This picture is an incredible indictment of the Media.
rogerlsimon.com
02/07/2004: <font size=4>Never Trust the Media, Including Me!
Little Green Footballs has run a number of horrific and violent photographs of the Israeli-Palestinian situation, but I have to confess that I find the one above... of a Palestinian woman "crying" for international wire service photographers in front of the West Bank security wall... in an odd way the most frightening of all, because it is one of the most graphic portrayals of media dishonesty I have ever seen. In a sense it is all of journalism caught with its pants down. (Remember the famous photograph of the Palestinian boy, Muhammed al Dura, allegedly being shot in his father's arms by Israeli troops at the start of the second Intifada? Many believe that was complete propaganda and that he was shot by his own people. Who knows the truth, but when you see a manipulative photograph like the above, you can easily see how it could have happened.)
But there is a larger question that transcends the
perpetual crisis in the Holy Land? Can we trust any
information we get from the media anywhere (and I include
myself, of course) without a thorough checking and counter-
checking? Well, I submit, only an idiot would. (You used
to trust The New York Times. --ed. Yeah, well that was
then. This is now.)
The blogosphere is also suspect, blogs being written by biased humans. But compared to the rest, it is somewhat more accountable because subject to moment-to-moment attack and vetting from thousands of people (some of whom are, I'm sure, already revving up to eviscerate this post). Without the blogosphere who would have seen that behind-the-scenes photograph from the Middle East (I know I wouldn't have) and a whole lot more? Bravo, Charles, and bravo the rest of you who are watching these liars!
....After digesting the contrived scene and eager photographers, what really caught my eye in the photo were the two boys.
The little one (sucking his thumb?) in the lower left looks like he's all dressed up as one of his heroes: a would-be suicide bomber. I wondered if someone was waiting in the wings to say, "Next!", and he would be the next posing in front of the wall for the cameras.
The older boy, in the upper right, looks like he finds the whole thing quite funny.
As you say, a revealing photo. |
