Movies have the Oscars. Major League Baseball has an All-Star team.
Do you know when you’ve really made it big on the pro-Israel speaking circuit? When you’ve gotten heckled enough to be cited in a report by the Anti-Defamation League.
In a 2011 ADL report on “Anti-Israel trends on college campuses,” I was mentioned in a section on “attempts to silence the pro-Israel voice.” The report described me as a “pareve” speaker, a term I wouldn’t use for myself as a carnivore.
Despite some controversy, my recent talk on “How to Avoid Media Bias in Your Middle East Reporting” to the New Jersey Society of Professional Journalists was successfully held after attempts to cancel it. The organization stood up to cancel culture, and the event went well.
As a watchdog, HonestReporting has exposed biases in top media outlets, leading to the reassignment or dismissal of journalists. This has encouraged media outlets to maintain professionalism and avoid bias in their reporting.
Recent revelations by HonestReporting have made journalists more cautious, as shown by the response of Maya Gebeily, Reuters’ Beirut-based bureau chief, who acknowledged the scrutiny from HonestReporting has made her team more careful in their reporting on Israel.
Exposing wire news services for bias regarding Hamas, Hezbollah
Gebeily’s concerns were triggered by HonestReporting’s critical analysis of how Reuters handled the investigation of their journalist’s death in Lebanon. HonestReporting’s reports have highlighted biases and connections to terrorist groups among journalists working in Gaza, raising questions about their objectivity and ethical standards.
While media outlets have defended their journalists’ actions, transparency and accountability remain crucial in journalism. HonestReporting continues to hold journalists accountable for their biases and connections to extremist groups, ensuring fair and unbiased reporting.
The writer is executive director of the pro-Israel media watchdog HonestReporting. He served as chief political correspondent and analyst of The Jerusalem Post for 24 years.