After turning in the draft of an op-ed monologue critical of Israel, journalist Katie Halper was fired from her new post at the Hill TV’s political commentary show Rising (Daily Beast, 10/4/22). The monologue, known as a “Radar” on Rising, was called “Israel IS an Apartheid State.”
In documenting Israel’s status as an apartheid state, Kate Halper crossed one of corporate media’s most policed red lines.
Halper (who has written for FAIR) was responding to Jake Tapper’s CNN report (9/21/22) that critics like Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt condemned Palestinian-American Rep. Rashida Tlaib as antisemitic for applying the term “apartheid” to Israel, and saying that support for Israel was incompatible with progressivism.
In her commentary, Halper laid out the case—ignored by Tapper—that has been made by major human rights organizations like Amnesty International (2/1/22) and Human Rights Watch (4/27/21), and the Israeli human rights group B’tselem (1/12/22), that Israel is in fact an apartheid state. Along with substantial documentation, Halper contributed a personal perspective as well:
I was born in New York City. My great-grandparents…were from Eastern Europe. I could move to Israel today, buy a house, get a job, travel around with no problem. So could Jake Tapper and Jonathan Greenblatt. But a Palestinian like Rashida Tlaib can’t even visit her family home in what is now Israel.
The monologue was going to be Halper’s first as a permanent co-host, after having been a contributor for three years. Rising frames itself as a forum where “anti-establishment” or “populist” views from both the left and the right can be freely exchanged and debated. Former co-host Ryan Grim, who personally delivered more than 150 monologues for Rising, noted there is “no approval process” for hosts’ commentaries (Intercept, 9/29/22). Despite this, executives at Hill TV and/or its new parent company Nexstar Media saw Halper’s criticism of Israel as a bridge too far.
First Halper’s superiors put the commentary under review. Then they told her that it would be nixed altogether, because of a brand-new policy barring opinion pieces on Israel, which even the producer was unaware of. Finally, they fired her (Daily Beast, 10/4/22).
‘A systematic effort’
Halper wasn’t the first journalist silenced for criticizing Israel, and she won’t be the last. In her response to the firing and in subsequent tweets, Halper pointed to several other recent examples:
- CNN’s firing of Marc Lamont Hill for calling for a free Palestine “from the river to the sea” (FAIR.org, 12/11/18).
- The Guardian’s firing of Nathan J. Robinson for satirically claiming on Twitter that Congress cannot authorize new spending without a portion of it going to Israel (FAIR.org, 2/22/21).
- AP’s firing of Emily Wilder after she was targeted by a right-wing smear campaign for her pro-Palestinian activism as a college student (Democracy Now!, 5/25/21; FAIR.org, 5/22/21).
- Journalist Abby Martin being banned from the University of Georgia for refusing to sign a pledge that she would not participate in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel (Mint Press, 2/10/20). (Numerous academics, like Angela Davis and Norman Finkelstein, have also faced retaliation for their critical views of Israel.)
Photojournalist Hosam Salem (Twitter, 10/5/22) disclosed being banned by the New York Times for his pro-Palestinian views.
Just this week, New York Times freelance photojournalist Hosam Salem reported that the Times fired him after the “Israel lobby organization Honest Reporting, which exists to attack the Palestinian narrative in the West” (Mondoweiss, 10/5/22), accused him of antisemitism for voicing support for Palestinian resistance to Israeli occupation forces. Salem discussed his firing on Twitter:
What is taking place is a systematic effort to distort the image of Palestinian journalists as being incapable of trustworthiness and integrity, simply because we cover the human rights violations that the Palestinian people undergo on a daily basis at hands of the Israeli army.
‘The best defense is a good offense’
The firing of journalists like Salem, Wilder and Hill wasn’t in response to their violating any clear policy of their respective outlets. Instead, well-funded pressure groups are able to get pro-Palestinian journalists fired, especially when they can appeal to pro-Israel sympathies in media management.
