Welcome To War

Good grief, that last comment made absolutely no sense.
Thank you, Current, for taking a break from the "fluff" and digging into what we NEED to see. I am SO tired of hearing Israel''s point of view. This is absolutely refreshing.

to whom it may concern at current
what is this?
blatant lies, lebanese hostages...
how did this so called blakkbox get on the air on your network?
i thought your network was one of the most correct concerning truth?
the lebanese would praise those who bring in more rockets.
i can not comprehend this.

Dear Leighnorton,
Kudos, you have mastered grammar. We are all very proud of you. However, I think critical thinking and honesty are really the virtues people here appreciate, so obviously you will have a hard time keeping up. You quickly dispense with any logic in order to rush to defend deceptive reporting and propaganda. Dismissively saying no point has been made does not make it so. Everyone is invited to review my posts and others to see how blakkbox has distorted the facts in this pod which is indicative of biased reporting or perhaps just error. Just because you could care less about facts and willingly allow yourself to learn untruths does not mean all of us do nor do we all share your view that whether or not blakkbox tells the truth should not affect whether this should be categorized as "journalism." Everyone who has "educated" you should be ashamed.

Oh, and "the fact that they are willing to share their thoughts and aspirations so freely only reinforces the objective nature of their journey" is not a logical statement because sharing thoughts which are not supported by facts is not objective no matter how freely they say it.

Is logic too difficult for you? Certainly seems so. Now, go back to whatever it is you did before you came to defend these wannabe journalists. They must have smarter friends than you. Douchebag.

This is Josh from blakkbox.
All of these questions may be answered by the following 4 points so please please take the time to read and digest them:
1. what we claimed in the pod is THAT THE CONSENSUS ON THE GROUND IN LEBANON AT THE TIME was that the Israeli soldiers had crossed into the disputed Shebaa Farms area and were kidnapped there. This (the entire sentence, please read capitalized text) is indisputably true and we stand by it no matter how emotionally and violently anyone disagrees. It is entirely possible that the soldiers were taken in Zarit or Budapest or Disneyland, and it makes little difference to us, because we have no means of verifying those facts, nor do we claim any. Statements from previous posts like "just admit you''re wrong" and the assertion of facts like "no educated person in the world except blakkbox believes..." are simply too unprofessional and petulantly presented for me to address.
2.The footage and access we have of Hizbullah fighters is unique, genuine, and was extremely dangerous to get, because we filmed it illegally and without their knowledge. At no point do we interview or show Hizbullah PR people on camera, because that is the easy way out that the major news outlets take. It yields precisely the kind of filtered propaganda that one gets from any PR person, whether they are from the IDF or from Hizbullah.
3. We reported from the ground in Lebanon, and will not take responsibility for reporting on what happened on the Israeli side, because we don''t know. We weren''t there. We were in Lebanon and stand behind what we reported without blinking, because we were there. We were kidnapped at gunpoint, we were in bombing zones before any other journalists, and we didn''t get our facts from watching tv in 5 star hotels like many correspondents we know.
4.We are trained specialists in the history, politics, and linguistics of the middle east, not filmmakers. If you don''t like our camera angles, you might be right, because we were often filming from the waist, because the people who had detained us thought that the camera was off. These were hostile situations where press cards don''t necessarily matter. If you want to say we don''t know anything about the middle east, that''s ridiculous and wrong, just by looking at our academic degrees, jobs, and passports.

Dear Blakkbox, everything you have written in response to Jaron''s comments is completely irrelevant to the issue raised by Jaron. The issue is that a fact is a fact is a fact, and your pod contains an anti-fact. Definition of a fact: Knowledge or information based on real occurrences; verifiable truth; reality. The antonym of a fact: a fabrication, a lie. Be journalists of integrity, and acknowledge your anti-fact and correct your anti-fact, or take your pod off the air.

This is Nate from blakkbox.

In regards to where the soldiers were taken, I must note that in the pod we related what Lebanese people on the ground were discussing and what they believed about the kidnappings. There was little controversy that Hizbullah kidnapped the soldiers, because the party stated they took the Israeli soldiers. However, these were the reports that formed people?s perception of the conflict at the time. While there?s room to critique how anyone?s perception is formed, in fact that is what blakkbox seeks to explore, we reported what people thought in Lebanon when the war broke out.

Because we in blakkbox were only in Lebanon during the war, I welcome post #65?s perspective of what it was like in Israel during the war. I can appreciate the tragedy lived in Israel, but I can not accept a comparison and contrast of which side of the border suffered more tragically. War is painfully tragic, and if you are going to quantify suffering, that only flagrantly trivializes everyone?s pain.

Blakkbox?s trip to Lebanon was not an act of randomness. The three of us have traveled in the country extensively over the past four years. I lived in Beirut from 2003 till 2005 and then returned in the summer of 2006. While I lived in Beirut, I was researching Lebanese and Middle Eastern politics, and specialized in Shia political movements. I edited a political treatise of Hizbullah (In the Path of Hizbullah by Nizar Hamzeh), and earned an MA in Political Studies from the American University of Beirut. Blakkbox was able to do this project, because we have many friends in Lebanon and we know the country well.

Post #65 correctly states Israel?s official demand of recognition from Hizbullah and Lebanon. Hizbullah and Lebanon have similar demands of Israel, but it is my professional opinion as a political analyst, that up until the summer of 2006, Lebanon would have been the next Arab country to have signed a peace treaty with Israel. Economic interests and the historic support for Israel by some powerful Lebanese Christians would have been strong enough to bring such a treaty sooner rather than later. However, when the Lebanese faced the magnitude of Israel?s retaliation for the kidnappings (i.e. US$3 billion of infrastructure destroyed and over a 1,000 Lebanese civilians killed), I witnessed the quickest and most widespread political change I?ve ever seen. Nearly all of our Christian Lebanese friends, who had previously opposed Hizbullah and were sympathetic to Israel, changed to a vehement hatred of Israel and overwhelming support of Hizbullah within a week?s time. They related their change in thinking simply: ?How can we not support Hizbullah? They?re the only ones protecting us.? Whatever support Israel might have hoped for from Lebanese Christians was mostly lost with the war.

Post #65 does echo a common call for the Lebanese to take more responsibility for their own country. However, I suggest that using the label ?terrorist? to isolate a portion of the Lebanese population will not really work anymore. In fact, Lebanese internal politics has been at a standstill for the past eight months because Hizbullah commands an overwhelming opposition as a party in the Lebanese government. Hizbullah?s political support mushroomed after last summer?s war and it is highly unlikely that roughly half of the country of Lebanon will ?kick out? the other half. Perhaps this is just one example of where the sweeping use of "terrorist," besides being clumsily demeaning, does not facilitate any useful discussion at all.

Lebanese politics has many nuances like any other country. As popular discourse sweeps away certain perspectives by allowing absolutist labels, we are all at a loss for not trying to engage the nuanced ideas and people that don?t make it into the prevailing discussion. As Chass and Josh have already explained well, Blakkbox doesn?t think Lebanon has to be excluded in the discourse.

Dear Nate:

Please research what happened in 1948, 1967 and especially 1973 to gain an understanding of why Israel always HAS to have a defensive and offensive plan of action for all of it''s immediate and non immediate neighbors. Believe me I wish they didn''t have to. Afterwords reread the below comment.

"Israel was planning the war at least four months before the kidnappings happened. The quickness with which Israel escalated force made it quite apparent there was extensive planning. Ehud Ohlmert, the Prime Minister of Israel, admitted later to having planned for the conflict as early as March 2006."

Personally I think only having a plan in place in March 2006 was too late for this conflict, and potentially a reason for its prolonged duration. But that is just like my opinion maaaann - manipulating a quote by "El Dudarino" (if you are not into the whole brevity thing) for my advantage.

Do you make this comment to back up your belief that Israel ignited this war or just to make a random comment?

Based on your comments - perhaps this should be titled an OpEd piece (which I generally appreciate and enjoy watching - mostly for its comedic value - see John Stewart) rather than factual journalism?

PS - I love that the "Dodging Katyushas" Pod is listed below yours. Watch it...you can meet Jaron.

This piece is dishonest and must be taken off the air.

Dear Jaron, in regards to your proposal to join Blakkbox on a trip to Lebanon to show your video to the Lebanese people: in theory I think it is a great idea. In reality, I would advise against it in the strongest possible terms. There is a high probability that you would be killed. There are too many there with a track record of doing whatever must be done to hide the truth.

I watched "Dodging Katyushas". I don''t understand why that pod is hailed as "real journalism". He avoided a bomb. That''s great. He also sweated and freaked out a lot.

How is that "real journalism"? Jaron reported his experience from Israel. These guys are reporting their experiences from Lebanon. All lived to tell their tale.

It is my understanding that there are more pods in the blakkbox series forthcoming -- please, bring them on. I am very interested and curious to see this footage from Lebanon, regardless of Jaron and his friends'' personal attacks. In fact, the informative and calm manner in which blakkbox responds to these "arguments" is way more impressive than, "lazy, one-dimensional", and, "you don''t understand English!" Seems like there are a lot of emotions involved, and people are making themselves out to look less credible ("real journalism" doesn''t involve childish, personal attacks).

dear uh,
despite your (and others) mind-blowing points, oh wait....you never had one, regurgitating information is never a coup. i think ascertaining whether or not these videos are "journalistic" is a moot point. we are hard pressed as a world to venture into dangerous territory and oh so willing to jump upon those who are willing to venture where most of us dare not. i don''t think it matters whether or not you share the same goals as blakkbox, the fact that they are willing to share their thoughts and aspirations so freely only reinforces the objective nature of their journey. kudos to blakkbox and think twice next time you try and end a paragragh with a quote. your grammar school teacher should be ashamed, you douchebag.

blakkbox does not care to weigh in on where the prisoners were taken or if Hizbullah is responsible for the Khobar Towers bombing or if Ariel Sharon should have been tried for war crimes for his involvement in the Sabra and Shatila massacre. We are trying to show you a viewpoint that not many Americans will ever hear, and yet which are widely held around the Muslim world, and may effect the lives of all of us and our children. It doesn''t help to just write people off, dismiss their sanity, or flail around slandering them and their education. Olmert publicly admitted planning the attack months earlier, but some people refuse to believe it, and that is equally interesting to us because it matters what people believe and act on. If you hate Hizbullah, you have equal reason to pay attention to what they and their supporters believe as anyone else, and that is what we bring you. Hizbullah came out of the July War much stronger in popularity than when it began. This is an interesting problem for everyone, from IDF strategists to the Hizbullah leadership itself. We spoke with many former Christian Militia fighters who had been allied with Israel in the past, that said that they now fully supported and would fight side-by-side with Hizbullah. If everyone were a little less emotionally volatile about these issues, maybe human understanding might prevail. Arabs are not crazy, Lebanese are not poorly educated and suckers for propaganda as Jaron alleges, and no one here has truth simply because of their skin color or religion. I am extremely troubled by the dogged close-mindedness demonstrated by some people here. We appreciate all who watched, and once again, encourage a civil exchange without anyone losing their temper. Please direct criticism to statements that we actually have made, and we will
happily engage in a discussion.

