See important UPDATES at end
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Many supporters of Israel noted the hysteria that was fomented over recent allegations that members of the IDF "admitted" to having committed grotesque atrocities against Palestinian civilians --- particularly, accusations that its soldiers deliberately murdered unarmed women, children, the elderly, etc.
HuffPost featured some of these stories, which it matched with inflammatory headlines and Islamist-sympathizing pictures. They were prominently positioned, and sourced from those known for their willingness to accept, without scrutiny, the claims of notorious Islamist propagandists, and for slamming Israel at every turn --- including the New York Times, Ha'aretz, the AP and the UN. Some examples of HuffPost's headlines:
Israeli Soldiers Speak Out About Their Actions In Gaza
Israel Committed Human Rights Violations In Gaza: UN Investigators
The following are some examples of the (Hamas staged/approved) photos that HuffPost used to juice up these stories:
(Note: Close observers of HuffPost find it curious that whereas it routinely shows such sympathy to Palestinians, a majority of whom voted Hamas into power, and support suicide bombings against Jews, it rarely, if ever, shows the bloody carnage that Islamist terrorists inflict on Israeli civilians. Example here.)
HuffPost also featured inflammatory items from its stable of left-wing bloggers and commentators. One example:
Israel's Troops Confirm It: They Were Ordered To Commit Atrocities
In both cases, unsurprisingly, the radical leftists that HuffPost attracts let loose with their anti-Israel (and often anti-Semitic) propaganda, lies and hatred in their comments --- which HuffPost routinely approved and published
NOW, however, the truth is starting to come to light:
As has been documented in innumerable instances in the past, these allegations of IDF "atrocities" are outright lies --- or are severely decontextualized and trumped-up, at best.
For background information, see:Answering The Libels
"PallyWood" - An introduction
Little Green Footballs, which routinely excoriates the left in general, and HuffPost in particular, with facts and evidence, has the stories --- provided by CAMERA and other reputable sources:
MSM Belatedly Telling the Truth About Gaza
Charges of IDF 'Wanton Killing' Crumble
The reason we point out the fact that these stories were carried at LGF is that it is one of the most widely-read political blogs, so it is extremely unlikely that HuffPost is unaware of what it's carrying.
Furthermore, we have it on good authority that HuffPost has been or will soon be notified by numerous sources of the truth behind these stories of IDF "atrocities."
The New York Times has issued a half-hearted retraction. Other "news sources" are expected to follow suit.
Huff-Watch asks:
(1) Will HuffPost also issue a retraction --- with the same blaring headlines and accompanying photos that it used to incite its resident raging leftists' vitriol against Israel (and Jews)?
(2) Or will it just continue to churn out the headlines that are the "journalistic" equivalent of throwing red meat to wolves, making money off of every page refresh, and every hateful comment posted (which HuffPost reviews and approves before they are published)?
Tic toc, HuffPost.
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3/29: UDPATE 1: HuffPost announces foundation support to develop an "investigative journalism" unit
Ironically, on the same day (March 29) that Little Green Footballs exposed links to sources confirming that the IDF "atrocity" stories were either untrue or grossly exaggerated, HuffPost announced that it had established a partnership with a major foundation, from which it will be receiving big dollars to develop... an "investigative journalism unit":
Huffington Post Launches Investigative Journalism Venture
We humbly offers the following suggestions:
(1) Perhaps HuffPost could direct some of its new investigative journalists to determine how much anti-Israel, anti-Semitic bias, hatred, propaganda, lies and misperceptions can be whipped up and "approved" by one website, through the deliberate use of inflammatory, decontextualized, Islamist/terrorist-sympathizing headlines --- and how long it should take for it to issue corrections/retractions when clearly merited?
(2) How about documenting the innumerable instances in which vicious anti-Israel, anti-IDF slanders and blood libels have been manufactured by Islamists and terrorists --- then dutifully "reported," without any kind of critical analysis, by prominent American "news" organizations?
We eagerly await HuffPost's response to these suggestions.
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3/30: UPDATE 2: HuffPost doubles-down on its coverage of the "IDF atrocity" story
Rather than start to walk back the phony/overblown accusations that it trumpeted across its pages, HuffPost today culled sources now known for their biased reporting --- including Ha'aretz and even the notorious, terrorist-celebrating al Jazeera (which became a top-line HuffPost advertiser in late 2008) --- to provide "updates" to the "atrocities" story. In this case, the "update" was entitled simply:
Israel Drops Gaza Probe, Calls Claims Hearsay
To the untrained eye, this headline would indicate that Israel was attempting to use a Clinton-esque means of getting out of something --- an Israeli version of, "It depends on what your definition of 'is', is," if you will.
And of course, what would HuffPost's coverage of Israeli affairs be, without the obligatory sympathy-generating, Hamas-produced/authorized/staged photo, to incite its resident band of raging leftists?
Ironically, at the very bottom of the thread (which few users actually read), HuffPost did cite part of the New York Times' retraction, but as is shown above, it made no mention of it in its headline.
Furthermore, HuffPost did not reference any of the press releases from CAMERA, or the supporting evidence that shows how certain "news" media organizations have been twisting the story of these alleged "atrocities."
And predictably, the comments that HuffPost approved for publication on this thread* show, once again, how its biased coverage of these issues incites its resident raging leftists to let loose with their hateful propaganda and lies against Israel, the IDF, and anyone who dares to support or defend them (who are almost invariably accused of being paid/volunteer shills for AIPAC, et al).
(*PDFs available upon request)
Also see:
HuffPost's ongoing blackout of credible rebuttals to the anti-Israel stories it publishes.
9/24/09: HuffPost's blackout of Netanyahu's blockbuster speech at the U.N.
9/16/09: HuffPost runs another al-Jazeera libel against Israel; users unleash hate (HuffPost: "Approved!!!")
8/19/09: HuffPost publishes anti-Semitic blood libel without any proof; users unleash anti-Semitic hate (HuffPost: "Approved!!!")
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