In Halper’s case, her firing may be connected to Nexstar Media‘s August 2021 purchase of The Hill, including its TV outlet. Jacobin’s Branko Marcetic (10/1/22) wrote of “signs of a possible tilt in The Hill’s editorial line on Israel”:
In late August, Nexstar filled the position of deputy managing editor of NewsNation, its cable channel, with Jake Novak, a journalist who spent the preceding year and a half as the media director of the Israeli consulate general in New York….
Six days before the announcement of his hiring, Novak led a presentation at Bar-Ilan University titled, “Defending Israel Against Media Bias—How to Fight News Media and Social Media Bias Against Israel: The Best Defense Is a Good Offense.” It was an update of a talk he had given in 2016 about defending Israel’s reputation, which the host described as “an absolute master class in public relations and diplomacy.”
As Marcetic noted, a pro-Israel bias in Nexstar should be of grave concern: Following its purchase of Tribune Media, it is now the largest local broadcast TV owner in the US.
Lethal censorship
For journalists operating in Palestine, censorship takes on violent and deadly forms.
Getting fired is hardly the worst form of retribution experienced by journalists who expose Israeli crimes. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate reports 479 violations and crimes against Palestinian journalists by Israeli forces and settlers in just the first half of 2022. These include two killings, 35 shootings, and numerous assaults and arrests. On Wednesday, two Palestinian journalists were shot by Israeli occupying forces while covering an Israeli raid in the West Bank (Al Jazeera, 10/5/22). Over 50 journalists have been killed by Israeli forces since 2001, including Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh, who was an American citizen (Vox, 5/13/22; FAIR.org, 5/20/22, 7/2/22).
Washington’s supply of weapons and aid to Israel is critical to Israel’s capacity to uphold apartheid (Al Jazeera, 6/4/21; Belfer Center, 2/7/17), so maintaining a positive opinion of Israel in the US public is of extreme importance to Israel. By censoring critical journalists like Katie Halper, US corporate media are thus playing a key role in supporting a system that has seen journalists killed, assaulted and detained in Israel/Palestine.
ACTION ALERT: You can send a message to the The Hill at https://thehill.com/contact/ or on Twitter: @HillTVLive. Please remember that respectful communication is the most effective. Feel free to leave a copy of your communication in the comments thread.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this post said that Jake Tapper had himself condemned Rep. Rashida Tlaib for applying the term “apartheid” to Israel, rather than airing ADL’s Jonathan Greenblatt doing so.
To The Hill:
I am deeply disappointed in The Hill for its unreasonable and biased firing of Katie Halper because she had the temerity to speak out against the brutal repression of the Palestinian people by Israeli officials. There is no justification under ethical and human rights principles for this firing. Halper’s analysis of the plight of Palestinians was sound. I’m appalled that The Hill chose to silence one voice speaking on behalf of perhaps the most repressed, stigmatized, and hell-bound peoples on earth, who endure a life under armed guard, without citizenship, suffering for no reason other than the geography of their birth.
I hope you will reverse this decision publicly and use this incident as a catalyst to increase your coverage of the inhumane apartheid situation under which Palestinians suffer.
Ya know…….Pat Buchanan used to say: “The Hill is Occupied Territory yuk yuk yuk”, on the McLaughlin Group (old TV program). He said this multiple times, in another age, well before the dot con revolution, where he referred to the Hill as being Capitol Hill…..
I am very impressed with Mr. GoldMansour’s clear, comprehensive articles “US Media’s Intellectual No-Fly-Zone on US Culpability in Nord Stream Attack” and “Katie Halper Violated Media Taboo Against Israel Criticism.” All the confusion I had about the Nord Stream attacks suddenly become clear. A sadly familiar U.S. playbook.
I hope that FAIR writer do not get too discouraged at the increasing dark clouds over all of us. Probably I can also speak for other readers in saying what a relief it brings me to hear the blatant truth (albeit ugly) being written with such skill and courage. I do periodically donate to support your journalism.
