Undermining Democracy, One Comment at a Time
Slanted writing takes many forms. CNN, in describing a simple procedure on Israel’s Prime Minister and its effect on the running of Israel, writes: “Since Sharon’s hospitalization, his powers as prime minister have been transferred to his long-time loyalist and former Jerusalem mayor Ehud Olmert.”
If we were to translate this to the American President, the same paragraph would sound like this: “Since Bush’s hospitalization, his powers as the President have been transferred to his family’s confidant and former Halliburton CEO, Richard Cheney.”
The assumption is that (1) there is no succession of power, and (2) that power is bestowed as direct cronyism. These are entirely false: after PM Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated, a chain of succession, analogous to the American system, was instituted.
Of course, one can make the point that Olmert, like Cheney, is a crony of their boss: that’s politics. This is the kind of slanted reporting reinforcing negative memes about Israel’s stability and right to exist. And a great example of poor reporting.