AFP Anti-Israel Bias Reaches Sublime Proportions
This is like a a caricature of anti-Israel media bias. A caption from an AFP stringer's photo of two little girls:
Palestinian girls walk past a torn down building in Rafah, as an Israeli military operation takes place in the southern Gaza Strip. Israel has vowed to avenge any harm done to a soldier thought kidnapped during a Palestinian militant attack on an outpost that left two Israeli soldiers and two activists dead.(AFP/Samuel Aranda)
Where to begin? First, the bias in framing: why show a picture of two girls (who have, for instance, absolutely zero to do with the story) rather than, say, the picture of the Israeli families who've actually lost children to violence in the last day?
Second, why "torn down building" - did the Israelis tear it down 2 years ago before they left? We don't know - but isn't it nice to imply that the Jews had something to do with the continuing lack of civilization in the Gaza Strip? Maybe some of the money that Palestinian moderates have been using to amass weapons of mass destruction could have been used to rebuild that building, huh?
Third - and this is the point where the caption slips from typical anti-Israel piffle to anti-Israel absurdity - "left... two activists dead"? Yes folks, Hamas members who kidnap and kill are back to being "activists" according to AFP. How awesome is that?
UPDATE: Eh, the photo keeps getting bumped back so the permalink isn't working. Here's a screen cap:
Palestinian girls walk past a torn down building in Rafah, as an Israeli military operation takes place in the southern Gaza Strip. Israel has vowed to avenge any harm done to a soldier thought kidnapped during a Palestinian militant attack on an outpost that left two Israeli soldiers and two activists dead.(AFP/Samuel Aranda)
Where to begin? First, the bias in framing: why show a picture of two girls (who have, for instance, absolutely zero to do with the story) rather than, say, the picture of the Israeli families who've actually lost children to violence in the last day?
Second, why "torn down building" - did the Israelis tear it down 2 years ago before they left? We don't know - but isn't it nice to imply that the Jews had something to do with the continuing lack of civilization in the Gaza Strip? Maybe some of the money that Palestinian moderates have been using to amass weapons of mass destruction could have been used to rebuild that building, huh?
Third - and this is the point where the caption slips from typical anti-Israel piffle to anti-Israel absurdity - "left... two activists dead"? Yes folks, Hamas members who kidnap and kill are back to being "activists" according to AFP. How awesome is that?
UPDATE: Eh, the photo keeps getting bumped back so the permalink isn't working. Here's a screen cap:
