Bloggers try to counter anti-Israel media bias with bad news on other states

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"What began six months ago as a brazen attempt to counter a perceived anti-Israel slant in the Dutch media, has evolved into a network monitoring the media in eight countries across the world. The idea is simple: Beat press bias at its own game by advertising only bad news about one place.

Over the past months, seven activists from Israel and elsewhere have been exposing online readers to scandalous yet accurate reports from media in Britain (violent drunk teens), France (high homeless mortality), Norway (serial child molesters), Finland (sexual harassment in parliament), Sweden (soaring suicide rates), The Netherlands (menacing Muslim unrest), Mexico (rampaging flood victims) and Los Angeles (drive-by killings).

The seven bad-news activists visit one another's online blogs and have incorporated links referring the dozens of surfers who visit their pages every day to sister-sites. Though they all act out of a desire to counter what they see as media bias against Israel, they operate independently and have little communication with one another. Some of them rely on friends to send them interesting bits of bad news.

"This project demonstrates how media coverage can degrade any country's image by using selective news without context," explains media analyst Dr. Manfred Gerstenfeld from Jerusalem. His seminar last summer, entitled "Bad News about the Netherlands," became the kernel of his blog.

Gerstenfeld told Anglo File at the time that by maligning Dutch society he was "merely employing the methods of some in the Dutch media." Those parties, he said, habitually report only about Israeli aggression while omitting any reference to Palestinian violence, among other tactics.

The Netherlands' former ambassador to Israel, Bob Hiensch, indicated he found the project "simplistic and naive" - which hasn't stopped Gerstenfeld from updating the site every day. His blog attracts up to 300 readers a day."

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[bemildred]

1. You know, I'm all for this. nt

[LeftishBrit]

2. Good. Perhaps this could be extended...

to all countries that focus on specific 'bogeynations' and ignore problems elsewhere.

[Tom Joad]

4. It's not that Israel is alone in violating basic human rights, but

the support it gets here in the US, with the very policies that violate those rights of Palestinians, is truly special. At least when the US was supporting Suharto it pretended to be against his human rights violations most of the time.

The US bombs Sudan (Billy Clinton did) . I don't here presidential candidates supporting withholding food from those in the region who want a change in Sudan.

[atreides1]

3. Drive-by Killings in LA

Like no one knows about those? As far as degrading the image of the US, we've got Bush for that, and he's been doing such a great job without any outside assistance!!!

Not all US media is biased against Israel, there are more then enough that are biased against Palestinians, and look upon them as cousins to Bin Laden. But both sides have done evil things to innocents on the other side, so neither is guiltless, but they sure to act like it.

Maybe someone couuld tell Mr. Gerstenfeld if he truly wasn't biased he too would be pointing out the wrongs done by both sides, not just the side that he's against, but I guess for him having integrity isn't really that important

[Scurrilous]

5. "Drive-by Killings in LA...

...Like no one knows about those?"

Correct.

The LA Times already has a blog that covers homicides (including drive-bys) in LA County.

[LeftishBrit]

6. He's talking about the Dutch media.

The US media isn't biased against Israel that I can tell. It goes in more for using Iran as its current bogeynation. Iran DOES have a horrible government, but there are lots of other countries that could get a mention. That's the sort of thing I meant by 'extending the principle'.

[Violet_Crumble]

18. I've read things where he's talking about the international media in most countries...

He's also claimed that the BBC hates Israel, the Melbourne Age is biased against Israel, and that the same bias he sees against Israel is aimed at the US and Bush. Somehow I get the sneaking suspicion that this guy may be a bit too biased to recognise his own bias seeping into things. What he appears to want is for the media to be biased against Palestinians and criticism of Israel's actions to cease, which fits in well with the line taken by JCPA, which he's on the Board of Directors of, and the same group who brought us the ever-entertaining 'NGO Monitor' :)

[azurnoir]

7. you can see even here on du

Muslim treatment of women, honor killings, on and on read about this long enough and one could get the impression that this is common treatment and it is not.
Hardly anyone stops and thinks that we rarely heard about this pre 9/11 and that there is worse treatment of women in the world Hindu bride killings to collect dowries which almost is never covered in the media because Hindu's are not the designated "boogy men"

[Vegasaurus]

8. Where in the Muslim world are women treated as equal citizens?

This IS common treatment of women, and why anyone would condone this, I have no idea.

[azurnoir]

9. Condone no, point out the bias in reporting , yes

you tell me where are women treated as equal Israel. the US, anywhere? however in recent years there has been oh sooooo much concern for Muslim women.

[Vegasaurus]

10. let's not pretend to compare the inequality of American women and

women in Muslim countries.

I can drive, work, marry who I want, won't undergo female genital mutilation. I won't be stoned for talking to a man, or killed if I commit adultery.

