It is important to recognize that journalism is influenced by a number of factors. One of these is the new source for the story. A major news source in the world is CNN. This paper will examine how they portray the country of Israel in their news source.
Background of the News Agency. CNN is a predominantly American new source. However, its website is accessed by individuals throughout the world. They are one of the major news sources in the United States. It was one of the first 24 hour news channels. It was founded by Ted Turner in 1980. It has been accused of having a liberal bias. This is in opposition to Fox News, which is a well-known source of conservative pundits. It is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. However, it also has major stations in New York City, New York, and Los Angeles, California. CNN has a large list of political contributors. This list contains individuals who are both liberal and conservative in their political and social views. It also has some well-known foreign correspondents. One of this is Christine Amanpour, who often handles issues from the Middle East. Sharara Amin and Peter Bergen are also well-known foreign reporters. CNN maintains a position in the global world, with foreign correspondents traveling to the site of all major news stories.
Foreign correspondents: Christine Amanpour is their most well-known foreign correspondent. She recently did an extensive piece on the history of the Middle East and its peoples. She is the Chief International Correspondent. She is currently fifty-six years old. She is of British-Iranian heritage. She was born in London, England. However, she was raised in Tehran. This gives her a strong background on the issues and the culture of the Middle East. She briefly left CNN for a position at ABC News. However, she quickly returned to CNN. Her news reporting is considered to be fair, non-biased and it offers both sides of the story.
She is considered to be a journalist of high ethics and professional standards. Her piece on the history of the Middle East showed how Israel and the other areas of the Middle East have developed from both a religious and cultural view. The piece was non-biased and offered some interesting thoughts. This included the possibility that Israelis and Palestinians share the same DNA. This special on the Middle East was well-received, thought-provoking and balanced in its portrayal of the situation. It reflected upon the major religious works that have influenced the world, and in particular, the Middle East. These included the Christian Bible, the Torah of Judaism and the Koran of Islam. It explored, from a cultural and historical aspect, the importance of major works described within these texts. It questioned whether or not these events actually occurred or are part of myth. It is an excellent program that allowed the viewer to draw his or her own conclusions in many of the areas. Overall, it was a fantastic piece of journalism. Unfortunately, this is not seen in today’s world. Much of the reporting is biased or poorly done (Forbes Magazine).
Press Coverage: As most international news sources, CNN gives significant coverage to the Middle East, including Israel. It has been accused of having a bias against Israel. CNN often addresses the issues of the Middle East. Since it has foreign correspondents all over the world, it can quickly arrive at a news “hot spot.” Israel has often accused it of portraying it in a biased manner. They are the only country in the Middle East to accuse a news station of this repeatedly. The Israeli cable companies eventually dropped reporting by CNN because they believe that there is a bias against them.
One particular area in which Israel requested an apology revolved around an attack in March, 2011 in Itamar. In this attack, a terrorist entered the area and stabbed to death a family of five, including the children. Israel called it a terrorist attack. CNN reported that “Israel was calling it a terrorist attack” (Somfalvi). Israel took issue with CNN not directly calling it a terrorist attack. Israel believed that CNN put the words “terrorist attack” into question by their choice of phrasing. Israel responded that this creates the illusion that it was not a terrorist attack. While CNN is often accused of a bias against Israel, the chief correspondent, Christine Amanpour, remains a journalist of stellar ability and ethics. Her reporting is fair and non-baised.
- Forbes Magazine. Christine Amanpour. N.d. 20 May 2014. http://www.forbes.com/profile/christiane-amanpour/
- Somfalvi, A. “Israel Demands Apology from CNN.” 13 March 2011. 20 May 2014. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4041694,00.html
