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Above: Scene of Madrid attack,
3/11/04
Below: Scene of Ashdod attack,
3/14/04
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For over three years, in continual alerts and
through TerrorPetition.com,
HonestReporting has led the campaign to insist that news outlets call
Palestinian terror "terror." (See our extensive webpage
devoted to this issue.) Now, as the scourge of Islamic terrorism continues
to spread throughout the globe, it is more important than ever that
Israel's struggle against terrorism be properly identified as part of the
larger battle to preserve civil, democratic society against militant Islam.
The past week saw the horrific bombing of commuter
trains in Madrid, and the Palestinian terror attack at the Israeli seaport
at Ashdod. While the bombings in Madrid were of greater magnitude in terms
of human loss, in essence the two were very similar terror attacks ―
targeting sensitive areas of national infrastructure with the goal of
destroying the opposing society.
This time, while some news agencies continued to
show a double standard vis-a-vis Israel, we're pleased to report that
others are beginning to heed HonestReporting's insistent call to refer
to Palestinian terror as "terror." Here's a review, starting
with the duplicitous offenders:
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News Agency
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Coverage
of Madrid bombings
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Coverage
of Ashdod bombings
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Associated
Press
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Headlined
'Terror Blasts Kill at Least 198 in Spain'
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Headlined
'Eight Die in Israeli Port Suicide Attack'
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Washington
Post
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"Millions
of Spaniards united... to denounce the terrorist attacks that
killed nearly 200 people in the capital a day earlier."
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"Two
Palestinian suicide bombers blew themselves up at one of Israel's largest
industrial seaports late Sunday afternoon..."
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BBC
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Interviewed
politicians regarding the "Madrid terror attack"
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Reported
"the suicide blasts in the southern Israeli port of Ashdod."
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Agence
France-Presse (AFP)
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"..investigators
probed a claim that the Al-Qaeda network was behind the deadliest terror
attacks in Spain's history."
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"Two
explosions in ... Ashdod were carried out in a joint operation by the
hardline Palestinian groups Hamas and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades"
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LA
Times
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"The body bags outside Madrid's Atocha train
station and the commuters sitting stunned on the tracks were graphic
reminders of terrorism's evil."
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"Two Palestinian militant organizations, Hamas
and the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, claimed joint responsibility for the
attack"
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Meanwhile, the New York Times, CNN, The Christian Science Monitor and
even London's The Guardian are to be commended for breaking from past
policies and calling both attacks "terrorism":
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News Agency
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Coverage
of Madrid bombings
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Coverage
of Ashdod bombings
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New
York Times
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"when
terrorists blew up commuter trains packed with run-of-the-mill
people...suddenly the equation changed."
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"
If the terrorists did come from Gaza, south of here, it would be
the first time in more than three years of conflict ...”
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CNN
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"One
of the five men identified Sunday as suspects in last week's terrorist
attacks in Madrid..."
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"Hamas
and the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades...claimed joint responsibility for the terror
attacks”
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Christian
Science Monitor
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"Terrorist
Bombings Jolt Spain"
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"It was not the first time terrorism
exerted its veto power over attempts to lure Israelis and Palestinians
back to discussions"
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The Guardian
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"...the terrorists behind the March 11
attack have ties to a radical Islamist group..."
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"It was also the first time that militants
from Gaza have staged a terrorist attack"
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[And of course, the "news" agency Reuters
held by their absurd editorial standard to refer to no attack as
"terrorism" ― they called the Spanish bombs a "guerilla
attack."]
We reiterate that this is not merely an
academic, semantic issue. As the West unites against barbaric Islamic
terrorism that now also haunts continental Europe, it is essential that
Israel's struggle against Palestinian terror be properly identified as part
of the larger battle. When news outlets differentiate between a port attack
in Israel and a train attack in Madrid, they expose an editorial
decision that the Palestinian attack is somehow more justified. That's
wrong, dangerous, and far from "neutral reporting."
It is encouraging indeed that four major news
outlets have responded to the hundreds of emails sent by HonestReporting
subscribers, and have finally begun calling Palestinian terror
"terror." Now is the time to write to the other news agencies
above, encouraging them to join their colleagues in rectifying this
longstanding anti-Israel double standard.
Comments to Associated Press: feedback@ap.org
Comments to Washington Post: letters@washpost.com
Comments to BBC: newsonline@bbc.co.uk
Comments to AFP: contact@afp.com
Comments to LA Times: letters@latimes.com
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