Thanks to all for watching and participating in the discussion.

Dear Blakkbox,

Please answer two clear cut multiple choice questions:

1) Do you believe that the Israeli soldiers were kidnapped:

a) in the vicinity of Shebba Farms, as you report is the consensus in Lebanon, or

b) hundreds of miles away near the town of Zarit, as was reported by thousands of journalists, or

c) none of the above

2) Do you claim that the Israeli soldiers were kidnapped:

a) in the vicinity of Shebba Farms, as you report is the consensus in Lebanon, or

b) hundreds of miles away near the town of Zarit, as was reported by thousands of journalists, or

c) none of the above

Again, in the piece we never claimed Israel crossed the border. We reported that consensus in Lebanon at the time was that Israeli soldiers had crossed the border. I don?t doubt that Northern Israel suffered but we were not there to document it. We were in Lebanon. And, on balance, it?s a bit egregious to compare the damage of the two. I?ll let you provide your own numbers (lies, damned lies and statistics, baby). We did ask tough questions to ?the terrorists?, but we also pose their tough questions to you.

We were reporting from the Lebanese side and detailing the general Lebanese consensus, which is precisely why the pods should remain on the air. They express a point of view not commonly seen in Western media. Millions of people around the world believe Israel was to blame for the war. To write every one of them off as either ?uneducated? or pawns of some mass propaganda machine is utterly dangerous. Why do they believe what they believe? Are they all delusional?
Assuming that people will recognize ?facts? ignores copious amounts of postmodern literary theory (see jbox post #23 in 20 Ground Zeros).
blakkbox?s goal is to get at information that is often disregarded by the West. We do not assume that millions of people are stupid or crazy. We want to talk with them and get shot at by them. In so doing, we hope to further and expand discussion beyond what we see today.
p.s. Never claim you ride a funboard.

Chass,
You sound like you understand, but then you veer suddenly back towards the incomprehensible. If you are reporting on a story that millions of people believe that 2+2=5 (an obvious untruth), would you say that those people were delusional? Or that "All knowledge is part of a cultural discourse, and if journalism as a discipline feels that it can still ignore postmodern literary theory after all this time and make claims of impartiality and omniscience, then it will grow to be a very angry and petty little tool of reactionary racism, imperialism, and self-deception on a very grand scale (quoted from post #23 you reference)?"

First, if the sentence is read (though it is very poorly written to sound academic) to mean that journalism is no longer required to hold as a virtue an objective reporting of the facts, then you have now entered into the area called propaganda. Second, if what you mean to imply by throwing around "postmodern literary theory" that other cultures have different realities which we need to learn and respect, then I have to ask you again does 2+2=5? If because of a reaction to western thought, people begin to believe that the laws of addition are no longer are true, then do you simply believe them and say that its part of our new understanding of math...some people add a different way. Or rather do you report their misinformation as such and attempt to understand why they have come to believe such a falsity. This, however, is predicated on the assumption that you are willing to accept that 2+2 does not equal 5 (I am under the impression that you would tell me that this could be in dispute depending on who you ask).

By illustrating to us, that you do not have a complete understanding of the facts (a word which you guys like to inject some relative subjectivity) why should we believe you tell the truth about anything else you report.

This is the essence of integrity in journalism. When you cannot substantiate things that you report, and are asked to provide evidence as all of us commenters have, then you call into question the rest of your pod as either being false or fabricated.

Although you may want to divert the attention away from Jaron''s very basic question as to whether you can substantiate through credible evidence your claim that Israel initiated the war by entering the shebaa farms, it is essential for anyone who you wish to persuade (that is your goal right?) that you are capable of telling the truth. If you can''t, and won''t admit your mistake, then everyone who watches your pods should be forewarned: blackbox cannot be trusted.

I have firsthand documentary evidence that the attack occurred on Israel?s side of the fence. No educated soul in the world believes that Israel initiated the Second Lebanon War except for blackbox. Once again, here is my evidence for the whole world to see:

link

(This is an excerpt from a film I produced alongside fellow Current journalist Adrian Baschuk that was acquired for distribution by the largest and most respected distributor of educational films in North America).

www.thedisengagementfilm.com

I will gain a whole lot of respect for you guys if you did one or both of these things. 1. Admit that you?re wrong in implying that Israel crossed the border at Sheba Farms and initiated the war. 2. Go back to Lebanon with my video and show them what really happened (i.e. who actually started the war). I think their reactions to the footage would be fascinating to watch and would make for a great Current pod. Will they resist it at first? Will they finally succumb to the truth? How will they rationalize the attack that led to all these unnecessary deaths and destruction? Will they finally begin to doubt whether Nasrallah is really the ?guardian angel? of Lebanon as he claims to be? I haven?t been to Lebanon in a few years and I would be happy to join you on that trip (By the way I also surf. I have two boards, an 8?8 funboard for the summer and a 6?0 fish for the winter Mediterranean storms).

The sad thing is that these Lebanese people you interviewed are most likely victims of a cruel propaganda machine and a sub par educational system that hasn?t given them the tools to analyze information as fact or fiction. You guys are obviously intelligent enough to comprehend that facts are facts. Sometimes you are wrong and the best thing is to simply admit your mistakes, learn the lesson, and move on with life. As far as I?m concerned, this debate is over. I?m signing off now with the hope that you guys, or Current, does the right thing.

Fellahs, I hope you don?t go off topic like that in your academic papers. You have answered every question under the sun except the only one that matters to me and to Current viewers: Where is the evidence backing up your claim that Israel initiated this conflict by crossing the border at Sheba Farms in July 2006?

