Palestine
Media Watch
P.O.Box
628 Southeastern, PA 19399 PH:
(610) 993 – 0608 www.pmwatch.org Coverage
of the Middle East Crisis in
the Opinion Pages of The Atlanta Journal
Constitution March
18, 2002 – April 14, 2002 A
Palestine Media Watch Report www.pmwatch.org Prepared
by: Tanya Hsu and Rani El-Hajjar Palestine
Media Watch – The Atlanta Journal Constitution I.
Introduction This report details the findings of an analysis
conducted by Palestine Media Watch - TAJC examining how the Middle East
crisis has been covered in the opinion pages of The Atlanta Journal Constitution between March 18, 2002 and April
14, 2002. Our aim in preparing this report is to raise The AJC's
awareness of its own editorial and op-ed coverage of the Middle East
crisis. Our aim is not to
characterize or label The AJC, but to examine its product and the
quality and variety of what it is offering its readership. Questions or comments about
this report may be directed to pmwatch@zworg.com Questions or comments to The Atlanta Journal Constitution may
be directed to letters@ajc.com II.
About Palestine Media Watch Palestine
Media Watch (http://www.pmwatch.org) is
a grassroots media watch group that monitors the American media's coverage of
the Middle East. To fulfill its
mission of closely monitoring news and editorial coverage by major US media
outlets and pushing for a more balanced and informed portrayal of the Middle
East conflict, Palestine Media Watch has officers across the United States,
in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza, and boasts an active and growing
membership of over four hundred people. Palestine Media Watch’s Advisory Board consists of: §
Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, Member of the Palestinian
Legislative Council and Secretary General of Miftah (Palestinian Initiative
for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy) in Jerusalem. Former Spokeswoman for the Palestinian
Delegation to the Madrid Peace Conference. §
Prof. Noam Chomsky, Professor of linguistics,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology §
Prof. Norman G. Finkelstein, Political Science
Professor, Hunter College, City University of New York §
Prof. Edward S. Herman, Professor Emeritus,
University of Pennsylvania §
Prof. Tanya Reinhart, Professor, Tel Aviv University §
Dr. Salman Abu
Sitta, Palestinian refugee expert and author. Former member of the Palestine National Council. §
Dr. Mustapha
Barghouti, President of the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees. III.
Editorial Board The Atlanta Journal Constitution
Opinion and Editorial board include: §
Ms. Cynthia Tucker, Editorial page editor §
Mr. Jim Wooten, Associate Editorial page editor §
Mr. Jay Bookman, Deputy
Editorial page editor §
Mr. David Beasley,
Opinions Page Editor IV.
Definitions Eric Alterman’s, characterizations of columnists
regarding the Middle East conflict are adopted in this report for
classification purposes. His
important work "Intractable
Foes, Warring Narratives", MSNBC, March 28th, 2002 is attached in the
Appendix. It provides a reference to
help classify major columnists that write regularly on this conflict in the
AJC. Largely, it has been remarkably easy to qualify any given column as belonging in one of the three categories. The first category includes those op/eds and columnists that support Israel reflexively and without qualification or those that criticize Palestinians and Israelis alike but view themselves as supporters of Israel and ultimately would support Israeli security over Palestinian rights. The symbol (I) is used in Table 1 to classify this category. Pro-Israeli columns are
readily identifiable, since they reflect a well-defined worldview from which
similar columns rarely deviate: §
Palestinians
are primarily to blame for the violence; §
Israel
has offered major concessions; §
Palestinians
should have accepted Israel's Camp David concessions; and §
Palestinian
refugees should have no right of return.
Beyond that, pro-Israeli
columns are striking in their omission of extremely critical issues such as
U.N. resolutions pertaining to the occupation and the findings of human
rights organizations. The (P) category is used to designate columnists and
op/eds that tend to stress the basic realities that pro-Israeli columns
ignore; they mainly highlight the illegal nature of Israeli actions (e.g.,
settlements) and policies (e.g., political assassinations), relying heavily
on internationally recognized agreements and standards. Balanced columns usually avoid faulting either
side; but when faulting, both sides are taken to task. Balanced columns tend to stress the
morally obvious, the legally sound, and some very basic, factual realities. These
are designated (N). Below are the stands taken by the three points of
view on some key issues. (Note that
the key issues vary from one category to another). Category I (The Israeli Narrative) §
Arafat… - Is
responsible for the violence and can stop it at will. - Is
using the violence to pressure Israel. §
Israel… - Is
using reasonable, not excessive, force. - Is
under great danger and must defend itself. - Should
not cede more land to the Palestinians. §
Peace process… - Is
a failure. It is dead. - Has
shown that Palestinians are not serious about long-term peace. - Has
been a ruse used by Palestinians. §
Barak… - Has
been very flexible, even too flexible. - Has
been courageous. - Should
rethink his strategy. - Has
been politically immature. §
United States… - Should
always side, unconditionally, with Israel. §
Intifada… - Was
not spontaneous. - Is
being orchestrated by Arafat. §
Sharon’s visit to the Noble Sanctuary/Temple Mount: - Was
an opportunity the Palestinians were waiting for. §
Palestinians’ right of return… - Spells
the extinction of Israel. - Is
being used by Arabs to destroy Israel. - Is
not Israel’s problem. Arab states
should take in the refugees. §
Jerusalem… - Is
the indivisible capital of Israel. - Is
not the most important Muslim city. - Is
being used by Palestinians to stall final negotiations. §
Subtext: -
Conflation
of the Palestinian people and their leadership. -
Reduction of the
entire Palestinian leadership to a few individuals – often only one: Arafat. -
No expression of
sorrow over the deaths of Palestinian children – only Israelis. -
Rare mention of Arab
citizens of Israel. -
Rare mention of Israeli extremists. -
No mention of human
rights reports’ findings. -
No mention of U.N.
