INTRODUCTION

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The title of this section, "Anti-Israel, Anti-Semitic Bias, Libels, Hate" (on HuffingtonPost) is an extremely serious accusation.

It was not crafted lightly --- or, given the extensive documentation contained in this section, without just cause. The global resurgence of anti-Semitism is well-documented.

Some casual political observers say, "Oh, who even reads HuffPost, or believes anything it says?" and, "HuffPost is a blog --- not a 'news' operation!"

The facts, which many find both surprising and disturbing, are that:

• HuffPost is the #1 blog on Earth, is now one of America's top ten news sites, and was recently named "the most powerful blog in the world" by The Guardian (UK).
  
  
• At 13 million unique visitors per month, HuffPost has more online readers than the Washington Post (the publisher of which recently said her paper "could learn from" HuffPost).
  
  
• HuffPost has received preferential treatment in presidential press conferences, and has top members of Congress as official bloggers (article writers). It is also now a reportedly disgruntled member of the White House Correspondent's Association.
  
  
• Inc. magazine recently claimed: "HuffPost... consistently breaks important news stories..."
  
  
• HuffPost has attracted advertising from many of the biggest corporations in the world.
  

Given these facts, regardless of how one feels about it:

• HuffPost has become a powerful, influential part of both the "news" media and the political blogosphere
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• HuffPost's allegations, and the stories it chooses to run, are going to have an impact --- especially as "mainstream" news media outlets pick up on its "reporting"

We believe the issues raised by the articles in this section are important and timely, and deserve to be objectively evaluated.

We also believe that the reporters, editors and headline-writers at HuffPost either are or should be aware of vital facts concerning Israel, and the history of the Jews and of their antagonists.

Yet as is documented in extensive detail in this section, despite the fact that HuffPost claims it is a "nonpartisan news" source, only interested in the "truth" (see Myth #1 here), these reporters, editors and headline-writers:

• Almost exclusively feature stories that present Israel and notable Jewish figures in an unjustifiably negative light, and accent these stories with inflammatory, decontextualized headlines and photos (here).
  
  
• Choose to source stories from “news” sources with well-documented (or easily-discovered) anti-Israel/pro-Islamist biases --- including the notorious, jihadist-celebrating al-Jazeera (1, 2, 3).
  
  
• Select photos of non-Jewish political leaders --- including radical Islamists --- that make them look normal and positive, while choosing the worst photos of their Jewish counterparts, and editing them to make them appear nefarious (here, here, here).
  
  
• Isolate and vilify prominent Jewish public figures such as Sen. Joe Lieberman*, and hold them to egregious double-standards --- then stand by while this incitement results in anti-Semitic user comments (* 1, 2)
  
  
• Fail to enact safeguards against echoing the staged propaganda that Israel’s antagonists are well-known for producing --- up to and including blood libels --- which has directly led to physical attacks on Israelis and Jews worldwide.
  
  
• Fail to prominently account for the acts of Islamist terrorism that invariably precipitate Israel’s actions to defend its territory and its citizens (here, elsewhere).
  
  
• Fail to prominently post corrections and credible rebuttals to “news” stories when they are later found to exonerate Israel, or at least cast serious doubt on the allegations leveled against it (1, 2, 3, 4).
  
  
• Fail to acknowledge the extraordinary lengths to which Israel routinely goes – as a matter of policy – to protect Muslim civilians from harm, and to provide them with vital, lifesaving aid, during and after its anti-terrorist operations (see here).
  
  
• Fail to dissociate themselves from explicit and implicit anti-Semitic bloggers, and even one who claims that Adolf Hitler had higher morals than George W. Bush.
  

Further, the documentation in this section shows that despite HuffPost's stated policy of nonpartisanship in user comment moderation (see Myth #5 here), its moderators:

• Routinely review, approve and decide to publish user comments containing vicious anti-Israel and anti-Semitic libels and conspiracy theories --- and on some occasions, even urgings, threats or justifications of violence against Israelis and/or Jews (here, here, elsewhere).
  
  
• Censor and/or ban users who attempt to publish defenses of these libels, or identical comments against Muslims/Islamists --- while protecting the most egregious violators of its policies, including spewers of anti-Semitic hatred (here, here, elsewhere).
  

For many examples of instances validating all of the above, see this detailed archive.


An April 2009 report by the Committee for Accuracy in Middle Eastern Reporting in America (CAMERA) confirmed the validity of some of the above assertions:

Has the Huffington Post Become a Magnet for Israel Haters?

