US mainstream media renders a different war in Gaza

really Rozza?? Al Jazera? are you kidding? you want me to watch Al Jazera.

The news casters are giving Americans what they want to believe, good news.
If they said "Our ally, Israel, the birth place of Jesus, is bombing the Gaza strip to oblivion. Israel is bad and Gaza is sad."

What will alllllll the Christians in America think if their holy land is playing the part of the bad guy? And the enemy religion is the innocent and the persecuted?

You'll have Christians storming news stations and assassinating Barack Obama!

I'll tell you how I feel. This war and killing has been going on for a thousasnd years and each time we get a president he has a peace plan, well its like our own Indian peace plan that always ended the same way, a mass slaughter. How many Mass slaughters were committed before America owned all of the continent, so historically we can afford to watch Israel slaughter all of the palestinians. I hope that Israel is intelligent enough to realize that she is not in the final world plans. A Godless group has alrerady mapped out theri plans for the world and I hardly think anybody will be happy. So fight on Israel, your day is coming, and then you will realize you have been fighting the wrong people.

Pick your propaganda.

Something else, what is holy about the holy land when it is probably the bloodiest piece of land in the world. Israel was fighting was long before even Islam was born and it will continue to spill blood as long as these people rob the palestinians of their land and right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Remember it is part of our constitutional guarantees, which by the way Mr. Bush has preferred to ignore.

Ah, religion... how many people can be killed in the name of a god?

There are a couple reasons the US mainstream media is more favorable to Israel:

1.) Israel active employs English speaking, western style PR. They issue press releases, pre-shot footage, etc. It lets them frame the debate, and makes the job easy for lazy journalists.

2.) Israels look more Western. I saw a preshot piece where a Jewish famliy was enduring the fear of constant rocket attacks over several days. They spoke English, their son was huddled in fear with a stuffed animal and was wearing footie-pajamas, their house looked completely Western.

When you compare that to the image of a Palestinian woman wailing in loss on the street, while heartbreaking, it is also a fundamentally alienating image.

Both of these are probably largely influenced by #1.

3.) No one over here understands why Hamas is shooting rockets at Israel, or what their goal is for doing so. It baffles me personally why Hamas didn't stop firing rockets day #1 of the invasion and attempt to claim the "non-violent resistance" high route... Again, I think it might be they don't understand, or care, that that would influence Western opinions.

4.) When push comes to shove, no one here is comfortable telling the Jewish people they can't defend themselves, not after WWII.

Again, I'm not say it is good or right that there is a bias, I'm saying Hamas isn't helping itself win the PR war, and it's arguable if they're even trying to fight it IMHO.

i agree that we're seeing israel favoritism here in the US. just today i had a good friend of mine who lives in norway contacted me concerned with the situation. he was asking me questions and telling me news that i had no idea about. not because of my ignorance by choice, but come to find out, because of a forced ignorance by our own government.

As far as the whole religious factor goes, any Christian that opens a Bible or a history book should be fully aware of the wayward mistakes made by the nation of Israel. I don't care about alliances... Right is right and wrong is wrong.

Curious to see how this affects the first months of Obama's presidency.

Much love, hope and peace.

They danced in the streets after 9/11, what do you people not understand about that. They stood and cheered American deaths. It was a freaking holiday to them. I'm supposed to feel bad for them?

I think any one with any savy for American media knows that American media is controlled by six people and Murdoch is the leader, need I say more. Anyone who believes the American media anymore is living under a rock. I believe Link TV and Al Jazerra and a few other news outlets. I have visited the mid-east and have seen the torturous conditions the Jews have put the Palestinians in and I would be firing rockets two if I was being treated as the Palsetinians are treated. I would fire until I was killed because being dead is better than having no human rights. Don't expect any straight reporting from the American media is all I can say. I hope someday there is peace for the entire world but until Israel decides to join the human race and intergrate with the rest of Humanity it won't happen. Israel needs to take a hard look at themselves and realize they are no better than any other people on earth. The Chosen few is Bull Shit from some fairy tale book called the Old Testament and it is time for them to quit killing innocent people for no reason. There are many Israels who don't want this killing but they need to elect honest leaders who are not war mongers like Dumb Ya and Cheney.

When has anybody in America ever seen a negative portrayal of a Jew? In our movies or TV programs we have all seen the Sopranos, Scarface, black gansta's, fanatical Japs, Nazi's, etc etc..but never ever anything but a long suffering, discriminated against individual if the character is Jewish. We have been so indoctrinated to believe that there is absolutely NOTHING that Israel can do that is questionable that when they unleash Hell itself against the Palestinians we turn a blind eye, sigh and say " well, you know they have been fighting for thousands of years"..actually it's only been since 1948 when the imaginary state of Israel was created so that the western world wouldn't have to accept all the WWII Jewish refugees. We used the holocaust as an excuse for our total destruction of Germany, yet not once during the entire war was a concentration camp ever bombed to stop the killing, and then, after the war no allied nation wanted the Jews either, so the Arabs got the honor. Apparently they have not quite accepted the idea yet

My 1st Post, Part 1- Religion vs. Peace

There are so many naive people posting here. I had to register just so I could add my two cents and hope it provokes some thought.

First off, most of us would agree that we'd like to see a peaceful resolution to the ongoing war between the state of Israel and the Palestinian people, as well as all the other wars taking place on Earth such as Africa. War sucks, death sucks, suffering sucks, peace is a great idea. But sometimes, due to nothing more than the ignorance and habit of the human condition- it simply aint gonna happen.