The question posed in post 57 was answered. ?I would only say that the whereabouts of the kidnapping were disputed at the time and it was difficult to believe Western sources that weren?t on the ground to confirm the spot.? In our pod we did not claim that Israel crossed the border. We simply report that the feeling in Lebanon during our time there was that Israeli soldiers had crossed in to the Shebba farms. We interviewed hundreds of Lebanese from all religious/ethnic backgrounds and this was certainly the consensus.
The Shebaa Farms issue is far from resolved, even by the UN, which in many cases has considered it Syrian territory.

It''s surely intersting to see the first hand view from inside a war zone. However, I reject the notion that just because three guys flew to lebanon during the war last year that they get carte blanche to report and say whatever they want, especailly when the initial premise is wrong. Unfortunately, they just built from that shaky foundation to take a biased perspective, unable to distinguish between reality and propoganda. By presenting that weak case, they weaken the whole understanding of the situation and, worse, prevent a resolution of the conflict. I spent much of the war just miles on the other side of the border in a war zone in northern Israel. Scenes there rivaled scenes in this short. However, what''s noteworthy is that while these three men mention Israel bombed infrastructure to prevent the smugggleing and trafficing of weapons, rockets fired at northern Israel contained as many as 40,000 ball bearings and other schrapnel in order to inflict the widest possible human sufferig and death. Not to mention that Hezbollah and the Lebanese government still have to recognize the right of ISrael to exist as a state in recognized and secure borders. For 60 years Israel has been fighting for it''s right to exist. I was heartened by Lebanese Christians last year who begged Israel''s army to let them join the fighting and retake southern lebanon from the hands of these Hezbollah terrorists, preceded by the PLO terrorists who occupied southern Lebanon and caused the first Lebanon war 25 years ago by usung soverign lebanese territory to launch terror attacks over a border that was never contested. Lebanon has had a bad deal for ages, but lebanese need to stand up and take responsibility, not point their finger and blame Israel and the US for their problems. they fought a two deacade long civil war, and still let two successive terrorist armies take over almost half their country to add to the problems. take responsibility, make peace by living in peace and kicking out the terrorists. Israel will be a willing partner and good neighbor. As much as it is brave to enter a war zone and report on these things, it''s even more brave to be among the terrorists and ask the tough questions that dont just give the terrorists a mouthpiece to western audiences who have no clue about the reality and complexity of life in this war zone. Oh, and by the way, the area knows as Shaaba farms - as much as the terrorists use this as an excuse for which to launch wars such as these - is nowhere near where the Israeli soldiers were attacked and captured from, and the UN has already recognized that this is not and has never been Lebanese territory. Starting with accurate facts will help future reporting and understanding of complex realities far from home.

This pod by Blakkbox is awesome. I think the fact that people are showing us what went on is great. I haven?t seen these types of pods before, but I don''t go around looking for them either. Current should continue showing us pods such as these, even when people disagree with them. Not everyone is bound to agree on the same things. Getting the information out there is what Blakkbox did, the way people perceive the information varies from person to person.

this is josh from blakkbox. Inevitably tempers run high concerning any conflict involving Israel and its neighbors. This comment board is no exception, and I think it''s a positive thing that people are so intensely involved. If we could move beyond personal insults or credibility bashing and discuss the matters at hand, this holds the potential for bettering all of our understanding of the situation. We welcome all viewers who disagree with us and look forward to a civil dialogue. Our curiousity about your personal opinions and point of view is just as insatiable as our curiousity concerning groups we have dealt with such as the Taliban and Hizbullah. The point we make is that the point of view you see in these pods is not extreme to a large majority of the world''s population. It''s very dangerous to isolate yourself from entire continents of people who disagree with you and even worse to try and censor them. It serves us all to understand and calmly engage any point of view that millions of people around the world hold very seriously, even if we disagree with it. I hope we can answer each and every serious question that comes up about these pods and deal with the issues in a way that is both constructive and a positive engagement for everyone involved. Nate has taken the first few steps of offering a few key issues that are controversial, and I hope that anyone who feels that we are liars, fakes, propagandists, and/or ignorant clowns takes whatever opportunity they may have to address specific points of disagreement to us, because whether it be presenting papers at academic conferences, or on the wrong end of a gun barrel in Somalia, blakkbox loves nothing more than a good passionate disagreement.

I don''t care what all those kooks say...this is the most entertaining news I''ve ever seen. It shows another side which is worth something.

This is Nate from blakkbox. Thanks for watching the pods.

Most of the stream of controversy over the pods has stemmed from Jaron''s post #36, and although the other dissenting comments are forcefully laced with ad hominems, Jaron seems to be the only one making a case. I respect that Jaron was a close witness of where the kidnappings happened. Because blakkbox arrived while the war was underway, we were never able to get close to observe the area. I would only say that the whereabouts of the kidnapping were disputed at the time and it was difficult to believe Western sources that weren''t on the ground to confirm the spot.

This being the evidence in Jaron?s case, he contends that we use "blatant lies" and editing to "subtly manage [switching] the blame for starting the war from Hizbullah to Israel." Arguing that we want to "switch the blame" is a misread of our project. We were there to film what the Lebanese were living through during the conflict. While the losses on the Israeli side are equally tragic as the Lebanese losses, the Israeli experience was not the story we were seeking to tell.

However, I think it is incorrect to evaluate the war only on the merits of how it started. I do not deny that Hizbullah captured the Israeli soldiers on July 12, 2006, but the kidnapping was not a politically isolated or unprecedented incident. Weighing the historical and political context, it is hard to believe that on July 12, Hizbullah was looking to incite a war with the scale of destruction that occurred. In fact, Hizbullah''s Gen. Secretary Nasrallah later said he wouldn''t have ordered the kidnappings if he would have known what Israel wanted to do.

