Report on
Palestinian-Israeli conflict Opinion Columns
published in
The Boston Globe
between
October 6, 2000 and March
6, 2001
Palestine Media Watch
03/20/2001
1.
Introduction
This report provides a breakdown of opinion columns
on the Middle East crisis published by The Boston Globe between October 6, 2000
and March 6, 2001.
This report examines in some detail the content of
these columns.
2.
The
Editorial Board
The members of The Boston Globe editorial board are:
·
[EDITORIAL BOARD HERE]
3.
The
Columns
During the period
that is the focus of this report, The Post published forty-five (45) opinion
articles, the first of which was published on October 9, 2000:
|
Date |
Title |
|
03/06/2001 |
An exercise of
hope in a season of despair |
|
02/26/2001 |
America's tense
ties with Syria |
|
02/19/2001 |
The Likud
precedent |
|
01/31/2001 |
A missed
opportunity in the Mideast? |
|
01/08/2001 |
When Jerusalem was
divided (Part II) |
|
01/04/2001 |
A season of mayhem |
|
01/04/2001 |
Slice up
Jerusalem? Unthinkable |
|
12/30/2001 |
Arafat won't have
Clinton to hold his hand |
|
12/26/2001 |
A renewed impulse
for peace in a land touched by God |
|
12/25/2001 |
Israel must
respect the Palestinians |
|
12/23/2001 |
Heroes for Mideast
peace |
|
11/23/2001 |
As peace process
lives, Mideast peace is dying |
|
11/20/2001 |
'Peace process' in
Middle East brings only war |
|
10/24/2001 |
The harsh
realities of Mideast deadlock |
|
10/13/2001 |
Arafat's green
light to terrorists |
|
10/08/2001 |
All Jamal wanted
for his son was a peaceful world |
4.
Op-Ed
Authors
Author
|
No. published
|
|
|
|
|
James Carroll |
3 |
|
Jeff Jacoby |
3 |
|
H.D.S Greenway |
2 |
|
Helen Schary Motro |
2 |
|
Mazin B. Qumsiyeh |
2 |
|
Abraham T. Allison |
1 |
|
Geoffry Aronson |
1 |
|
Uri Dromi |
1 |
|
Mary McGrory |
1 |
|
|
|
5.
Column
Breakdown
In the table below, pro-Israeli articles are
identified as “pro-Isr” and pro-Palestinian articles are identified as
“pro-Pal.” Balanced articles are
indicated as such.
The terms were defined as follows:
Pro-Israeli:
A
pro-Israeli column is one that analyzes the conflict solely from an Israeli
viewpoint, without significant mention of Palestinian suffering or Israeli
human rights abuses. Such columns might
include those that define Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak’s Camp David positions
as generous, those that criticize Palestinians for using violence without
taking note of disproportionate Israeli violence, and those that advance
appeals to ethnicity or religion as a basis for analyzing the conflict.
Pro-Palestinian:
A pro-Palestinian column
is one that analyzes the conflict solely from a Palestinian viewpoint, without
significant mention of Israeli viewpoints.
Balanced:
A balanced column is one
that recognizes, in one way or another, that both Palestinians and Israelis
have a set of positions and opinions regarding the conflict that Americans must
analyze before reaching any conclusions.
|
Date |
Type |
|
03/06/2001 |
Balanced |
|
02/26/2001 |
Pro-Isr |
|
02/19/2001 |
Pro-Isr |
|
01/31/2001 |
Balanced |
|
01/08/2001 |
Pro-Isr |
|
01/04/2001 |
Pro-Pal |
|
01/04/2001 |
Pro-Isr |
|
12/30/2001 |
Pro-Isr |
|
12/26/2001 |
Balanced |
|
12/25/2001 |
Balanced |
|
12/23/2001 |
Balanced |
|
11/23/2001 |
Pro-Pal |
|
11/20/2001 |
Pro-Isr |
|
10/24/2001 |
Balanced |
|
10/13/2001 |
Pro-Isr |
|
10/08/2001 |
Balanced |
|
|
No.
columns (of 45 total) |
Percentage
of total |
|
|
|
|
Pro-Israeli
|
7 |
43.75% |
|
Pro-Palestinian |
2 |
12.50% |
|
Balanced |
7 |
43.75% |
|
|
No. weeks
|
|
|
|
|
Longest
gap between pro-Israeli columns |
11 |
|
Longest
gaps between pro-Palestinian columns |
5 |
6.
Analysis
During the 23-week period beginning October 6, 2000
and ending March 6, 2001, The Boston Globe dedicated almost four times as much
column space in its op-ed pages for pro-Israeli columns than for
pro-Palestinian columns. .
Particularly disturbing is the fact that there were
no pro-Palestinian perspectives published in the crucial first eight weeks of the
crisis (September 28-November 23). One
had to wait until well into the crisis, in November 23, for a pro-Palestinian
piece to be published.
Equally disturbing is the fact that there has been
no pro-Palestinian pieces published since January 4, 2001. That is, at this
time of writing, it has been at least 11 weeks since the last pro-Palestinian
column was published. This means that
no pro-Palestinian columns have been published since Ariel Sharon’s election. This is especially remarkable given that the
election of Ariel Sharon has been greatly upsetting to the Palestinian side.
On the positive side, The Boston Globe has offered
substantial space for balanced opinion pieces.
In fact, it has provided as much space for balanced pieces as it has for
pro-Israeli pieces.
7.
Conclusions
The Boston should offer its readers as many diverse
opinions on the Middle East crisis as it can spare in its opinion pages. Readers entitled to hear all arguments from
all involved parties.
In the future, The Boston Globe should work to
provide its readers with equal exposure to the pro-Palestinian, pro-Israeli,
and balanced perspectives.