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February 28, 2011 Op-eds and Features Mideast turmoil and Western media hypocrisy Just Journalism's Carmel Gould writes in Haaretz on current unrest in the Middle East and how it highlights the media's obsession with Israel over recent years. It's easy to be misled into thinking that news organizations have always cared about repressive governance; let's see whether this newly discovered passion for the events in the Arab world will translate into reprioritization of resources. Western news organisations have been keen to point out the "lessons to be learned" by their governments in light of the tumultuous events in the Middle East over the last six weeks. The popular admonition doing the rounds relates to U.S., British and EU military and political support for "dictators" and "repressive regimes" in the Arab world, deemed immoral (left-wing publications) and ill-advised (right-wing publications). All of which is true to an extent. But journalists might want to look closer to home on the issue of hypocritical conduct regarding the Arab world. With the explosion of media coverage of Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen, Jordan and now Libya, it would be easy to be misled into thinking that news organizations have always given the time of day to the topics of repressive governance and human rights violations in the region. Read more>> The Wire Times highlights LSE Middle East double standards Mon. 28 Feb. 2011 @ 14.06 - Times reporting highlights how the London School of Economics Middle East Centre includes prominent supporters of the boycott campaign against Israel, amidst widespread coverage of £1.5 million donation from Gaddafis. On Saturday, The Times reported that half of the board of the Middle East Centre at the London School of Economics are supporters of the Boycotts, Sanctions and Divestment (BDS) campaign against Israel - despite the centre having prominent financial links with several authoritarian Arab states, including Libya. The furore over the relationship between the LSE and the Gaddafi regime was also the subject of a condemnatory editorial in The Times on Saturday, as well as a BBC Newsnight report on Friday. 'LSE faces fresh embarrassment over demands for an Israel boycott', by Dominic Kennedy, highlights how, following recent attention to donations the LSE received from Libya, specific attention is now being paid to the Middle East Centre. The investigations editor wrote: 'The body was designed to promote impartiality, academic freedom and the strengthening of links with universities in the region. But critics point out that two of the four-strong management group are campaigners for an academic boycott of Israel.' Read more>> The Wire Some quarters question media response to ME turmoil Mon. 28 Feb. 2011 @ 12.44 - Financial Times, The Observer expose fundamental weakness in Western media handling of Middle East, before and since uprisings. On Saturday, Haaretz published an op-ed from Just Journalism, highlighting hypocrisy in the media's treatment of the Arab world prior to the current unrest. Pointing out that, 'it would be easy to be misled into thinking that news organizations have always given the time of day to the topics of repressive governance and human rights violations in the region', Editorial Manager Carmel Gould noted: 'Before these seismic events, no correspondents were documenting, week on week, the injustices faced by millions living in these closed societies, where basic freedoms are the exception rather than the rule, dissenters are jailed or murdered and leaders are simply not accountable to their people.' 'Mideast turmoil and Western media hypocrisy' emphasised the fact that whilst all five daily British broadsheets have permanent correspondents in Israel, none have them in any of the countries experiencing the current turmoil: 'Those not in Israel live in and report from Lebanon and Dubai; in one case, Iraq. Hence, the lack of reportage (before now) about the terrible police states and autocracies that are (or were) Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Bahrain, Yemen etc: the British broadsheets had all their resources in the West Bank reporting on Israeli settlements, which, as a result, everybody knows a great deal about.' Read more>> The Wire Middle East unrest: editorials question use of force in Libya Mon. 28 Feb. 2011 @ 13.54 - Editorial comment on Libya discusses international measures that could be taken against the Libyan regime in the wake of the continued use of force by Gaddafi's security officers against the civilian uprising. This weekend each of the major broadsheets devoted at least one editorial to the ongoing violence in Libya. Each outlet provided its own assessment of how the international community should aid the downfall of Colonel Gaddafi's regime. The British media is unanimous in its call for Gaddafi to leave office, and in its support for the protest movement that seeks to oust the Libyan leader. The Financial Times continues its advocacy of a no-fly zone over Libya, and states: 'Britain should clearly align itself with the reformers. Whatever the short-term instability, the UK's long-term interest - and that of wider Europe - lies in the advance of countries such as Libya and Egypt towards greater political and economic openness.' Read more>> Donate Just Journalism is an independent research organisation focused on how Israel and Middle East issues are reported in the UK media. We produce analysis of print, broadcast and online media and regularly publish research on trends in the media's coverage. We are a not-for-profit company that relies solely on the donations of its supporters. You can donate easily online via PayPal by clicking the button below. 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