What’s amazing is the article fails to recognize that the people mentioned were not fired for voicing palestinian statehood views but for espousing anti semitic views such as justifying the destruction of israel (from river to the sea chant) or supporting “armed resistance” aka terrorism against israel. The Palestinians and their supporters who actively promote the destruction of israel are not victims. These views are not acceptable. You cannot call for the destruction of the worlds only Jewish state then complain when actions are taken against your anti semitism.
Calling out the crimes of a foreign country is not anti-Semitic.
But when one hears the anti-Semitism card being thrown to distract and deflect from calling out Israel’s crimes, then the term starts to become meaningless and when is applied to true anti-Semitism, the term is more likely to be ignored.
> Calling out the crimes of a foreign country is not anti-Semitic.
True … it is not always antisemitic … but then we all know that most blanket statements like that mean nothing. The criticism of Israel based on biased reporting certainly CAN BE antisemitic, and is in many cases. In America these days it is hidden from us who pays to get what information in front of our eyes in what way. Saudi Arabia has massive investment in the USA, and massive influence because of that in corporations and the media.
The ruling family of undemocratic Saudi Arabia and apartheid Israel’s repressive, far-right government are allies based mainly on a joint hatred of Iran, so it is unlikely that Saudi would be influencing US media against Israel.
“The criticism of Israel based on biased reporting certainly CAN BE antisemitic, and is in many cases.”
That would be hard to find in the USA MSM. Jake Tapper’s outlook as seen in the above video is no different than any spouter in the NY Times, Fox Noise or MSDNC.
The Saudis and Israelis are buddies. Israeli hospitals took care of our wounded allies in Syria: al Qaeda, al Nusra (whatever names the Sunni Jihadists are currently using). And don’t doubt they are our allies. Jake Sullivan admitted it to Hillary in the leaked DNC emails.
Thank you, I thought I was the only one.
Katie Halper and the rest of the fools who constantly berate and attack Israel
while never once report from or on Palestine make Liberals, or the Left look
repulsive and idiotic … in other words they hurt what is supposedly their own
cause … and my cause. I am a far left Bernie Sanders / Elizabeth Warren
supporter and I know there is totally biased and unequal reporting on the
Middle East because I’ve been following it all my life.
In 1988 the Palestinians authored a Covenant that called for the destruction
of the state of Israel. Specifically stating that there would be no recognition
of Israel, and that peace and Palestinian was a don’t care for them. Palestinians
raise their children hating Israel, but not just hate, they raise them to be
suicide bombers or soldiers.
I could go on and on and on about this pointing out all the dishonest reporting
on the Middle East. How to date there have been over 100 attacks in Israel,
but if there is retaliation from Israel – that is the only thing that ever makes
the news. I don’t know why the American media is like this, but it has failed
in its job to report accurately and unbiased on the Middle East.
I think this Palestinian issue is tacked onto the Liberal agenda simply because
in the US our media studies people’s reactions and they know if you portray
one side as supporting terrorism that the average mainstream American
voter will be so repulsed by that it’s like tarring and feathering the Left and
is just another way to undermine the Left.
It is about time someone started to question this policy on the Left. The
Palestinians are not Liberal. The Palestinians are not democratic. The
Palestinians are not socialists and they have massive inequality between
those who make up their Covenant and those who have to die for it.
I’d like to see a lot more of this coming down on extreme bias on certain
Leftist issues to a more sane actual democratic socialist agenda.
To oppose Palestinian rights based on your assessment of their moral and political suitability makes your comment close to racist and is a standard trope of far-right Zionists. The Israeli Defence Forces engage in vastly more terrorism than anything the Palestinians have done in order to free themselves from Israeli oppression; just examine the body counts. Socialism is solidarity of the working classes across borders; it does not make judgements of particular nations’ working classes other than how best to enlist them in the cause. Apartheid Israel might in some limited respects be socially liberal, but it is proudly anti-democratic and has never been remotely socialist. As Rep. Rashida Tlaib said recently, you cannot hold progressive values yet back Israel’s apartheid government. It’s your choice.
And always remember, before Rep. Rashida Tlaib ever speaks, insure you always have your BS boots on, as it can get deep.
