I saw that report and in no way would I describe it as raising questions or advancing a discussion. The piece was a classic case of advocacy journalism. Now, there's nothing wrong with showing the Palestinian side of the issue. However, when you show only one side of a situation you're engaged in advocacy journalism, not objective journalism. You show outrages, but you don't put them into context, so the viewer is being manipulated into reacting only to the outrage that is framed on the TV screen. This report did that very well.
Sometimes, the facts being reported are so outrageous that they would appear so no matter what the reporter does. Bob Simon is a veteran journalist, a Jew, resides in a Tel-Aviv suburb and is not a Palestinian side advocate judging by his many pieces on the Isr/Pali conflict. CBS is not in the Palestinian side advocacy business. The reality of the situation surrounding the settlements dictated the way the story was presented not Bob Simon "selective" journalism. The settlements and its supporting infrastructure that the piece briefly touched on is where the “outrage” is rooted not the reporting of it. I would be curious to know, how does an objective reporting of the settlements and its supporting infrastructure look like?
Take the family on the hilltop. They spent minutes on that segment. They showed the imprisoned residents, they showed the children locked out of their home. Where was the corresponding segment with the region's military commander explaining, in detail, why that hilltop observation point is commandeered at irregular instances? Do we know whether that family has allowed the use of their residence to terrorists who deploy spotters or snipers at that location? We don't know. Do we know whether the accounts of the family, about soldiers sleeping there are true? No, we don't know. Do we know whether the soldiers presence is just a nasty part of war, and that this family is just living in the wrong place but that military necessity requires the Army to maintain the high ground during a military operation in the region? We don't know. All we saw was the plight of this family. CBS made no effort to get Army officers to put the occupation of that house into context. CBS put it into context for its viewers, the context being that the family is being bullied and terrorized for no apparent reason.
Bob Simon quoted "an army spokesperson told us the army uses the Nassif's house for important surveillance operations". We do not know why the army spokesperson did not appear in person to say that? Do we? Could it be that it is extremely hard to justify using a civilian house for military surveillance purposes? Imagine what would this army spokesperson answers to potential Bob Simon questions;
Why does not the IDF establish a permanent base for the purposes of surveillance operations outside the Nassif’s family house instead of inside it?
Why the IDF does not use advance technology for this “surveillance operation” instead of few soldiers on a roof top of a private house?
Why is it that the IDF always arrive in the middle of the night and force themselves on the family?
Why is it that the IDF does not respect the privacy of Palestinians when the same task can be done using other methods?
Is this how the IDF surveillance operations are carried out in the West Bank?
You see, sometimes it is preferable to just issue a statement and not face live questioning by a reporter especially a veteran reporter like Bob simon. My guess is, that is why we did not see an IDF spokesperson live on camera.
The soldiers who were inside the house refused to speak to the reporter when they were given an opportunity over the span of two days. They even refused to allow the family to open the door for their kids to aviod appearing on camera.
Had the family been involved in “terrorism”, they would be in prison. We do know that the account of the family that soldiers were sleeping in the house is true. The making of those few minutes of reporting took at least 2 days, the soldiers were there the first day and they were there the second day.
Furthermore, it was clear that the family was terrified and requested that Bob Simon team leave their properity. That is not an indication of lying but of fearing the consequences of being involved in the reporting of the story.
Israel has already engaged in ethnic cleansing its own citizens.
Describing the removal of an illegal settlement as “Ethnic cleansing” is a bit strong, do not you think? Curious, what would the removal of Palestinians from their land be called then?
Again, the report distorts the situation by lying by omission. At the 10:51 mark of the report, Simon makes a big deal about the eviction of 9 families from a settlement. True report. What he doesn't share with his viewers is the results of the Gush Katif ethnic cleansing:
Simon leaves the viewer with the impression that those crazy Jews are going to go into rebellion when only 9 families are being moved, so how are they going to forcefully relocate thousands. Damn, it'll never work. What's unreported is that it did work. Lying by omission.
The extreme settlers indicated that they will resist attempts to remove them. That was recently demonstrated in Hebron which was not presented in the segment. It is a fact that extreme settlers are willing to use violence to resist their removal. It is not a Bob Simon invention. One can cite many accounts of such behavior. FM Livni was interviewed and she expressed the official views of the government. she stated that removing settlers by force if need be will be done. There was no omission here, just a presentation of the two sides of what a potential removing of settlers would look like. That exactly explains why the forces of the status quo are outraged. The viewers are often shown the official Israeli line that speaks of the rule of law but almost always not shown the other side, the harsh truth that elements of the settlers are extremists and would not hesitate to use violence at their own to stay in the Land that “GOD” has given them.
CBS is getting very deserved criticism. They've become just another one of the countless media outlets that serve as a propaganda arm for the Palestinians.
One segment that showed the ugly truth that surrounds the settlements and the continual colonization of Palestinian land by Jewish extremists is not a valid reason to accuse CBS of being a “propaganda arm for the Palestinians”. It is honest reporting that has been absent from the media for decades. No wonder that the “Fair and Balanced” crowd and the AIPAC friends would object to it. It shows the public that there are two sides to any story. Damn, it “may” even convince some viewers that the Palestinians could be right sometimes even they could be victims. That in view of the critics of this piece is totally unacceptable; viewers “should” not think for themselves, they “must” only endorse what they are being told by the Israeli side.