1. Israel was planning the war at least four months before the kidnappings happened. The quickness with which Israel escalated force made it quite apparent there was extensive planning. Ehud Ohlmert, the Prime Minister of Israel, admitted later to having planned for the conflict as early as March 2006. Please see the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, report on Ohlmert?s defense before the Winograd Commission this past February 2007. (link Israel had a lot more riding on this conflict than just getting the kidnapped soldiers back.

I am new to current tv, but if this is the type of "journalism" I could expect, I''m better off getting my news from FOX. Unbelievably, these journalists, i mean dudes, make FOX news look fair and balanced. Although, this might have been a totally awesome adventure for these guys to come out and film this war, by parroting conspiracy theories and confirmable lies they have managed to discredit themselves as journalists (if that was their intention), and can be categorized as nothing more than adventure seekers with no courage to question what they hear. These guys are complete clowns, and have documented their idiocy for all to see. Current TV should not post pods of lies, misinformation, and dubious journalism. There are plenty of mediums that openly welcome such nonsense, but to post it here, is a real affront to anyone that actually cares about the news.

We need more like this on television. I''m happy that Current is running shows like this but I wish it was more widely available. I can only see Current on the internet. Are there different shows on TV?

Overall, I have been impressed with Current and feel that they have been doing a tremendous service. But this piece is not just a different point of view but it is blatant distortion, propaganda, and lies. This guy can claim that he is reporting it as some Lebanese guy on the street explains it, but the internationally undisputed facts which both sides of the conflict officially agree on say otherwise. The Sheba Farms? Gimme a break! No one thinks that! I am not impressed with their academic backgrounds and bogus letters behind their names, these guys are either liars, naive, or foreign agents for Al-Qaida.
Current, keep up the good work and don''t let pieces like this destroy the impeccable unbiased credibility that you have created for yourselves.

I watched the pod ?Welcome to War? and I must admit I feel it is an affront to the journalistic standards I have come to expect from Current. I am really proud to say I work for this network because of its new age journalistic style that doesn?t sacrifice basic journalistic principles. However, I feel that this pod violates many of the principles I hold dear to my heart.

The piece starts off by making the following statement: ?The conflict started when a cross border incursion meant that two Israeli soldiers were taken captive. People on the ground in Lebanon firmly believe that the two Israeli soldiers crossed into a disputed territory, the Sheba Farms.?

It is a delicate journalistic technique to make a claim on behalf of ?people on the ground.? It is only to be used to represent the majority of a large survey of locals who believe a fact to be true. Most importantly, the veracity of the statement must be evaluated by the journalist who is not immune from accuracy simply because he/she is echoing a statement he/she heard.

In this case, these two statements form an argument that is patently incorrect. It implies that the two Israeli soldiers crossed the border into sovereign Lebanese territory. This is completely false. The Hezbolla-raid occurred near the Northern Israeli town of Zarit, well inside the Israeli border. I know because I was there the next day. I have footage of the destroyed convoy, which was correctly reported by thousands of news agency across the world to be inside Israel proper. I used the footage in a documentary I produced along with fellow Current journalist Adrian Baschuk on the Disengagement and the tumultuous year that followed. Here is an excerpt from our film, which reports correctly what happened on July 12, 2006 in Zarit, Israel:

link

The next, more serious error is in the implication that the altercation occurred anywhere near the disputed Sheba Farms region. While Hezbolla justifies its anti-Israeli stance by claiming that the Israelis illegally occupy the Farms area, the altercation itself occurred nowhere near the Farms. Zarit is in fact hundreds of miles away from Sheba Farms. This statement was a blatant lie.

The next false implication is that Hezbollah was simply securing the area and was a victim of the attack. The fact of the matter is that it was a well-coordinated, deliberate attack at 9AM on July 12th, 2006 that coincided with hundreds of Hezbolla-fired Katyusha rocket attacks on both military and civilian targets in Northern Israel. In a nutshell, the genius in the way this film is edited is that it subtly manages to switch the blame for starting the war from Hezbollah to Israel, which is the biggest lie of all. For any self-respecting journalist, who started a war is kind of an important thing to get right!

I have been living and working in the Middle East for over 5 years now. My advice to these guys, especially when working in this region, is to take every piece of information with a grain of salt. As their cool shots of the TV vans rolling into Tyre represent, the media is the third wheel in this conflict. Civilians on both sides of this conflict have become the most media savvy people in the world. They understand that modern wars are not won on the battlefield but in the public perception and therefore manipulate the media to their advantage. They have every reason to lie to themselves and to people who claim to be ?journalists.? It is the journalist?s job to combat press manipulation, see through the fog of war, and report the truth no matter what the cost.

Despite what hezbollah has force fed the people you interviewed, the events precipitating the war are not in dispute, bro (that you believe terrorist propaganda does not engender a feeling that you can report the news objectively). It''s good that you have decided to stop frying your brains out in the sun and tackle such a simple regional conflict like the middle east, but you are not courageous enough to search for the truth (its alot of work, and probably cuts into your surfing time so don''t bother). Stick to what you do best, which I assume is surfing since anything has to be better than these lazy one-dimensional and factually inept journalistic efforts. For real journalism, see Jaron''s (#36) videos and comments so that you can visually see and hear from those who were there (this is called "evidence," dudes, it helps convince people what you''re saying is true) where the soldiers were abducted by a cross border raid intiated by a terrorist organization. Current TV should not become the mouthpiece for those who so unabashadely distort the truth. This piece is shame on this source of news.

