A study conducted by American journalist Alison Weir on three American TV networks, ABC, CBS and NBC, said these networks are biased in reporting on the Middle East conflict, particularly the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
A study conducted by American journalist Alison Weir on three American TV networks, ABC, CBS and NBC, said these networks are biased in reporting on the Middle East conflict, particularly the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Weir is founder of a statistical website, called ‘If Americans Knew’ which provides information, believed by the founders of this site, to be essential for Americans to know.
{mosimage}This study consists of a statistical examination of ABC World News Tonight, CBS Evening News, and NBC Nightly News coverage of the first year of the current Palestinian uprising, and of their coverage of that uprising in 2004. The categories examined are coverage of conflict deaths and, as a subcategory, children’s deaths.
‘Our findings indicate significantly distorted coverage by all of these network news shows. In the first study period ABC, CBS, and NBC reported Israeli deaths at rates 3.1, 3.8, and 4.0 times higher than Palestinian deaths, respectively,’ says the study.
The study found that in most of the cases the facts are skewed when reported by these three huge network stations.
‘In 2004 these rates increased or stayed constant, to 4.0, 3.8, and 4.4, widening still further, in the case of ABC and NBC, the disparity in coverage. An additional sub-study of deaths reported in introductions revealed a similar but even larger disparity. The networks’ coverage of children’s deaths was even more skewed.’ says Weir.
The study found that the devoted time by American news networks to report on Israeli children deaths caused by Palestinian resistance is 9 to 12.8 times more than time devoted to report about Palestinian children deaths.
In the year 2004, 8 Israeli and 179 Palestinian children were killed.
BBC reported on 8 Israeli children’s deaths and 20 Palestinian children’s deaths – 100% of Israeli children and 11% of Palestinian children, 9.0 to 1, down from 13.8 in the first year.
CBS reported on 4 Israeli children and 7 Palestinian children – 50% of Israeli children’s deaths and 4% of Palestinian, a ratio of 12.8 to 1, up from 6.4 in the first year.
NBC reported on 8 Israeli children’s deaths and 18 Palestinian children’s deaths – 100% of Israeli children and 10% of Palestinian killed during 2004, a ratio of 9.9, down from 12.4.
Weir accused the U.S. media of not reporting enough on the situation in the Middle East and specifically on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that is the core issue in the Middle East conflict, where most of the U.S. tax money goes.
‘More US tax money goes to Israel than to any other nation; and more American money is sent to the Middle East than to the rest of the world combined. For all these reasons and more, it is essential that Americans receive full and accurate news coverage on Israel/Palestine, Weir argues.
