Taghreed El-Khodary, formerly the New York Times correspondent in Gaza, spoke recently at an event organized by the Palestine Center (6/23/10). She shared some interesting observations–the first being that her revelation that she left Gaza after the controversy erupted over Jerusalem bureau chief Ethan Bronner’s son joining the Israeli Defense Forces:
I’m sorry that I left Gaza, but my bureau chief’s son joined the Israeli army and I felt like it’s not wise of me. I don’t want to risk losing my sources that I have been establishing for many, many years. It’s a very sensitive issue, as you all know; not only that, but it’s also risky, and you have many small groups who would like revenge and I can be a great person to get a hold of. It’s very sensitive, and I was really disappointed that they took this decision, but they understand why I left.
Elsewhere she indicates that Israeli restrictions on Palestinian journalistsposed other difficulties:
Imagine you are a Gazan journalist and you are just based in Gaza and you cannot see the other story that is the West Bank. And of course the Israelis don’t let someone like me, who worked for the New York Times, [to] even work. They gave me a hard time and that’s also another challenge.Being a Palestinian journalist, even if you work for Reuters or AP or the New York Times, Israel will never give you access to the West Bank or to Israel.
She also discussed the need for a certain type of “balance” in every story out of Gaza:
The issue is even if you write a feature, if you write anything; you need the Israeli narrative in the story. You need to balance and that’s why you need the space. That’s the story here. You have to be politically correct. You have to have the Israeli narrative, even if you are working in a feature. So that’s how it goes, and I think you need to understand also how the Israelis are looking at things. What’s disturbing here is watching your TV. I cannot watch CNN domestic. They treat me like a stupid person, like a stupid audience. I really stopped watching it, because it’s so different from the CNN International. I’m here and I’m really not watching your Fox [News] or your CNN. It’s scary.
Whenasked to evaluate the Times‘ reporting on Israel/Palestine,she does not exactly give a ringing endorsement:
I think the New York Times is doing a good job, if I compare it to others–if you want me to compare it to CNN or Fox. I’m sorry, but when it comes to European media, it’s completely different, I would say.
This is a very sobering glimpse of the reality journalists face when they report on Palestinian issues if are directed at American audiences.
I understand why Ms. El-Khodary felt she had to leave the NYT, but such a loss all around. It is understandable that the unrelenting pressure on and abuse of Gaza people could lead to personal risk for her if she were to remain after Ethan Bronner’s son joined the IDF. Regarding the different tone of CNN International and CNN for its home country, I heard reports of similar results with Newsweek reports. Not good!
I too understand why she would leave the NYT. Thier coverage is absolutely pro-Israel.
This is no surprise. Our local paper the Cape Cod Times has been doing a better job lately of presenting a “balanced ” viewpoint and many of the locals are thrilled but of course the local US contingent of the IDF still lobs their “e-missiles” at anyone who even attempts to present the Palestinian perspective. It is sad that in our so-called “democracy” that there is not more of an uproar. As for FOX and CNN…they are not news channels. At one time CNN didn’t raise my blood pressure but in recent years it has become barely distinguishable from FOX. We were in Germany last year and watched Al-Jazera and were impressed with how much more professional and balanced they were in comparison with our news channels. I first got a balanced perspective and photos of the Shatila and Sabra massacres (in 1982 I believe) on a KLM flight in their on-board magazine! I got a more balanced perspective of the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in the Dublin Times and the International Herald Tribune. If you want truthful reporting you need to travel or use the computer. Having lived overseas in the past I am fortunate to be skeptical of anything I read here.
Personally, I think that the fact that Taghreed El-Khodary chose to leave her position as New York Times reporter in Gaza is a great loss, from my perspective here in Tel Aviv. She was one of the few accurate sources of knowledge about what is happening in Gaza, who was not promoting anyone’s agenda, other than the agenda of being a good reporter.
Although the Israeli daily print media, beginning with Haaretz but also including Yediot Ahronot and Maariv, contains much more ongoing criticism of Israeli government policy than the New York Times does, I agree with her comment that “the New York Times is doing a good job, if I compare it to others” in the United States when covering Israel/Palestine.
As for the question of Ethan Bronner, in my view, he is one of the better New York Times bureau chiefs who has served in Jerusalem, and the fact that his son may be serving in the Israeli army in no way affects the fairness of his reporting. Yes, the New York Times follows certain guidelines, which includes giving an element of both narratives in every story. But they do manage to provide a great deal of information about the Palestinian plight within this context.
Most Israeli journalists, who are highly critical of Israeli policy, have served in the army, and they continue to be, in my view, correctly, considered authoritative and even courageous journalists, by people who are seeking a fair and just resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Most of their children serve or have also served in the Israeli army. And I will add, that many of their children are the ones who report abuses that may be carried out in the context of the army.
We also have the example of noted political commentator Nachum Barnea in Yediot Ahronot, who’s son was killed in a suicide bombing on a civilian Jerusalem bus during the second intifada. This fact in no way influences the quality or integrity of his journalism, and his frequent critiques and revelations about Israeli government policy.
At the Palestine-Israel Journal – http://www.pij.org – we have begun a two year project with Israeli, Palestinian and Italian journalists, in which we are discussing the dynamics of journalistic coverage of the conflict, and seeking to formulate guidelines for journalistic coverage which will help to mitigate the tendency towards violence on both sides. One of the participants is the Al Jazeera correspondent, half Egyptian and half Palestinian, who was based in Gaza during the Gaza War in 2006/7
I hope that that Taghreed El-Khodary will be a part of this process
The only Democracy in the Middle East. USA and USA congress support this behaviour like PIGEON’S closed eyes
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