I am just tickled by the fact that, all of the sudden, there are people are so upset at these pods. It seems to me that one or two people got angry about blakkbox and had their friends go online and post in retaliation. Notice that the majority of the recent posts come from people who have signed up..hmmm..TODAY.

Furthermore, the posts are personal and rude. If you are all so angry, then, as Current would suggest, go out and shoot your own pods. Better yet, get on a plane, fly somewhere, get yourself in the middle of bombs and bullets, and report from there.

of course you don''t understand, you don''t understand simple english a fact is something that actually exists; reality; truth. You are saying that something that was true, documented by multiple sources (through video and otherwise) is disputed because you spoke to people in lebanon (with no first hand knowledge or evidence to back it up). What exactly is the disconnect between you accepting an untruth as fact and rejecting the truth in favor of a second or third hand account filtered through hezbollah''s propaganda machine? Hence why your pod is disingenuous in that it is not journalism, its simply a mouthpiece for hezbollah.

We were reporting the war from Lebanon. It would have been intellectually dishonest to speak for the people of Haifa or elsewhere.
Much to everyone''s chagrin, the events on the border that led to this war are entirely disputed, and again, we were expressing what we saw/heard/experienced in Lebanon. I''m glad that Jaron lives in Israel and reports from there. It''s important stuff and good for him.
There are two sides to every story and, even if you don''t like it, this is one of them.
p.s. the ugly surf slang is really killing my eyes. no more please.

If you''re interested here is what blakkbox is about
blakkbox

Mangled surf jargon aside, I understand that you''re frustrated with the content in these pods but I don''t know why you think Hezbollah had "force fed" the people we interviewed. I don''t even really know what that means.
I''m sure that Jaron is a fine journalist but he wasn''t reporting from Lebanon. He was in Israel. The issues surrounding the war were/are very complex, mirroring the region, and while it''s easy to say that they are without dispute, it simply isn''t true. Again, we were/are not claiming to speak for people in Tel Aviv. These pods reflect how the war felt in Lebanon.

I must say, for guys who stated their education background at the opening of this clip, they came off as a bunch of surfer ''dudes'' who read some information pamphlet on the Hezbulla - Israeli war last summer, and decided to make a ''totally awsome'' school project.
Jaron (comment # 36) listed most of the incorrect statements and claims made by these 3 "journalists", so I wont repeat it again.
When did journalism become so one sided? When did it become courageous to leave sunny California and her ''sick waves'' and fly to the ''scarey'' Middle East only to be drivin around in a nice car, filming and commenting on half truths through their back seat soap box?
I have to again agree with Jaron, also living in the Middle East for some years now, that these dudes need to take every piece of information for what its worth.... NOT as fact.
Well, at least these guys got a ''narely'' surfing story to tell their ''buds'' back home.

Great editing, but these boys don''t know what they''re talking about. THEY NEED TO CHECK THEIR FACTS!!! If current.tv wants to remain a respected resource this video should be removed from the site.

That actually just made me sick! I think the obvious issues with this piece have already been pointed out. All I have to say is take this off the air until you''re ready to present the truth!

THIS IS NOT TO BE CONFUSED FOR JOURNALISM (which implies veracity).
This pod is full of blatant lies, as outlined accurately by post 36.
If CurrentTV would like to continue to be respected THIS POD MUST BE REMOVED.

As much as I appreciate documantary films, this one seems to have forgotten to two very important aspects of documentaries: checking facts, and objectivity.
On the first issue, checking facts, they imply that the two soldiers that were abducted had gone into Lebanon, thereby legitamizing Hezballah''s act of abducting them. For anyone who knows Israeli military rules and tactics (as I am only minimally aware), it is clear that this theory is impossible. Individual Israeli soldiers are not authorized to go over international borders under any circumstances. Therefore, Hizballa''s claim is blatantly false. To suggest otherwise, and then to further posit that as a result Israel is to blame for the beginning of the war, is nothing short of shoddy filmmaking and not worthy of this site.
Secondly, Blakkbox was very thorough in showing the destruction of civilian areas in Lebanon at the hands of Israeli artillery. What they neglected to show (perhaps because they were unable, I don''t know why) was that Hizballah used those civilian areas to launch Katyusha rockets into Israel. The retalliation of Israel was not against the civilian population of Lebanon, but rather targeted responses to terrorist rockets fired from those positions.
I hope that this site will address this grossly inept and unfair movie, hopefully take it off the site, and be sure to include only properly researched films from now on.
Thank you.

The effort on this pod is great, but it fails at honesty and objectivity because you have not tried to gather ALL of the facts. Remember, there are two sides to every story, and although your pod is somewhat sexy and interesting, I didn''t take it seriously. Remember, Hezbollah used civilian territories to launch rockets into Israel, and nowhere in your pod was that mentioned. That didn''t leave Israel much of a choice. Please look further than just a giant crater in the on the side of the road, you might learn more about the middle east conflict than you imagined.

This piece is dishonest and must be taken off the air

This piece is dishonest and must be taken off the air, it is a disgrace that you even let it on in the first place!!! I will show this to every one i know and make sure they know what a load of crap these idiots are talking... very dissapointed

For the first time since I started watching Current.tv last august, I felt compelled to comment - and I am surprised.

The usually balanced and informative content has been replaced with this unbalanced and unfair film, that implies that Israel started last summers war, and doesn''t mention or acknowledge the pain caused on the other side of the boarder.

When mention the ghost towns of Nabatia and Tyre, there is no mention of the hundreds of Israeli''s from Tzfat or Haifa that were forced to head south for fear of their lives, in fact, there in little to no mention of Israel being bombarded by missiles at all in this movie.

I am disappointed current.tv - you are letting the public down.