Some of you claim this is a religious war going on for millenia and it isn't going to stop. That statement is only partially true, and it just proves how incredibly dumb humans are (I will come back to this in Part 2, lucky you!). The whole idea of religion is antithetical to the unity and peace most of us want to see in the world. Religion splits humanity into groups that believe they're superior to all others and that their god is better than all other gods. It is equally irrational to blindly believe in Judiasm, Christianity, or Islam- they are all equally ridiculous in their claims.

The fact that anyone can suspend thought long enough to think that they actually KNOW the answer to the ultimate questions of life and existence enough to kill and maim other human beings is amazing and terrifying to me. But we see it with the terrorism committed by the international Islamic jihadist movement, we saw it with the Inquisition, the Crusades, on and on. The fact is that we don't question our religions the way we question everything else in our lives- they would not hold up to the scrutiny so we avoid the issue altogether and regurgitate what we were indoctrinated to regurgitate when we were mere children..

You believe what you believe only because you were brainwashed before you had the ability to think rationally and question what you were told. Millions of otherwise rational people eventually realize Santa Clause isn't real, yet those same people cling to the equally ludicrous stories told by men 2,000 years ago about a man named Jesus. It's preposterous that we should get our answers to life's deepest questions from men who thought the world was flat- Jewish, Chritain, Muslim- all of them are certainly wrong.

The sad fact is that more atrocities have been commited in the name of "God" than any other reason in the history of the world. Until we are all ready to start using our minds and give up our old, false gods- instead pursuing the truth and majesty that ACTUALLY exists in each of us and throughout the world, we are doomed to repeat the tragedies of war again and again and again.

Science is the answer. It is always questioned, always evolving, and self correcting. The mysteries of existence are much more beautiful than any religion could ever be. Wake up, use your minds. Realize your Pope, Rabbi or Imam doesn't know any more than you do. It's time to kill these old, false gods so that man can evolve past all this division.

But like I said, some things just aint gonna happen.

@highroller:

Ideas are commodities. Cultures are commodities. Gods are commodities. How can you say "nobody religious fights wars"? Ever heard of the Crusades, Inquisition, Al-Qaeda? All perpetrated in the name of God. You quote "Thou shalt not kill" but have you ever read the entire Old or New Testaments or Koran? They're chock full of killing- people are supposed to be stoned to death for what are today considered misdemeanors!

This title is funny as hell.

Really, the US media system is completely corrupt.

They have no interest in telling you the truth and so they don't.

Really....remember the lead up to the Iraq war?

Grow up people. You will not find truth in American Media.

What Nonsense!!

In the USA, we understand Israel is defending its citizens against rockets from Hamas. This isn't about which side is suffering more casualties. It isn't about disproportionate force by the Israelis - if American cities were under attack, we would be using all resources available to end the attacks.

Hamas knew Israel had more power than they did - if they didn't want Israel to attack, Hamas shouldn't have provoked them.

Why do people miss that? Hamas started the WAR!

This is a lot less complicated than some make it out to be...it's not a secret that the media sector in the United States employs a great deal of Jews in top executive positions. This is just as much fact as it is with Blacks and pro sports. Who's interests do you think is at heart in the matter between Israel and Palestine/Hamas?

HaloedGriot just pointed out the dead elephant thats been on our living room floor and stinking the place up. Funny how that observation seems to elude most Americans.

Wow, I was surprised to hear some of the comments people made about Al Jazeera.

Al Jazeera is actually a very respectable news corporation, just because they happen to always be the first to air Bin Laden tapes doesn't mean that they are anywhere close to being as biased as American media.

Too many people here sound like they don't know anything about Al Jazeera, and it sounds like they think its some kind of Muslim/Arab propaganda network... which it is not.

John A have you ever seriously wondered why the people that live in the middle east have issues with us? does it not seem at least curious that they don't express hatred for Switzerland, Mexico, Argentina or Brasil etc etc?. Before you give a knee jerk reaction, do some critical thinking.

Channel 7 news here in New York is stating that it has the "only" local correspondent in the Middle East.

Of course he is in Israel and keeps reminding us how the Israeli's are in constant terror from bombs.

They then went to a video clip to show a "three" foot crater left by a "terrorist" rocket.

Where is the footage of the 30 foot craters and leveled buidings in Gaza?

Where is the footage of these people having no food, electricity, and having to live under the constant "fear" of Israel?

Just a thought....

Palestenians - City destroyed, hundreds dead, buildings leveled, Being hit with cluster bombs that are banned under the United Nations.

Israel - 3 foot crater, 2 Israeli soldiers killed

U.S. Financial Aid To Israel: Figures, Facts, and Impact
http://www.wrmea.com/html/us_aid_to_israel.htm

Summary

Benefits to Israel of U.S. Aid
Since 1949 (As of November 1, 1997)

Foreign Aid Grants and Loans
$74,157,600,000

Other U.S. Aid (12.2% of Foreign Aid)
$9,047,227,200

Interest to Israel from Advanced Payments
$1,650,000,000

Grand Total
$84,854,827,200

Total Benefits per Israeli
$14,630

Cost to U.S. Taxpayers of U.S.
Aid to Israel

Grand Total
$84,854,827,200

Interest Costs Borne by U.S.
$49,936,680,000

Total Cost to U.S. Taxpayers
$134,791,507,200

Total Taxpayer Cost per Israeli
$23,240

The "news" we see on CNN,FOX..etc is so obviously propaganda it's madding! Thats why alternative media is key! Thank you Al Gore!

Israel's clampdown on outside journalism is to prevent worldwide sympathy forming toward the civilian citizens of The Gaza Strip and, more importantly, Hamas.
As a result, Al-Jazeera stands a far better chance at getting out several sides of the situation.
Israel should never have complete control over what we see, hear, feel and think. No power structure should.