But with some notable exceptions, the Times has done a shamefully
poor job of including the historical and political context readers need
to understand the roots of the current uprising.

Over the last 2 weeks, over 2,000 Palestinians have been injured and
over 41 killed, including at least 8 children. Eight Jewish Israelis
have been killed, and one asylum seeker from Eritrea. Though it can
be difficult to make sense of these difficult days, the message from
Palestinians is clear: they want freedom, justice, and dignity.

Yet, the Times’ headlines consistently frame Israel as the victim,
completely misrepresenting an uprising which is a response to decades of
displacement, occupation and repression.

Unless we put pressure on the New York Times to accurately report
what is happening, the story of Palestinians struggling for freedom will
be obscured in the paper of record. Can you sign our petition to the Public Editor of the NYT now?

Click here: www.TellTheNYT.org

Over the past week I’ve asked a number of our Palestinian and Israeli
colleagues what JVP can do during this difficult time and I’ve heard
over and over again, “You need to change the media narrative, they’re
not telling the whole story.”

And we can.

A year ago, the fair-minded NYT Public Editor Margaret Sullivan made a
number of recommendations for more accurate coverage of Israel and
Palestine. [1]

If we can get Sullivan to insist that the NYT editors follow those
recommendations — it could not only change NYT coverage, but other news
outlets as well.  And ultimately, U.S. policy.

Click here: www.TellTheNYT.org

Our analysis of over 30 New York Times stories over the last few
weeks shows clearly that the New York Times still values Israeli lives
more than Palestinian ones.

Even though the vast majority of those killed and injured are
Palestinian, and Palestinians are facing extreme collective punishment,
Israeli violence against Palestinians doesn’t make the news:

• Over 50% of headlines depicted Palestinians as the instigators of violence, while no headlines depicted Israelis as aggressors.
• No headlines referenced racist mobs that have roamed the streets of Jerusalem shouting “Death to Arabs.”
• Palestinians were referred to as terrorists 41 times, while the term
  was used four times (including quotes from Palestinians) to refer to
  violent Israeli actions intended to terrorize Palestinians.
• The terms “violent” or “violence” were used 36 times to refer to Palestinians, and 2 times to refer to Israelis.
• The terms “attack(s)” or “attackers” were used 110 times to describe
  Palestinian actions and people, and 17 times to describe Israelis.

Here’s some of what the New York Times didn’t say:

• The root causes of the current uprising are Israel’s ongoing policies of occupation, displacement and oppression.
• Over the last year, from the Negev to East Jerusalem, Israel has
  demolished an average of 1.7 homes each day and allowed increasing
  numbers of Jewish settlers to take over homes in Palestinian
  neighborhoods.
• Settlers, the police, and racist mobs attacking Palestinians are a frequent occurrence in Palestinian neighborhoods.

Real journalism — the kind we expect from the Times — isn’t just
reporting the views of whoever has the most power. Real journalism is
giving context and background, and reporting on ALL the facts. The
context to what’s happening is clear:Palestinians are rising up because the status quo is unsustainable, and it is now reaching its breaking point.

Please, take a moment to sign the petition and share this link, www.TellTheNYT.org, with your friends.


We can’t let the New York Times off the hook, not now. We need fair and factual reporting.

Thank you,

Cecilie Surasky
Jewish Voice for Peace



[1] “The Conflict and the Coverage“, Margaret Sullivan, New York Times, November 22, 2014.

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