resolutions relevant to the occupation. -
No explanation of
why the U.S. must stand unconditionally with Israel. -
No explanation of
the potential underlying reasons for the Intifada from the Palestinian point
of view. Category P (Palestinian Narrative) §
Right of return… -
Is a legitimate right of all refugees supported by
the U.N. and international community. -
Should be recognized
as a right, and is distinct from
its actual implementation. §
Settlements… - Are
illegal facts on the ground that exist in contravention of international law. - Should
be evacuated by Israel. - Continue
to be constructed and funded by the Israeli government. §
Peace process… - Negotiations
should continue, using U.N. SCR 242 as their basis. - Negotiations have collapsed because of
Israeli intransigence on key issues such as Jerusalem and refugees. - Is
hindered by the U.S., which is not the “honest broker” many claim it to be. - Fell
through at Camp David because Barak did not offer far-reaching concessions. §
Sharon’s visit to the Noble Sanctuary/Temple Mount… - Was
an intentional, premeditated provocation. §
Palestinian suffering… - Is due to Israel’s 35-year military
occupation of the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. - Is
exacerbated by curfews, closures, and other movement-limiting policies. §
Israel’s response to the Intifada… - Has
been disproportionate. - Warrants an independent inquiry into the
violence, preferably international monitors. - Will
only strengthen Palestinian resistance. §
International law… - Deems
Israeli assassination of Palestinian political figures illegal. -
Deems Israeli
settlements illegal. -
U.N. Resolution 242
should be the basis for peace negotiations. §
Jerusalem… - Should
be an open city. - Al-Aqsa
is important for Muslims. - Should
not be used to transform a political conflict into a religious war. Category N (Balanced) §
Violence… - Cannot
be condoned from either side. - Will
not lead to victory for either side. - Causing
the death of anyone – Palestinian or Israeli – is condemnable. §
Settlements… -
Are illegal, and
construction should be halted. -
Were built as facts
on the ground to compromise full Palestinian sovereignty. §
Israel’s response to the Intifada… -
Has been excessive. -
Violence only fuels
more violence. §
Peace process… -
Offered Palestinians
a homeland crisscrossed by Israeli settlements and Jewish-only bypass roads. -
Has failed due to
Israel’s failure to implement many of its Oslo obligations. -
Has failed due to
the PA’s failure to implement many of its Oslo obligations. -
Negotiations should
resume. V. Summary of Op/Eds and
Cartoons published in The Atlanta
Journal Constitution between March 18, 2002 and August 14, 2002 This section
provides a detailed breakdown of letters, op-eds, letters and cartoons on the
Middle East crisis published in The
Atlanta Journal Constitution between March 18, 2002 and April 14, 2001. During the period that is the focus of this report, The AJC published thirty five (33) opinion articles, Fourteen (14) cartoons, Five (5) Editorials, and Twenty-eight (28) letters. The summary of the Op/Eds published, the AJC’s weekly lineup and the cartoons are listed below FIGURE 1 Classification Of Op/Eds Appearing In The Atlanta Journal Constitution Between The Period Of 3.18.02 To 4.14 FIGURE 2 Classification of Columnists in
the Atlanta Journal Constitution's Weekly Lineup (13 regular columns per
week) FIGURE 3 Classification Of Cartoons
Appearing In The Atlanta Journal Constitution Between The Period Of 3.18.02
To 4.14 V. Details of
Editorials, Op/Eds, Letters and Cartoons published in The Atlanta Journal Constitution between March 18, 2002 and August
14, 2002 Table 1 Detailed Breakdown of Editorials, Op/Eds, Letters and Cartoons
between 3/18/02 and 4/14/02
V. Conclusions The op/eds published in The Atlanta Journal Constitution between March 18, 2002 and April 14, 2002, strongly reflect the official pro-Israeli position on the Middle East crisis. In what they mention, how they mention it, and what they fail to mention, they remain faithful to the official pro-Israeli position and present very little that is original on what the root causes of the crisis are, why the violence has persisted, and what may be done to bring the conflict to an end. A list of syndicated columnists that present balanced or opinions that take into account Palestinian rights are presented in the appendix. Summary: During the focus period:
V. References (2001) PMW Report,
“Coverage of the Middle East Crisis in the Opinion Pages of The
Washington Post.” Eric Alterman, (2002), "Intractable Foes, Warring Narratives", MSNBC, March 28th. (Attached) V. Appendix |