We answer that question with our own, in-depth report, which was published in January 2010:

The Stimulus And The (Approved) Response: Anti-Semitism and Israel-Hatred on Huffington Post

Specifically regarding its user comments, according to HuffPost's Comment Policy and Terms of Service and its statements concerning its standards of user conduct, it (supposedly) prohibits comments containing slurs based on religion, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, etc.

In the past, when outrageous user comments have appeared on its news threads, and were exposed on "right-wing" media (examples here, here), HuffPost routinely claimed that it didn't know what comments were being published on its news threads, but took appropriate action once it became aware of them (here, here).

Yet as is documented in great detail here, HuffPost's own statements prove that at least since Mach 2008, it has been pre-moderating user comments on its news threads ---- meaning that the only user comments that appear on its news threads are those that HuffPost has reviewed, approved, and made the decision to publish.

Specifically regarding the comments that HuffPost has been approving and publishing --- as is (and will continue to be) documented in this section, in extreme detail, with incontrovertible physical evidence --- the reader will note that many share a common theme: that Israelis/Jews...

• Are now, and have been the main problem in the world, and that until they are dealt with firmly and decisively, they will continue to cause most/all of the world's geopolitical problems, wars, etc.
  
  
• Are conspiring to take over America, if not the world, via influence over our financial, media, governmental and educational institutions (and their Washington-based lobbying group, AIPAC)
  
  
• Are the "new Nazis" --- bloodthirsty murderers, who are committing "genocide" and "war crimes" by deliberately and indiscriminately killing Muslim civilians, including women, children and the elderly, to advance their (nefarious) agenda
  
  
• Are greedy, manipulative monsters, who shamefully use their own victimhood at the hands of the Nazis to deflect attention from their own Nazi-like actions
  

As documented in the Huff-Watch essay, Anti-Semitism 101 (and the Zionist canard), these statements are almost carbon-copies of those uttered by the most notorious historic and contemporary anti-Semites. (More at Answering the Libels.)

Sometimes, to look at the combination of headlines and comments at HuffPost, without knowing which site one is at, one might think that they're at an English-language version of al-Jazeera or another Islamist-sympathizing/whitewashing website.

Further, as is documented here, when a new user attempted to post factual information to rebut the anti-Israel libels being posted by other users, HuffPost only published some of these comments, removed some after it had done so, then banned the user --- after 10 total comment submissions --- while leaving the other users free to continue.

In another "test" we conducted, when a new user submitted carbon-copies of comments containing anti-Christian slurs that HuffPost approved and published --- but reworded them to be targeted against Islam --- HuffPost failed to publish them, then banned the user.

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After reviewing the contents of this section, in all its grim detail, some readers may ask: "Why would HuffPost knowingly do all this?"

Only HuffPost can answer that question --- and we hope that via the documentation contained herein, someone in a position of influence will induce it to provide that answer.

Thus far HuffPost, which bills itself as "The Internet Newspaper," has not been held to public account for its actions in regards to its framing of Israeli/Jewish events and issues, and the comments it approves and publishes, because the mainstream news media (MSM) has not confronted it. Why? Only the MSM can answer that question. In this regard (and others), Huff-Watch will do the job that the MSM has failed/refused to do.

Although reviewing the contents of this section may be disturbing, it is hoped that this effort will:

• Help increase awareness of the resurgence of vicious anti-Israel, anti-Semitic propaganda, hatred, blood libels and even threats, particularly at HuffPost
  
  
• As a result of the above, help to prevent further anti-Israel, anti-Semitic misconceptions, propaganda, hatred and blood libels from being disseminated throughout our culture, and perhaps even some of the violence that are often directly attributable to it (here, here, and elsewhere).

If, after reviewing the documentation in this section, you believe our concerns are merited and would like to make your voice known to HuffPost, here's how:

Eric Hippeau
Chief Executive Officer
HuffingtonPost.com
eric@huffingtonpost.com

Arianna Huffington
Editor in Chief
HuffingtonPost.com
arianna@huffingtonpost.com

Mario Ruiz
Vice President - Media Relations
HuffingtonPost.com
mario@huffingtonpost.com

HuffingtonPost.com
560 Broadway, Suite 308
New York, NY 10012
(212) 245-7845
Fax: (646) 557-0803

Send tips, inquiries and (polite) feedback to huffwatcher1 (at) gmx.com.



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