With the Israel/Palestine situation being in some sense the quicksand that the world rests on, this story, about the attempt to discredit “a painstaking portrayal of the humiliation Israel's soldiers and politicians visit daily on the Palestinians: not just the deaths, injuries and arrests, but the intrusions of the military into every aspect of a Palestinian's life,” is a valuable contribution to making sense of these times. It comes from MEDIA LENS, a stellar site that we have posted from before (as we have posted the doings of Pilger, one of the most outstanding journalists of our day). Since the media is the conduit for our intelligence, MEDIA LENS makes an invaluable contribution in keeping the public tuned in to how the media performs. I am posting the email sent out to the MEDIA LENS list (perhaps you would like to subscribe). It is a fascinating read. —–Original Message—– From: MediaLens Media Alerts Sent: Thursday, January 16, 2003 9:16 AM Subject: Pilger Film Vindicated
In September the press eagerly covered the story of how Michael Green, chairman of Carlton, had joined “a barrage of criticism” by attacking a documentary produced by his own company. The film in question was John Pilger's 'Palestine is Still the Issue,' shown at 11pm, “three hours after the end of Yom Kippur”, Leon Symons wrote significantly in the Guardian.
The problem, Symons reported, was Pilger's “passionately voiced contention that Israeli injustices towards the Palestinians over a period of many decades was at the heart of the Mideast conflict”, which had brought “scathing condemnation from the Israeli embassy, the Board of Deputies and the Conservative Friends of Israel. All said they would be complaining to ITV and would seek a programme to redress the balance”. Symons added that Carlton had received a large number of comments on the film roughly balanced between those supporting and those criticising the film. (Leon Symons,'Carlton chief slams Pilger's attack on Israel', The Guardian, September 20, 2002)
Carlton chairman, Michael Green, was bitter in his condemnation of the film:
“There's no doubt in my mind that this programme is a tragedy for Israel so far as accuracy is concerned. What I am doing right now, what I am focused on, is to make sure there is a programme that shows the Israeli point of view. The [Carlton] network centre is looking at making a programme showing another point of view.” Green continued:
“It was factually incorrect, historically incorrect. Unfortunately, you can't always agree with him. He has a huge reputation but consistently my views are very much opposed to his views.”
The Israeli embassy similarly claimed that the programme was a wilful distortion and offered a “dehumanised portrayal of the Jewish people, exemplified by regular insinuation and comparison to the holocaust (which) was wholly offensive”. (Stephen Bates, 'TV chief attacks 'one-sided' Palestinian documentary', The Guardian, September 20, 2002)
Gillian Shepherd, the chair of the Conservative Friends of Israel, said: “How this grossly unbalanced and biased programme can contribute to a peaceful Middle East is beyond my understanding. We shall be taking this up with Carlton at a most senior level.” (Ibid)
Following a three-month enquiry, the Independent Television Commission (ITC) has published (January 14, 2003) its adjudication, rejecting complaints against Pilger's documentary. The report praises the film's journalistic integrity and refers to the “care and thoroughness with which [the film] was researched”, adding:
“The ITC raised with Carlton all the significant areas of inaccuracy critics of the programme alleged and the broadcaster answered them by reference to a range of historical texts. The ITC is not a tribunal of fact and is particularly aware of the difficulties of verifying 'historical fact' but the comprehensiveness and authority of Carlton's sources were persuasive, not least because many appeared to be of Israeli origin.” (ITC Report: Palestine is Still the Issue: a Special Report by John Pilger, Monday 16 September. 11.05pm. ITV, Carlton, January 14, 2003)
Pilger's documentary, the ITC adds, “was not in breach of the ITC Programme Code… Adequate opportunity was given to a pro-Israeli government perspective.”
A Carlton spokesman said: “We are delighted that the ITC has recognised the quality of our film-making process and particularly its praise for the editorial and journalistic integrity of our production.”
John Pilger comments:
“This is a complete vindication of a film that told the story of a people long denied basic human rights, and international justice – the Palestinians. The film was fair and restrained, and expressed the humanity of both ordinary Palestinians and Israelis. Following an orchestrated campaign by the pro-Israel lobby and Michael Green's remarks, I and my Carlton colleagues received a stream of threats, including death threats. The ITC's investigation, conducted over three months, was exhaustive. All our historical sources, most of them Israeli, were submitted for scrutiny. Following the Commission's unequivocal rejection of the complaints and praise for the film's thoroughness and integrity, Michael Green should withdraw his slur against the integrity of work done for his company, and apologise.” (John Pilger, email to Media Lens – January 13, 2003)
In the Guardian, Tim Llewellyn, formerly BBC Middle East correspondent, writes:
“Pilger is known as an opinionated journalist with an appetite for upsetting authority. But this programme was not 'campaigning' journalism. It was a painstaking portrayal of the humiliation Israel's soldiers and politicians visit daily on the Palestinians: not just the deaths, injuries and arrests, but the intrusions of the military into every aspect of a Palestinian's life.” (Llewellyn, 'False witnesses – ITC approval of John Pilger's documentary is a shot across the bows of mainstream Middle East coverage', The Guardian, January 16, 2003)
We await Michael Green's response with interest.
