc. Many of them simply prefer to be silent instead of condemning the terror. After the latest attacks from Eilat I heard the idiotic "explanation" that they attacked the bus because they "knew" that must be soldiers in not because they have something against peaceful civilians (and, by the way, in those buses are travelling fellow Arabs too because in Israel they are allowed to do so). Probably they wanted to kidnap some of them, as they did with Gilad Shalit captured for six years by the Hamas terrorists and lacking any proper human conditions. (Derfner and the others from his camp didn't use the same aggressivity to defend the fate of Gilad.) Gaza is occupied by Hamas who's killing other fellows Palestinians and brainwash them to kill other fellow humans.
Left or righ, deeply self-hating or in a friendly relationship with themselves and their past and present, journalist should tell the truth. And by excusing criminals and killers they offer the dimension of the denial. Sometimes it's so sad...