2. The implication that the kidnapping was an unprecedented act of ?terrorist aggression,? sweeps away the 20 years worth of Israeli-Hizbullah prisoner exchanges. Israel is well versed in prisoner exchanges, conducting dozens with the Palestinians. Before 2006 there were three major prisoner exchanges between Israel and Hezbollah in 1985, 1996, and 2004. Please see for more details: link link
Hizbullah was believably looking to have a bargaining chip to make a fourth prisoner exchange with Israel. I was living in Beirut in January 2004 when the Germans brokered a swap of more than 400 hundred Israeli-jailed Palestinians and Lebanese, in exchange for Hizbullah handing over the remains of three downed Israeli pilots and a shadowy businessman who faced litigation when he returned to Israel.

Also, Hizbullah?s action was not out of the ordinary compared to how Israel has respected Lebanon?s borders. Before 2006 they were constantly violating Lebanese airspace and often sending jets to blast Beirut and the countryside with sonic booms. Even after Israel quit its occupation of Lebanon in 2001, they were caught crossing the jealously guarded border.

Because of what Hizbullah was believably looking for with the kidnappings and because of what has been revealed about Israel''s ambitions for the 2006 war, there''s a lot more to look at here than just the details of how it started. These are the things that most Lebanese knew well when Israel retaliated for the kidnappings. Regardless of how you want to define ''journalism,'' I contend that in these pods blakkbox exposes the broader Lebanese experience of the Hizbullah-Israel war.

Where are the rest of these pods? I really enjoyed this first one and the oil bomb was realy good to but I want to see more now. I was wondering if Lebanon felt scary inside the country? I can''t even imagine if there was a war in the USA. Well, really good work Blakkbox and Current. I''m hooked.

This was very interesting to see. I hope to see more.

this is a great piece of work.
it''s interesting and i want to see how this is going to work out.
i hope to see more soon

Blakkbox are fluent in Levantine Colloquial so it made sense for them to go to Lebanon. We had a Current Vanguard correspondent Jaron Gilinsky in Israel the same time these guys were in Lebanon. If you wanna see what it looks like to to be in a Hezzbollah Katyusha rocket attack click here. link

tg

Hey, this is Josh, the dp/prod. for blakkbox. I just wanted to give some special thanks:

First to my wife, family and friends for their encouragement and support through my involvement this life changing event.

To the "Preditor" - Mr. Green for pulling this out of the ashes...thank you so much.

To Nate, Charlie and Josh for letting me become of your crew and film you guys in your element.

To the Lebanese people, including the Hizbullah guys, who were warm, honest, and supremely hospitable.

To Anderson Cooper for offering me one of his flak jackets, and for his inspiration while I was in middle school watching him in my cafeteria on Channel 1.

Finally, I want to thank one of my heroes James Nachtwey, who said,

"If I cave in, if I fold up because of the emotional obstacles that are in front of me, I''m useless. There is no point in me being there in the first place. And I think if you go to places where people are experiencing these kinds of tragedies with a camera, you have a responsibility. The value of it is to make an appeal to the rest of the world, to create an impetus where change is possible through public opinion. Public opinion is created through awareness. My job is to help create the awareness." James Nachtwey, war photographer

I disagree with Blakkbox''s perspective but I like their style. News is always delivered in the same way but these guys do it differently. Even though I disagree with what they say. I think they should go to Tel Aviv and film from the Israeli side.

These three guys are awesome! I want more...

it''s good to see people interested in different perspectives from the norm!

I just watched their second pod Oil Bomb on TV and it was way better than the first one.
link

Seeing guys who are so young and have so much experience in Middle Eastern studies blows my mind. I googled and found their website link They also have a girl member who has yet to appear in the pods. I also found a piece they did for Vice Guide to Travel.
link

Anyway, Oil Bomb was way better than the first.

I think they are 1 for 1 now.

May pod 3 can act as a tie breaker.

I am super interested.

Hi, this is Charlie from blakkbox. Thanks for watching and interacting. To tell you the truth, I wish our adventure did end with us catching some "phat surf." Lebanon has sweet little peaks, but they require Med. storms. There were none last summer and I blame Israel. (Usually we surf Leb in the winter.) Our time did end with Josh and I getting ''napped, which is almost as good as getting shacked.
I also wish that we were trust fund kiddies. If I was, I''d do forearm bashes with Brandon Davis over mimosas at Hyde every night. Blakkbox pays for it''s messes in secret ways and, boy, have there been some messes. Somalia, Syria, Honolulu...messes. Blakkbox moves from trouble, to trouble, to Dubai sushi parties, to trouble.
Finally, I wish that I knew what happened to those kidnapped IDF soldiers. I have a feeling that if/when they get returned they''ll have troubled spines like John McCain.
Thanks again for watching - keep the questions flowing.

p.s. if you''d like some light reading, go to Global Eye.

I really enjoyed watching a video as well as comments of the issue in a different style as done here. Its raw with real life footage that really allows the viewer to experiance the war.

This is great, we really need more videos like this, such videos really show the first hand what is going on in the world,

it really removes some of the ignorance going around

I really enjoyed and learned much from this taping. I hope to see more Blakkbox productions!!!

This is an absolutely brilliant piece of work. Probably the most original political piece I''ve seen on Current, and that''s saying something. Can''t wait to see what''s next.

OK, I did not just see that! That was crazy good! I''m not a big ''current'' person or whatever, but that might be the best tv I''ve ever seen!

This is a very helpful video. Please put these guys on again..Thanks

This film is very interesting, and I hope to see more about this. It seems real to me, and gives me a deep impression.