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Comments? Click hereCOMMENTS
From: Yvonne Garcia [yvonneg@tampabay.rr.com]
Media Lens is wonderful…thank you…I subscribed.
I read an article on their site, HAPPINESS IS DISSENT – THE TRUTH ABOUT 'LOOKING AFTER NUMBER 1,' and here are two paragraphs that grabbed me:
Unrestrained hedonism, relentless consumption, “greed is good”, “the 'me' culture” – all of it has failed, horribly. It doesn't necessarily feel like it has failed. Facts and figures, and even personal misery aside, it is in the nature of greed that it blinds us to the negative consequences of our selfishness – the advertisers and political servants of corporate society are forever on hand to give any doubters a persuasive leg-up.
We can choose to continue to be deceived if we like, but it won't make any difference – we will not find happiness in self-obsession. Meanwhile we will continue generating the global environmental conditions that will quickly increase our suffering to a point where denial will no longer be possible. The choice is ours: we can either begin seriously experimenting with the benefits of working for the well being of others, or continue trudging the neon-lit boulevard to personal and global disaster. It looks pretty, but as buddhists also tell us, it is merely “honey on the razor's edge”.
You know, Suzanne, so much of my life I always put the needs of others before mine, and I had come to believe after years of therapy and all kinds of consciousness paths I have taken that I was just not loving myself. I think this is true, but that impulse I have had since very young was not wrong — and, when I look back, no matter how difficult it might have been or even if I got “burnt,” I was happiest when following that impulse. Now, I think I have come to love myself as well, and have mercy on myself as well, and so I found this article very good.
Suzanne to Yvonne:
The world has become so threatening that any instincts toward hedonism seem infantile now, and those of us who always have been serving hardly have to wrestle with issues about whether we're corrupt in so doing. But also we have to lead the examined life, and to understand what makes us tick, so that we earn our comfort with ourselves. I went to college near where W.H. Auden used to live, and on his old residence there was a couplet of his carved in stone on a plaque. It has remained meaningful to me:
“If equal affection cannot be, Let the more loving one be me.”
From: David Edwards [editor@medialens.org] [David is one of the co-editors of Media Lens]
Thanks so much for your positive response to our Media Alerts and for posting them on to other people – it's very encouraging. Keep going!
Suzanne to David
Seeing as you've written a Buddhist book, look at these pieces on my old site:
A Public Talk by Thich Nhat Hanh at the Riverside Church, New YorkNew Holy War Against Evil? by David R. Loy What I Would Say to Osama bin Laden — Interview with Thich Nhat Hanh by Anne A. Simpkinson
Where are you?
David to Suzanne
I'm based in Bournemouth (UK) and my co-editor Dave Cromwell is up the road at Southampton University. Where are you? How many people do you reach?
Suzanne to David
I have about 250 people on my list. I want it to be personal and only solicit people I'm interested in, so that good people get on the same page. I think a collective focus for thought-shapers can change the world, a la the famous Margaret Mead quote. Here's a piece of feedback today, as much for you as for me:
“Just dropping you a note to say that your Conversation page is now my designated “receiving place” that I check in on every day for food for thought. Your insightful comments on selections that you have chosen to include have illuminated me about how tilted and biased the mainstream media has been, especially over the past few months. It's clear that it has chosen to remain obsequious to our tyrannical administration. Thank goodness for the alternative press that sees through whatever rubbish the media throws out at us.”
I'm in Los Angeles. You know, I've spent a lot of time in England, in crop circles. That's the big story that will rock the world — the only thing I can see that would shift consciousness and conceivably get us out of the mess we are in. Could we keep shooting at one another once we knew we were under observation? I don't think so. It's as amazing that it is being ignored as it is that it is happening. We aren't making the outstanding formations, so what is? There is mind at work. Where is it housed? Are you hip to the phenomenon, or just as blasé as most English people are?
David to Suzanne
I'm afraid I probably fall into your 'blasé' category – I've never paid much attention to the crop circles issue and was happy with the 'people with planks and string' explanation. But our concerns are probably not that different. I believe that excessive concern for the self is the cause of most of our problems, and that increased concern for others is the solution. Keep going with the great work…
Suzanne to David
You've nailed it re concern for the self rather than for each other as the fundamental problem. However, I would love to enroll you in at least having crop circle curiosity, given how dire things are for humanity and what a hope they hold for a consciousness shift. Even cursory attention brings you to the understanding that we cannot be making them. See the latest “challenge” piece I've written.
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