It's true I don't earn what men do, but I don't earn what some other women do either. Of course there isn't equality, but women do have many more rights and privileges in western nations, and I think those should be the model.

All human rights organizations condemn the treatment of women in these countries.

[Violet_Crumble]

11. Wouldn't you have to know what yr talking about before comparing inequality?

I can drive, work, marry who I want, won't undergo female genital mutilation. I won't be stoned for talking to a man, or killed if I commit adultery.

So can women in Indonesia, which is the most populous Muslim country in the world....

[azurnoir]

12. All muslim countries

I can drive, work, marry who I want, won't undergo female genital mutilation. I won't be stoned for talking to a man, or killed if I commit adultery.

So can women in a number of Muslim countries-Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan , Malaysia, Indonesia, and yes there are exception Saudi Arabia and Somalia to name a couple. Also in East Asian Muslim countries the veil is not seen and in the ME where the hajab is common it also more common to see younger women wearing it then their mothers in countries such as Egypt Lebanon and Jordan and not because they are forced to, it has become somewhat of a political statement
As for genital mutilation that is not a edict of Islam and has recently been outlawed in Egypt all together

Have you ever known any muslim women? or only read Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who's broad brush condemnations of all Islam has made her the darling of the Islamophobe set, she is Somalian and Somalia is one of the most backwards countries on the face of the Earth in all asspects.
As I have stated I work in medical and have seen first hand the effects of genital mutilation but just 'cause one does it does not mean they all do.

[Vegasaurus]

13. Human Rights Watch would disagree

The human rights of women throughout the Middle East and North Africa are systematically denied by each of the countries in the region, despite the diversity of their political systems. Many governments routinely suppress civil society by restricting freedom of the press, expression, and assembly. These restrictions adversely affect both men and women; however, women are subject to a host of additional gender-specific human rights violations. For example, family, penal, and citizenship laws throughout the region relegate women to a subordinate status compared to their male counterparts. This legal discrimination undermines women's full personhood and equal participation in society and puts women at an increased risk for violence.

Family matters in countries as diverse as Iran, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia are governed by religion-based personal status codes. Many of these laws treat women essentially as legal minors under the eternal guardianship of their male family members. They deny women equal rights with men with respect to marriage, divorce, child custody; and inheritance. Family decision making is thought to be the exclusive domain of men, who enjoy by default the legal status of "head of household." These notions are supported by family courts in the region that often reinforce the primacy of male decision-making power. These courts have rarely appointed women as judges, further denying women authority in family matters.

The relationship between women and the state in the Middle East and North Africa is essentially mediated by men. In many countries in the region, women's right to vote, to acquire an identity card or passport, to marry, to work, or to travel is granted only with the consent of a spouse or other male family member. Husbands in Egypt and Bahrain, for example, can file an official complaint at the airport to forbid their wives from leaving the country for any reason. Most countries in the region-with the exception of Iran, Tunisia, Israel, and to a limited extent Egypt-have permitted only fathers to pass citizenship on to their children. Women married to non-nationals are denied this fundamental right.

Women's inferior legal status also acts as a deterrent to their full participation in public life. Societal acceptance and enforcement of traditional and unequal gender roles, combined with the need for male authorization to work or travel, have significantly limited women's participation economic and political life. According to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), women in the Arab sub-region occupy only 3.5 percent of all seats in parliament. The sub-region was also ranked next to last in terms of women's participation in economic, professional, and political life. Only sub-Saharan Africa has a lower score.

Women's unequal legal rights increase their vulnerability to violence. In many countries in the region, no specific laws or provisions exist to penalize domestic violence. Many countries have not adopted domestic violence laws, even though domestic violence is a widespread problem. Domestic violence is generally considered to be a private matter outside the state's jurisdiction. Battered women are told to go home if they attempt to file a complaint with the police. Few shelters exist to protect women who fear for their lives. Spousal rape has not been criminalized; husbands have an absolute right to their wives' bodies at all times. Penal codes in several countries in the region also contain provisions that authorize the police and judges to drop charges against a rapist if he agrees to marry his victim.

Women migrants and members of minority groups are especially vulnerable to discrimination and abuse in the region. Non-Muslim women in many countries in the region cannot inherit from their Muslim spouse and are routinely denied custody of children in case of divorce. National labor codes that protect migrant labor also specifically exclude domestic workers, who are predominantly female. Domestic workers in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, for example, cannot leave the country without their employer's permission, may be forced to work for free, and may be held in virtual round-the-clock confinement during their tenure. These women are also at tremendous risk of physical and sexual abuse. Procedural obstacles thwart migrant workers' access to justice. For example, migrant workers in Bahrain who file a complaint against their employer need to remain in the country and cannot change employers without withdrawing their pending case. Employers have also been known to make up fictitious allegations of theft or illicit affairs with another employee in order to cover up the abuse charges. "

http://www.hrw.org/women/overview-mena.html

It goes on, but HRW is hardly a right wing organization. Human rights include rights for all, including women. I am opposed to all societies that treat women as chattel. Covering them up and treating them as second class citizens should be decried.

on edit: link

[azurnoir]

14. And what about Asia??

I pointed out countries in the middle east and not all of the n African countries are Muslim Eritrea for example is Christian. And Israel is also mentioned.

