A new FAIR Action Alert (5/16/12) calls on the New York Times public editor to address the conflict of interest posed by Jerusalem correspondent Isabel Kershner’s marriage to someone whose job it is to sway the coverage of international outlets like the Times in a pro-Israel direction. Please leaves copies of your messages to the Times, or comments on the alert, in the comments thread below.
Dear Mr. Brisbane,
As I’m sure you’ve repeatedly heard by now, Isabel Kershner’s husband works at the Institute for National Security Studies, a think tank closely tied with the Israeli government and military, as director of a program whose function is promote positive media portrayal of Israel and its policies; and Kershner, although she doesn’t cite his work, relies on his think tank all the time. I’d like to add my voice to the chorus pointing out that this is a basically insurmountable conflict of interest and that these ties haven’t been disclosed in the NYT.
Please look into the matter.
Thank you,
Jeffrey Carlson
To the Editor:
Call me naive, but I assumed the Times had learned from past ethical lapses.
Why, then, is Isabel Kershner reporting from Jerusalem when her husband’s job is to encourage positive media coverage of Israel and Israeli politicies?
I can’t imagine the Jerusalem bureau hiring a Palestinian reporter married to a Hamas operative.
Nothing personal, but Ms. Kershner does not belong in the Jerusalem bureau of the New York Times.
New York Times
Public Editor Arthur Brisbane
Dear Editor Brisbane:
I find it unconscionable that you have a reporter, Isabel Kershner, on your Jerusalem desk and you have failed to disclose the fact that she is married to Hirsh Goodman, a senior fellow at INSS, a failure that is unethical at the very least. Don’t you think that we readers of the NYT have a right to know that Ms. Kershner has a close family tie to an Israeli government-linked think tank that she frequently quotes? I realize that Ms. Kershner’s misleading reporting reflects the NYTs’ bias toward the Israeli government perspective. But your own code of ethics recognizes that a family tie such as Ms. Kershner’s “may pose a conflict of interest for journalists.”
At the very least, the NYT owes its readers full disclosure; it would be far better if she were given a different beat.
Dear Mr. Brisbane,
Please look into the conflict of interest situation that allows a NYT journalist, Ms. Kershner, to report about Israel while she is married to a man who is a leader in an organization that focuses on manipulating/slanting media coverage of Israel in order to reflect positively on Israel. The coverage that the NYT publishes needs to be fair and balanced and not tied to one point of view, specifically, the point of view that is favorable to Israel or that works to strategically present that favorable view. This conflict of interest only damages the reputation of the NYTimes in the eyes of many.
Thank you.
Dear Mr. Brisbane,
I am sure you are aware of Isabel Kershner’s husband, Hirsh Goodman ties (as a senior research fellow) to the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) — a think tank closely allied with the Israeli government and military. Ms. Kershner’s reporting relies heavily on the output of her husband’s think tank. From 2009 into 2012, 17 Times articles Kershner wrote or contributed to quoted officials from the INSS, far more than other comparable think tanks Kershner cited. I would like to take this moment to note that non-disclosure of this potentially problematic conflict of interest is clearly a trespass of journalistic ethics in general and in violation of The New York Times’ own ethics code, which recognizes that family ties may pose a conflict for journalists:
“Staff members must be sensitive that direct political activity by their spouses… may well create conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts,” the policy states. “If newsroom management considers the problem serious, the staff member may have to withdraw from certain coverage. Sometimes an assignment may have to be modified or a beat changed.”
I believe it is imperative that you look into the conflict of interest posed by a reporter’s marriage to someone whose job it is to influence coverage on the issue she covers, working at an organization that she frequently quotes. Please look into the matter.
In Appreciation,
Edward-Yemíl Rosario (Eddie)
All the news that’s fit to print
(Unless it calls into question our credibility)
Please look into the conflict of interest posed by a correspondent’s marriage to someone whose job it is to influence coverage on the issue she covers, working at an organization that she frequently quotes. Your Jerusalem Bureau reporter Isabel Kershner is married to Hirsh Goodman, a senior research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), an institution well-connected to the Israeli government and military.
In my opinion, Isabel Kershner is in a position with a huge conflict of interest. Even if she could provide unbiased reporting (which I doubt) about the Israeli government and military, her very position implies that your readers should find her reporting less than credible.
From: Don Porter
Date: Wed, May 16, 2012 at 3:24 PM
Subject: NYT Israel coverage tainted
To: public@nytimes.com
To: New York Times public editor Arthur Brisbane
Please look into the conflict of interest posed by a correspondent’s marriage to someone whose job it is to influence coverage on the issue she covers, working at an organization that she frequently quotes. Isabel Kershner’s husband, Hirsh Goodman, is a senior research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS). There is no doubt that this influences her reporting, and even if there were doubt, the appearance is in violation of the NYT ethical standards.
Don Porter
Dear Mr. Brisbane,
I recently learned from a story broken by Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting that New York Times Jerusalem Bureau reporter Isabel Kershner is married to Hirsh Goodman. As Goodman is employed at a think tank closely allied to the Israeli government and one that is frequently quoted by Kershner, it is disingenuous to suppose that this is irrelevant to Kershner’s objectivity.
I would urge you to explore how best to ensure the Times’ objectivity in light of Kershner’s close personal link to the Institute for National Security Studies. By the standards of international reportage, the Times is already very often partisan towards Tel Aviv. It would be a shame if the paper allows its credibility to be further damaged by not taking appropriate action in response to this newly public information.
