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With a tentative ceasefire taking hold this week in Lebanon, Israel and Hezbollah were quick to blame the other side for the destruction, and disseminate propaganda to reinforce their claims. Their spinning reflected an anxiety that the first draft of history is often more than just a draft. Bob speaks with UC Irvine Middle East historian Mark LeVine about the lasting impacts of early media coverage
Commentators in the Arab media are proclaiming Hezbollah’s campaign a great victory for the Arab world. At the same time, there aren’t many echoes in the Western media of President Bush’s claim that Hezbollah was defeated. But Beirut’s Daily Star opinion editor Michael Young tells Bob that popular support for Hezbollah in Lebanon has not increased over the past month, and that this may have been a pyrrhic victory for the group.
In other public opinion poll news, a recent Harris poll found that despite all evidence to the contrary, an increasing percentage of Americans believe Iraq had weapons of mass destruction in the run-up to war. Bob talks to Harris Poll chairman Humphrey Taylor about how the truth sometimes merely gets in the way of what we know.
A week ago, Israeli warplanes sent missiles into two TV transmission towers used by the popular Lebanese channels LBC and Future TV. But as Israeli officials pointed out, at least one of the towers also contained relay stations for Hezbollah station Al Manar. It’s hardly the first time media have been caught up in fighting. But former CBS Middle East correspondent Lawrence Pintak tells Brooke that the global polarization of news has put individual reporters at risk like never before.
More Middle East coverage this week… more charges of bias. Over the years, most news organizations have become accustomed to complaints from all sides in the conflict. But as Shankar Vedantam wrote this week in the Washington Post, studies show that the partisans who lob most of the criticism are predisposed to see bias, for the simple reason that they care. Vedantam explains to Bob the psychology of the partisan prism.
As pundits and columnists debate the Middle East conflict, ordinary “netizens” are debating the war online. And new technology is allowing participants themselves to share their impressions not only through blogs, but also vlogs and video-sharing sites like YouTube. Bob logs on and finds out that the conversation reveals more about online social dynamics than the conflict itself.
Whenever news media turn their attention to the Middle East, accusations of bias – from all sides – are sure to follow. This week was no exception. But the story’s a little different than it’s been in the past, and bias aside, American media haven’t quite adjusted to the new realities. That’s the view of J.J. Goldberg, editor of the Jewish newspaper The Forward. He tells Brooke that journalists’ attempts at “scrupulous balance” come at the expense of accuracy.
Al-Manar, a Lebanese satellite TV and radio network, has been must-see TV for many in the region looking for news of where bombs are falling…and where they might soon fall. It's also the self-described media outlet for Hezbollah. NPR's Deborah Amos joins Brooke from Damascus to discuss Al-Manar’s popularity and the muddying of the line between militants and the media.
