An Example of U.S. Journalism’s Anti-Palestinian Bias

Though the piece on campus reaction to the fighting in Israel/Palestine seeks to report without taking sides, the pro-Israeli-policy bias that pervades most U.S. reporting leaks through here, too. (I find the longer online version less problematic.)

The print article repeats real content from the pro-Israel rally and refers to people “murdered, kidnapped, or [who] are missing” after Hamas’ attack and includes President Eisgruber’s reference to Hamas’ “cruel and inhumane attack.” The only references to a Palestinian perspective were quoting 1.) a slogan widely misinterpreted as promoting driving out Jewish Israelis and 2.) Eisgruber’s equivalence-invoking reference to “[t]he nightmare underway in Israel and Palestine.” Hamas takes terrible actions; but is the Israeli government carrying out massive and indiscriminate bombing? No, Palestinians just happen to be enduring a nightmare.

Even at press time, it had to be clear that Israel was killing thousands of innocents in a campaign aimed at an entire people whom it has been oppressing, and periodically massacring, for decades. Its campus opponents could have been quoted pointing this out.

The subtlety of this kind of bias makes it all the more insidious.