Ken Berwitz
The facts of the murder were straightforward. Alexander Levlovich, 64, was driving through Jerusalem with two friends, on their way home from Rosh Hashanah dinner, when Palestinian rock-throwers attacked his car. The assault caused the car to crash, killing Levlovich, and injuring his friends.
But not according to the New York Times. “Jewish Man Dies as Rocks Pelt His Car in West Bank,” the headline announced. Look at that language. Notice how there are no Arabs, no Palestinians, no attackers at all; the car is “pelted” by rocks, but not by anybody in particular. Levlovich might as well have been murdered by Martians. Not even murdered, in fact; he simply “dies,” in the passive tense.
But don\’t blame it all on the headline-writers. The article itself was even worse. In her opening paragraph, correspondent Diaa Hadid noted that recently there have been rock-throwing incidents, “mostly by Palestinian youths.”
“Mostly?” So in other words, Palestinian rock-throwing attacks are only part of the problem? Jewish rock-throwers have been attacking Palestinian cars? Only in Diaa Hadid\’s imagination, of course.
And she didn\’t stop there. Hadid, while posing as an objective journalist, went so far as to present a rationalization for Palestinian rock-throwing: “Palestinians frequently argue that rocks and crude incendiary devices are among their only weapons to press for independence, and to defend themselves against Israeli forces during confrontations. For some young Palestinians in areas where there are frequent tensions, their use has become a rite of passage.”
Wow. How many falsehoods and distortions can a New York Times correspondent pack into a single paragraph?