Sincerely,
May 16
Dear Mr. Brisbane,
Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting has reported
> https://fair.org/index.php?page=4545
the role undisclosed by the Times to its readers of Times Bureau reporter Isabel Kershner’s husband Hirsh Goodman in the Program on Information Strategy of the Institute for National Security Studies, and Israeli institution with, as FAIR quotes the INSS website, “strong association with the political and military establishment.”
Whether Times reporting of Israeli, Palestinian, and related matters would be different were there not this close relationship between a reporter and a political-military-related military consultant to a party in conflict I do not know, just as I do not know whether Mr. Bronner’s son being in the Israeli military affected his work or the work product as published in the Times.
The situation provides an opportunity for the Times to help readers and perhaps help the course of the region’s conflict.
I propose that some method be devised to bring the conflicts about reporting directly to Times readers. An example could be to have Times stories discussed before publication with a range of outside and involved resource people, possibly Mr. Goodman or someone in a like position outside but related to government and a Palestinian similarly situated (such as Ali Abunimah of the Electronic Intifida), and that an opportunity be offered to each to append their comment to the stories, and that from time to time their own pieces be published in the Times.
At any rate, with or without the Kershner-Goodman relationship, something innovative is needed to help the Times and other media show readers the sources of disagreements and the different meanings which parties in conflict attach to words and events. I hope the Times will use this current challenge to add something new to the coverage of conflicts and thereby deepen public understanding of specific conflicts, of conflict in general, and perhaps even of how de-escalation can take place.
Sincerely,
Joseph Maizlish
jmaizlish@igc.org
Los Angeles, CA
Please look into the conflict of interest posed by a correspondent’s marriage to someone whose job it is to influence coverage on the issue she covers, working at an organization that she frequently quotes.
The New York Times’ Jerusalem bureau reporter Isabel Kershner’s spouse works to promote favorable coverage of Israel at an Israeli government-linked think tank that Kershner frequently quotes.
Thank you, Ann and Charles Homsy (web subscriber), Arvada, Colorado
Dear Mr Brisbane,
I was reading a recent issue of Extra!, (FAIR’s online magazine) and was startled to learn that Isabel Kershner’s husband (Hirsh Goodman) works for the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS)! I believe I’ve heard her quote the INSS as a source, yet I don’t think I’ve ever heard her disclose that interesting little tidbit of information.
You should have disclosed this from the start, but now, to find this out… now it iust looks like you guys were hiding it. That sort of behavior definitely doesn’t pass the smell test. Your organization should let the public know about this, and any other relationships that may (or may not) sway the presenters viewpoint, in order to restore any faith that may have been damaged by your lack of disclosure in this matter.
Sincerely,
Mike Davis
Mr. Brisbane,
I would presume that journalistic integrity is still of some import to the NY Times. That is why I am rather concerned about the apparent conflict of interest posed by a correspondents marriage to someone whose job it is to influence coverage in the news.
I refer specifically to Isabel Kershner’s marriage to an employee of a government-linked Israeli think tank that she frequently references. One would have to be blind to not see the obvious conflict of interest.
Regards,
Curt Sommer
I find it very troubling that your Jerusalem bureau reporter, Isabel Kershner, has such close ties with the Institute for National Security Studies and the Israeli government through her husband’s work. Her husband’s job at INSS is to promote the Israeli perspective and to cast Israel in a positive light in the media. I would not trust her reporting to be neutral, balanced, or entirely credible. In order for Americans to make informed decisions, it is vital that news is objective and represents both sides of a dispute. You do a disservice to your readers, your country, and your own reputation as a reliable and trustworthy news source by having a reporter with such a clear ‘marriage’ to one party’s perspective in this conflict.
I sent the following to the NYTimes on 5/17/12:
Dear Arthur Brisbane:
It has come to my attention that one of your Jerusalem bureau reporters, Isabel Kershner, is married to Hirsh Goodman.
Mr. Goodman is a research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies, which is financially supported by the state of Israel.
Moreover, Goodman’s specific job is directing the Charles and Andrea Bronfman Program on Information Strategy, whose purpose is to shape a positive image of Israel in the media.
Ms. Kershner’s reporting over the past three years has been heavily reliant on ‘analysis’ from her husband’s clearly biased employer
The New York Times’s own ethics code says, regarding personal relationship with news sources, ‘where friends and neighbors are also newsmakers, journalists must guard against giving them extra access or a more sympathetic ear.’ (Ethics Code, Item 24)
In addition, Item 100 says ‘staff members must be sensitive that direct political activity by their spouses, …such as …managing a campaign – even while proper – may well create conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts.’
Mr. Goodman is ‘managing a campaign,’ indeed–on behalf of the state of Israel.
I believe that Ms. Kershner should be moved to another post, where her husband’s public relations activities will not call her neutrality into question.
Hank Mooney
San Francisco, CA
Dear Mr. Brisbane:
Given Hirsh Goodman’s position at the INSS, an institute which has received tens of thousands of dollars from the Israeli government, his wife Isabel Kershner should be working for an Israeli newspaper in Jerusale. She should NOT for the New York Times, if journalistic credibility is to be established. Reporters should, of course, be entitled to marry whomever they choose; and their spouses should be entited to work for whoever offers them a desired position. BUT when their choices result in a conflict of interest between politcal/ideological goals on the one hand and objective reporting on the other, journalistic integrity demands that the untenable situation be rectified. If Isabel Kershner is not, as her frequent citations of the INSS demonstrate, bothered or restrained by the inappropriateness of her position, the New York Times certainly should be.
I believe the New York Times owes its readers an admission of this conflict of interest, an apology for allowing it in the first place, and the replacement in the Jerusalem Bureau of Isabel Kershner by a journalist who can give at least the appearance of objective reporting on such a pivotal part of the world.
I look forward to a responsible and ethical response from the New York Times.