Certainly right: the corporate media responses to her words are always full of it, as was abundantly apparent in the absurd furore over her truthful comments about progressives and apartheid Israel. She might not always be right, but she was spot on there.
Your rhetoric is pure lunacy, but you almost hit all the requisite anti-Semitic notes.
My point is exactly what a normal rational person thinks when they link comments like yours to the Left. They get a totally negative view of ALL of the left, not just the looneys.
You seem to know nothing about the Middle East, with an allergy to learning.
If I am far-right, Bernie Sanders is Hitler, because he was my candidate along with Warren. People who spread your kind of nonsense are working for the far- right by driving moderate sensible people away through being repulsive. As a serious person of the Left, I resent it strongly.
If anyone wants to ally with the Left based on your posts, they should definitely re-consider. In the US, there is currently the two dominant political parties, nearly every member of Congress, the entire mainstream media as well as all of the major social media platforms, aggressively supporting the racist actions of a religious ethnostate. Do you really think that 50 years from now, people are going to look back and think, Wow, everyone back then was so mean to Israel? No, the western world is going to be repulsed at the actions of our state and our media.
You might read Chris Mott’s recent work on ‘woke imperialism,’ which puts the lie to the absurd argument that people shouldn’t support justice for Palestine because most Palestinians aren’t woke. (News flash: Immiserated people don’t often have progressive views.) And most Leftists these days don’t have much use for Sanders or Warren, as convinced as you seem to be that these two clowns are transformational figures.
All roads don’t lead to anti-semitism. This anti-semitism schtick has been abused over and over again. Anyone can look at the photos of heavily armed IDF soldiers abusing Palestinian 11 year olds in sweatpants and see who has power and who doesn’t. To argue otherwise makes you look desperate and sad.
Just wanted to give props for the line, ‘I am a far left Bernie Sanders / Elizabeth Warren supporter.’ Great comedy!
What’s not funny is you think you can make up digs like that, shows you are probably dishonest in everything you do.
I’ve given over $500 to Bernie … what have you done except troll the chat boards?
You are such a vile racist. You cheer on the deaths of Palestinian children and blame the victims.
You’re here defending apartheid and the firing/assault/killing of journalists, merely for doing their jobs and reporting the news when it concerns Israeli human rights abuses, and you expect people to believe you’re a progressive or a leftist?
You must think people are exceedingly stupid, that they’re not going to notice this glaring contradiction? Get the eff outta here with that nonsense.
“ I am a far left Bernie Sanders / Elizabeth Warren supporter ” Hallelujah and the entire congregation said A Men !! LOL
” I am a far left Bernie Sanders / Elizabeth Warren supporter ” Hallelujah and the entire congregation said A Men !! LOL
mengatakan dukungan untuk Israel tidak sesuai dengan progresivisme,
This is so frustrating every time it happens… but it happens frequently enough that it is no longer surprising when it happens.
Certainly, there are bad faith criticisms of Israel from actual anti-Semites, but its not that hard to differentiate those from good faith criticisms or coverage of the MANY crimes and human rights abuses (including an ongoing apartheid state) committed by the far right Israeli government, thuggish military and security forces, and aggressive settlement policies.
So when this happens to good faith criticism/reporting like that from Katie Halper, its just naked anti-Palestinian/pro-Israel bias and an obvious push to silence/censor anyone from informing the public about them.
If legitimate criticism of Israel is to be banished from public discourse (including broadcast media), then the First Amendment becomes nothing more than a vestigial organ of the body politic — like the appendix in a human, serving no useful purpose but often times causing illness and even death.
I do think it’s time that the US stopped giving such huge amounts of money to Israel. Is this to go on eternally, as Americans and other nations also need monetary help too? There are certainly those in other nations, including Palestine which should receive funding and certainly those where horrific climate events and horrific diseases grow, and spawn on and on.
WE don’t need to carry Israel on our tax paying backs forever. Help those who can ultimately help themselves and that includes your own Americans too.
Great article Luca…thanks. Good for Katie… speaking truth to power. She’s absolutely correct, the Israeli government treatment of Palestinians, and those in the U.S. that back them… suck.