So all the problems with Lebanon are because the IDF is sealing off the country, is that correct. I''d like to ask these three "young" men a question. If some one was to attack me and I broke his arm, so that now he can''t work and make money, is it my fault his kids will go hungry because I was protecting myself?

Oh by the way, it is now July ''07 , was the kidnapped IDF soldier, you remember, the one that ignited that war ever released? I think I missed anything about that in their little story.

I NEVER post on websites but I just HAD to for this. Whether you agree or disagree, Blakkbox LOOKS different and there''s something to be said for that. "News" is either delivered in a stodgy way (CNN) or a "hip" way (Current) but it''s all the same. The same aggressive "unbiased" attitude. Blakkbox is reacting to what is around them in a unique way. I''m excited to see the rest of these pods as well as future trips!

i had no clue!!!!!!
this is an exceptional piece of work...not only did I learn from it but I enjoyed it...keep up the great work. Looking forward to seeing other blackbox productions :)

Love every minute of this. More please!

I want to see more, more, more of blakkbox.

For the first time I feel like I am not being spoon-fed ideas from mainstream media. Did any network report on the environmental repercussions of the July War? Maybe, but not too many. Does it directly affect us? Of course. In addition to the tragic loss of life in Lebanon(and Israel) last year, we now have an oil spill that, reportedly, will take about 10 years to clean up.

Whereas you may not agree with blakkbox''s "style" of reporting, you have to give these guys credit for going where no one else would, not even the TV cameras that were supposedly reporting "the truth".

First impressions might not be so nice. I really think what blakkbox is doing is amazing. These guys came home alive to share their experiences, and more importantly, experiences and stories that are not riddled with every other media slant.

I am very much looking forward to what is next.
Keep it up, guys. It''s refreshing.

I remember watching all the news reports about this conflict last summer, but they never explained who or what Hezbollah really was. I found it hard to comprehend what the fight was all about, and this movie helps to explain how the fight started. A movie about the different mindsets of the different groups in this conflict would be great- like why did this whole war start over two people? Why are people afraid of the different power groups? Why do these groups hate each other? Was there some backstory before the kidnappings of the two soldiers?

Great movie!

this production was quite a production from start to finish. big ups to TG (editor) & the BlakkBox guys for making this happen. If you liked the first one get ready for the rest. This series seriously rocks.

great job guys

this is inspiring. it inspires to look for the truth and adventure in the most remote places. im going into the air force to be an avionics tech most likely.

all said id love to be one of you guys. you guys are living a dream. lol. i love your manifesto on your website.

peace.

I had one question for smorrisey. In his post (the first of all posts) he commented, "I felt like this whole adventure through the region took place from the back seat of the car. The good stories are always on the ground, dudes."
I was wondering if his opinion would change knowing that we were in the backseat (and front seat and drivers seat) of a phantom pearl black Audi A4?

I share the horror with smorrisey.

I commend their boldness to go guerrilla into a Lebanon. But they did little in the form of journalism or collecting of indigneous impressions of the conflict.

This isn''t actually going to end with them catching some phat surf?! It is isn''t it. Oh, fuck...

Who is paying for their project? Looks like a bunch of trustafarians on summer break on dad''s credit cards.

Without more reflexivity about their motives and how they are funding this operation they are thoroughly embedded in that most unsavory form of Western praxis: tourism and that most Occidental of "Western discourses" of the Other, shopping for wild and wack images of crazy places and farout things.

And I understand that the emphasis in on the ''Bul'' in Hezebollah, but the laughing about it in the background with the crazy blonde hair was utterly disrespectful.

Oh, boy, looking forward for confirmation of my worst fears...

It is very interesting.
i don''t know if i agree or not but i can''t wait to see what happens.
I hope to see more soon

While I really appreciate the effort you guys are making and am looking forward to the rest of the series....I failed to see the story in this particular pod.

I hear you talking about involving the ideas and stories of those voices who don''t make it into the "framework of western discourse."

I heard none of those ideas and voices in this pod....except for the guy who comes up to the car door window and says he loves america.

I learned the credentials of all the producers and that they are a bunch of sweet surfer dudes

I heard how much of a hassle it was for you guys to travel through a worn torn area.....who would have thought???

I also saw a lot (too much) footage of lebanon all blown to hell......big surprise.

You guys did have some good, very basic talking points on Lebanese politics and current events.

I felt like this whole adventure through the region took place from the back seat of the car. The good stories are always on the ground, dudes.

Honestly, I kind of got the impression this was a video of you guy''s surf trip that you brought home and decided to cut it into a story about the conflict.

Is there actually any surf in Lebanon?

I hope the forthcoming pods will be a little more connected and in pace with the topics at hand.

This video is the best. I would enjoy the news so much more if they were presented like this. I want to make sweet love to blakkbox.

greatness on the televison! I always wanted to see news like this. I don''t give a flip if it is opinionated or whatever cuz that''s way more honest than fake objectivity. yeah! bring it on! fight it out! disagree!

I was all excited and giddy when we were getting the cultural imperialism/Other/axis-of-praxis critique going. Nothing gets me amped like discount-rack edward said polemics and foucault fulmination. I''m being earnest here, so come back Rawbird and like-minded, because these issues are actually what blakkbox is trying to bring to the table. Whether your cross-cultural steez is Gadamer or Gwen Stefani, i''m all ears. From Frankfurt School to Harajuku Girls to Anderson Cooper, nothing has really changed since Flaubert, and we aim to change that. -josh/blakkbox

The second pod from Blakkbox, Oil Bomb is now online. Check it out link

blakkbok's form of video documentation shouldn't be confused with traditional journalism - and that's why I love it. Theirs is a personal diary of their own seat-of-the pants experience. Just wait until they get kidnapped by militants...

These guys are on to something.