Reporting in Lebanon tightly controlled


And it is being done by inexperienced war reporters.

Hezbollah is trying to contol the PR. Why isn't that being reported?
Ike Seamans says some fascinating things about the coverage of the Israeli-Hezbollah war.

Because almost none of the American television networks have a vast stable of experienced reporters any longer who understand the region, they employ the old "parachute them in" philosophy, i.e. dispatching perfectly good -- and frequently very young -- journalists, few of whom have any experience in covering this story and don’t stand a snowball's chance in Gaza of getting it right initially. They engage in what I call "nerve end journalism." reporting what they think they see in one of the most confusing places on earth, with very little context. Their movements are also very restricted by both sides.

In the case of Beirut and other parts of Lebanon under the control of terrorists, Hezbollah usually runs daily press tours, making sure reporters and photographers see the worse that Israel has inflicted -- killing civilians, etc. -- in order to slate the coverage, but never reveals that Hezbollah uses private homes, mosques, schools, hospitals and other public buildings for their headquarters or to launch their lethal missiles.

Then there's the danger factor if a reporter angers his terrorist tour guides. Christopher Albritton, a freelance contributor for Time magazine, wrote in his blog a couple of weeks ago, "To the south, Hezbollah is launching Katyushas, but I'm loathe to say too much about them. The Party of God has a copy of every journalists' passport and they've already hassled a number of us and threatened one." They also take pictures of all journalists, warning they better follow the ground rules or else. Terrorists in that part of the world have been doing this for years.

"Hezbollah has a very sophisticated and slick media operation in suburban Beirut," says CNN’s Nic Robertson, one of the few seasoned TV reporters out there. "They deny journalists access." He adds that the terrorist group, "designated the places that we went to and we certainly didn't have time to go into houses or lift up the rubble to see what is underneath. They realize this is a good way for them to get their message out." So what you see back home is precisely what Hezbollah dictates.

Don't misunderstand, I am not a "support-Israel-at-any-costs" guy any more than I am a raving neo-conservative bent on establishing American hegemony over the face of the planet.

Yes, Israel has done some terrible things. That happens in war. I'm not making excuses, just stating facts.

But at the same time, the blatant manipulation of press coverage by Hezbollah is at least as important. If there is a weakness in public resolve, that is it.

Their strategy is built on the "assumption of guilt" that has formed American foreign policy for the last few decades. This part of the battle is depends on public opinion.

I don't want any stories repressed, I want all stories thrown into the mix. But at the same time, some stories HAVE to be marked as "maybe." The faked photos showed that. As did the stories about Israeli atrocities that never happened.

Just by being Israel, most of the American media assumes guilt. Just like they do about an Republican President. I'm not saying that the assumptions aren't justified. I am just saying that the American media assumes different standards of proof, depending on who is accused.

That is what I find unforgivable. Not the stories themselves, but that no one is allowed to question the "proof" that wouldn't pass the fact check in a local weekly.

And that is the real story.


— NeoWayland

Posted: Fri - August 11, 2006 at 09:59 PM  Tag


 ◊  ◊   ◊  ◊ 

Random selections from NeoWayland's library


Pagan Vigil "Because LIBERTY demands more than just black or white"
© 2005 - 2009 All Rights Reserved