Article: New rules, tough times for Gaza's smugglers

Date: Sunday, October 3, 2010

This article reported on many of the smuggling tunnels between Egypt and the Gaza Strip being closed after Israel eased its restrictions on the transfer of goods between Israel and Gaza.

Omission: It referred to Gaza without any indication that Hamas is a terror group.

Ratings

Factual Accuracy: 10
Bias-Free: 9
Pro-Israel: 0
Anti-Israel: 0

Article: Syrian president visits Iran

Date: Sunday, October 3, 2010

This article reported on a visit by Syrian President Bashar Assad to Iran. It involved Israel only by implication.

Omission. Inaccuracies: It referred to Hezbollah as a "militia" and Hamas as a "militant group" without any reference to the fact both are primarily terrorist groups.

Ratings

Factual Accuracy: 9
Bias-Free: 9
Pro-Israel: 0
Anti-Israel: 0

Article: CNN anchor out after remarks about Jews

Date: Saturday, October 2, 2010

This short article reported on Rick Sanchez leaving his job as a CNN anchor after making "controversial comments about Jews."

Omission: The article omitted context. It also omitted any reference to his comments being referred to as being anti-semitic.

Ratings

Factual Accuracy: 10
Bias-Free: 10
Pro-Israel: 0
Anti-Israel: 0

Article: Iranian's speech sparks walkout

Date: Friday, September 24, 2010

This short article reported on representatives of the United States and other nations walking out during a speech by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Ratings

Factual Accuracy: 10
Bias-Free: 10
Pro-Israel: 1
Anti-Israel: 0

Article: Arabs urged to provide aid

Date: Friday, September 24, 2010

This article reported on President Barack Obama's speech to the United Nations General Assembly.

Opinion: The writer expressed the opinion that the United States was dismayed by several Arab states being behind on promised financial aid to the Palestinian Authority.

Omission. Misleading: The article referred to Hamas simply as "the Palestinian group that controls the Gaza Strip and is a rival to Fatah" without any reference to the fact that it is a terror group.

Ratings

Factual Accuracy: 9
Bias-Free: 9
Pro-Israel: 0
Anti-Israel: 0

Article: U.N. panel condemns raid on aid flotilla

Date: Thursday, September 23, 2010

This article consisted of three sentences:

A raid by Israeli commandos on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May was unlawful and resulted in violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, a panel of international experts said Wednesday.

The three experts, nominated by the United Nations Human Rights Council to investigate the Israeli raid in which nine pro-Palestinian activists were killed, also said Israel's blockade of Gaza caused a humanitarian crisis and was unlawful. The panel also said Israel has a right to security.

Bias. Omission. Lack of Balance: Omitted was any reference to the questionable record of the infamous Human Rights Council and the clear bias of the members of the so-called "experts." Nor were the inaccuracies in the report of the panel noted. including the fact that there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Omitted was the fact that the so-called activists were armed and attacked the Israeli commandos.

Ratings

Factual Accuracy: 6
Bias-Free: 0
Pro-Israel: 0
Anti-Israel: 10

Article: Shooting death sparks clashes in east Jerusalem

Date: Thursday, September 23, 2010

This is an article by Edmund Sanders <edsanders@tribune.com> about Arabs rioting in Jerusalem after a security guard shot an Arab during what was described in the article as an "altercation."

Misleading: The article omitted the fact that the security guard shot the Arab in self-defense while being pelted by stones by a mob until near the end of the article.

Lack of Balance: The article quoted unnamed Arab leaders accusing the Israeli government of provoking the violence, allegedly to "deflect attention from the current impasse in peace talks," without any balancing Israeli explanation.

Bias. Lack of Balance: The writer asserted peace talks could collapse "Israel ends a partial moratorium on construction in the West Bank and parts of east Jerusalem," and again quoted an Arab spokesperson without any balancing statements by Israelis.

Inaccuracy. Bias. Opinion: The writer expressed the opinion "Palestinians want a three-month extension of the current freeze to enable time for both sides to negotiate final borders between Israel and a future Palestinian state." The Arabs have repeated demanded a permanent freeze.

Ratings

Factual Accuracy: 7
Bias-Free: 5
Pro-Israel: 0
Anti-Israel: 5