From: shaig@Think.COM (Shai Guday)
Subject: Re: The Israeli Press
Organization: Thinking Machines Corporation, Cambridge MA, USA
Lines: 48
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: composer.think.com

In article <benali.735836579@alcor>, benali@alcor.concordia.ca ( ILYESS B. BDIRA ) writes:
|> 
|> Of course you never read Arab media,

I don't, though when I was in Israel I did make a point of listening
to JTV news, as well as Monte Carlo Radio.  In the United States,
I generally read the NYT, and occasionally, a mainstream Israeli
newpaper.

|> I read Arab, ISRAELI (Jer. Post, and this network is more than enough)
|> and Western (American, French, and British) reports and I can say
|> that if we give Israel -10 and Arabs +10 on the bias scale (of course
|> you can switch the polarities) Israeli newspapers will get either
|> a -9 or -10, American leading  newspapers and TV news range from -6
|> to -10 (yes there are some that are more Israelis than Israelis)
|> The Montreal suburban (a local free newspaper) probably is closer
|> to Kahane's views than some Israeli right wing newspapers, British
|> range from 0 (neutral) to -10, French (that Iknow of, of course) range
|> from +2 (Afro-french magazines) to -10, Arab official media range from
|> 0 to -5 (Egyptian)  to +9 in SA. Why no +10? Because they do not want to
|> overdo it and stir people against Israel and therefore against them since 
|> they are doing nothing.

What you may not be taking into account is that the JP is no longer
representative of the mainstream in Israel.  It was purchased a few
years ago and in the battle for control, most of the liberal and
left-wing reporters walked out.  The new owner stated in the past,
more than once, that the JP's task should be geared towards explaining
and promoting Israel's position, more than attacking the gov't (Likud
at the time).  The paper that I would recommend reading, being middle
stream and factual is "Ha-Aretz" - or at least this was the case two
years ago.

|> the average bias of what you read would be probably around -9,
|> while that of the average American would be the same if they do
|> not read or read the new-york times and similar News-makers, and
|> -8 if they read some other RELATIVELY less biased newspapers.

And what about the "Nat'l Enquirer"? 8^)
But seriously, if one were to read some of the leftist newspapers
one could arrive at other conclusions.  The information you received
was highly selective and extrapolating from it is a bad move.

-- 
Shai Guday              | Stealth bombers,
OS Software Engineer    |
Thinking Machines Corp. |	the winged ninja of the skies.
Cambridge, MA           |