[Vegasaurus]

15. So it is, because of religious law

Jews are also matrilineal.

There are human rights abuses against women across Asia, too, of course. But that wasn't the point of your post, or my response.

I was commenting on your comment that on DU people are hung up on the treatment of Muslim women, which you claimed was not common treatment. It IS common treatment, which was the point of my post from the HRW, and is in no way "equal" to inequality of women in Israel, the US, or other western nations.

[Violet_Crumble]

16. What you were doing was making a broad-brush statement about all Muslim countries...

You made the claim that unlike you, women in Muslim countries:

• aren't allowed to drive (that's the case in Saudi Arabia, but where are all these other Muslim countries this is supposed to happen in?)
  
• can't marry who they want (if yr talking about arranged marriages, that's a cultural thing and in no way confined to Muslims. Maybe you should be complaining about a particularly large Hindu country when it comes to that?)
  
• undergo FGM (again, what Muslim countries is this commonplace in? It's another cultural thing that happens in African countries)
  
• will be stoned for talking to a man or get killed if they commit adultery(I haven't heard of this happening in Indonesia or many other Muslim countries, so at this point I've got to ask why you use the examples of the much less common extremes to try to paint a picture that these things happen everywhere)
  

Just to make something very clear here. There is indeed inequality towards women in many countries in the Middle East, but what you appear to want to force on women there is yr own vision of what equality for women is, which is a highly westernised *women as a consumer commodity* thing that from what I've read from feminists in ME countries is the last thing they want...

[Vegasaurus]

17. Nor trying to force anyone into anything

But we aren't talking feminism or consumer commodities either, only human rights. Cultural relativity may say that we accept women being covered head to toe, not being allowed to own property or divorce, or being owned by men, or being subject to stoning or honor killing or whatever. I will side with justice and human rights for all women.

Strange that human rights would be an unpopular opinion on a progressive board.

[Violet_Crumble]

19. When yr talking about what model we should use, it sure sounds like it...

How on earth do you come to the conclusion after reading my post that 'human rights would be an unpopular opinion on a progressive board.'????

On edit: Couldn't resist this one:

Strange that human rights would be an unpopular opinion on a progressive board.

I thought so too, given that acknowledging the human rights of the Palestinian people is a very unpopular opinion amongst some here ;)

[pelsar]

20. human rights..

civil rights is a western concept.....the "inequality" of women in many of middle eastern countries that many westerns see, is no more than a culture/religion value .....and the locals tend to disagree with that western concept of "inequality. and that includes FGM, honor killings, choice in marriage, etc

if one believes in the western concept of civil rights/human rights is the "superior" one, the one that should be followed....then they are making their preference clear for the western value system.

Option 2 is to say that "womens equality is subject to local customs"..and that means that FGM, forced marriages etc is ok for those women because the locals say its ok (i.e. not every one deserves the full civil rights package)

[Violet_Crumble]

21. No, it's not solely a western concept...

The concept of human dignity being recognised has been around much longer than that. It's the enshrinement of human rights in law that is a reasonably recent development...

Seeing as how you seem to be disagreeing with what I said, maybe you could do what Veggie couldn't do and provide a list of Muslim countries that carry out the things that Veggie made out were commonplace in Muslim countries?

[Vegasaurus]

22. Did you actually read post 12?

Google for yourself and see 1, 640,000 hits. go for it.

[Violet_Crumble]

23. I also read post #10 from you...

Why aren't you willing to answer any questions about what you said in that post, or even try to back up what you said with a little bit of factuality?

[azurnoir]

24. IThe op was dealing with the influence of media bias

and I stated that you can see the results here on DU sometimes, true enough. My post was also about the fact to be blunt no one gave a rats hairless heine about the rights of Muslim women until it became political coinage, as to the HRW report you seemed tio state that honor killings were common I disagreed the HRW report has little to say about that particular issue, it would come under the umbrella of domestic violence.
Most of the report dealt with workers rights and abuses and inheritance laws, got a news flash the type of abuses are happening under your nose in the US, this is especially true for undocumented female workers and "mail order" brides who are virtual slaves to their American husbands.
As for Israel being on the list for "religious laws" well pot meet kettle-why is there a separate womens prayer area at the Wailing Wall?