tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24622549.post6256661431874655430..comments2023-10-19T06:59:20.135-07:00Comments on Kishkushim خربطات קישקושים: "Gagging" Human Rights GroupsAmoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03465114506715277544noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24622549.post-2059515343368628362010-05-03T17:03:56.987-07:002010-05-03T17:03:56.987-07:00Yeah, it's not bad. Noticed that "J Call&...Yeah, it's not bad. Noticed that "J Call" is getting a lot of press. The obvious thing to do is to compare this development to emergence of "J Street," but the contexts are so different, the competitors, the talking points and so on. I think that J Call has a pretty well honed message: Zionist, against delegitimation, also against settlement construction. This <a rel="nofollow">interview</a> asks some tough questions.Noah Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13201220883843640147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24622549.post-20335636391741402882010-05-03T14:44:34.015-07:002010-05-03T14:44:34.015-07:00Following up on my complaint about the Ha'aret...Following up on my complaint about the <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/welcome-to-the-new-haaretz-com-website-1.287811" rel="nofollow">Ha'aretz web site</a>, several comments above: new Haaretz.com is online. Definitely an improvement over the old one though it still looks kind of old.Amoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03465114506715277544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24622549.post-28965111299352615632010-04-29T15:23:57.032-07:002010-04-29T15:23:57.032-07:00I certainly wouldn't argue that Ha'aretz c...I certainly wouldn't argue that Ha'aretz covered these two polls in such a manner as to a) obscure them and b) deliver some coherent ideological line. I am, however, concerned about the reporting here. The coverage of this freedom of expression/the press poll seemed to confirm the critique by some right-win bashers of Ha'aretz that the paper sensationalizes negative news about Israel in its English edition.Amoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03465114506715277544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24622549.post-8625919997030995322010-04-29T15:19:19.374-07:002010-04-29T15:19:19.374-07:00Thanks again. I just think that the suspicion that...Thanks again. I just think that the suspicion that the newspaper was editorializing on that is kind of far-fetched. It seems counter-intuitive to me, but I don't know. I just don't think it's the best evidence of a pattern of biased reporting.Noah Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13201220883843640147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24622549.post-85569481663291419602010-04-29T14:01:05.038-07:002010-04-29T14:01:05.038-07:00Noah,
Yah, that's what I was responding to. T...Noah,<br /><br />Yah, that's what I was responding to. The critique of Ha'aretz from the right was that the newspaper had tried to influence the government by portraying public opinion as pro-Obama. Remember, this poll was taken right after the East Jerusalem building announcement during Biden's visit. So, I think the charge against Ha'aretz was that it had tried to show the Israeli public as pro-Obama and anti-Netanyahu, in order to put pressure on the government. <br /><br />The affair revolved around the word עניני ('inyani), which can mean business-like, matter-of-factly, or to-the-point. The <a href="http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/spages/1157619.html?more=1" rel="nofollow">Ha'aretz headline</a> was <br /><br />סקר "הארץ": רוב גורף בציבור סבור שאובמה ידידותי וענייני כלפי ישראל<br /><br />It claimed that "An overwhelming majority of the public thinks that Obama is friendly <i>and</i> business-like/matter-of-factly/to-the point toward Israel."<br /><br />In fact, that "and" should have been an "or." The results of the poll show 51% "business-like" and 18% friendly, with 21% answering that they believed Obama's attitude to Israel was hostile. By using the conjunction "and," the headline gave the impression that the word "business-like" ('inyani) meant "fair, professional." However, the word's connotation is slightly on the negative side of neutral, just like "matter-of-factly." <br /><br />Here is a graphic showing the <a href="http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/images/printed/P190310/a.0.1903.10.1.9.jpg" rel="nofollow">original poll questions and the results in bar graphs</a>.Amoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03465114506715277544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24622549.post-65655444946204793202010-04-29T13:26:08.846-07:002010-04-29T13:26:08.846-07:00Amos, did you see what I was asking about the earl...Amos, did you see what I was asking about the earlier poll? The way that Ha'aretz mistranslated it meant that what should have been a poll showing the Israeli public's dislike/distrust of Obama came out looking like, "Half of Israelis think Obama's policy toward Israel is just and fair." I just don't get how Ha'aretz would be editorializing there. It supports the government's position that there is no rift. For those who haven't read about this, the Hebrew apparently should have been translated, "Is Obama's treatment of Israel straightforward/businesslike" or some such thing.Noah Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13201220883843640147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24622549.post-47105123588654816772010-04-29T10:35:47.370-07:002010-04-29T10:35:47.370-07:00Not sure who is responsible and what their aims ar...Not sure who is responsible and what their aims are. I think for the Obama poll some people accused Ha'aretz of trying to create the impression (domestically) that Netanyahu was weak and did not have public opinion behind him. As for this current poll, I think the headline and Ha'aretz reporting were framed to be as sensational as possible. <br /><br />BTW, I think the design of the Ha'aretz web site is horrible, especially the English edition. It looks like something from 5 years ago. Plus, they really need to crack down on the Talkback.Amoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03465114506715277544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24622549.post-16818894596451564322010-04-28T19:17:55.458-07:002010-04-28T19:17:55.458-07:00Good work. And sure, it does seem to be a pattern,...Good work. And sure, it does seem to be a pattern, the politicization of these polls. I noticed Ha'aretz bashers throwing that earlier case out there on their comments section. But in that case, on Israelis' view of Obama, what exactly would Ha'aretz's editorial comment have been? That doesn't seem like an "opposition" position, as the poll as they translated it minimized the rift between Obama and Israel. Wouldn't you expect their position to be the opposite, to want and expose or exaggerate the rift? Isn't that the rhetoric of the current government's opponents, to say they are messing up the special relationship with US?Noah Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13201220883843640147noreply@blogger.com