HuffPost's anti-Israel incitement: Dog execution edition

.

If you saw the following headline published near the top of one of the world's most-read "news" websites --- which enjoys preferential treatment at White House press conferences, and claims it is nonpartisan --- what would you think?


A "newspaper" that brags about its army of "hundreds of editors and reporters," made possible by the revenue it generates from many of America's most esteemed advertisers?

If you're a reasonable person, you'd probably think there's got to be something to the story, right? Or else, why would it merit precious space in such a highly-touted publication?

Hold that thought ---
we reveal the shocking truth behind this headline at the bottom of the page.

---

On June 22, 2011 HuffPost published this "news" story near the top of its World page:

So, is there any truth to this headline? Did a Jerusalem court really sentence a dog to death by stoning?

Well, it sure would fit in with the "Jews-as-evil-monsters" narrative that HuffPost's advertisers have been enabling it to broadcast for the past three years. Some examples:

• HuffPost publishes anti-Semitic blood libel without any proof; users unleash anti-Semitic hate (HuffPost: "Approved!!!")
  At right: The "journalist" who wrote this story admitted --- in the story --- that he had "no idea, no clue" if the blood libel in it was true or not. HuffPost plastered it near the top of its front page, anyway --- then ignored follow-up reports that (a) the accuser retracted the allegation, and (b) physicians proved it was medically impossible.
  

• HuffPost publishes incendiary anti-Semitic libels (again) --- this time, from one of its own "reporters"
  Are Israelis really working to "to exterminate Palestinians... through starvation"? Then why did HuffPost allow one of its top "reporters" to allege this --- at the top of its front page? And why is he still on its payroll?

• Why militant Islamists love HuffPost: 6/10/11 Temple Mount riots edition

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

Coming back to the "dog-execution" story, if one gets his "news" primarily from HuffPost, thanks to what its advertisers enable it to perpetrate, he or she would probably think:

"Who knows if a Jerusalem court really did this? Thanks to Arianna Huffington, we certainly know that Jews are always perpetrating unspeakable evil!!!"

But for those of us who value accuracy and basic ethical standards in journalism (as Arianna has repeatedly claimed she does, and we should), let's dig just a bit deeper.

---

Turns out the whole story was a hoax --- and HuffPost knew it, before it decided to publish that inflammatory headline.

How do we know that? Well, when you click on that "news" headline, here's the HuffPost "news" story page that comes up:

Click to enlarge the above screencap, and note the ad for Dodge at right. Do you think Dodge's CEO, Ralph Gilles, knows that his company appears to be visibly supporting HuffPost's pathological anti-Semitic bias and incitement? If you'd like to ask him, here's the number to dial -- or if you want to write Dodge an email, here you go.

So the whole story was a hoax from start to finish --- and HuffPost knew it.

But instead of making that fact the headline (as if this trash deserved a headline?), it threw out this red meat, as if it were a question: as if an actual Jewish court sentenced a dog to be executed --- then matched that inflammatory headline with a picture it searched out and selected of cute puppies, romping and playing. Whoops, except, ddin't Arianna claim that HuffPost "prohibits inflammatory claims"?

"[At HuffPost] there are guidelines that have to be followed -- and they include a prohibition on... inflammatory claims..."
--- Arianna Huffington, Feb. 1, 2010

Now ask yourself: Is this an honest way of approaching "journalism"?

Or was this merely the latest in HuffPost's advertiser-enabled pathology of throwing out red meat to the anti-Semites and cyber-jihadis that flock to the site, whom it then enables and protects* to vomit up their hate comments? (*See Section 6.1 here)

As shown below, it sure had the intended effect.

---

So what kinds of user comments do you think this "news" story incited --- and which HuffPost reviewed, approved and decided to publish?

Pretty much exactly what you'd expect.

Below is a small sampling of the comments that were incited by HuffPost's publicizing of this vile rumor. Note that HuffPost's Comment Policy claims it prohibits, and will not publish comments containing anti-Semitism, religious slurs, or off-topic content. Also, keep in mind that as documented in this special report, the only comments that appeared on the thread were those that HuffPost reviewed, approved and decided to publish:

"Our comments on the news site were originally post-moderated (i.e., objectionable comments were removed only after our moderators were alerted). We eventually decided that it was worth the substantial effort and expense to have human pre-moderation on both blogs and news."
--- Arianna Huffington, July 2008

Lastly, note that most of these users are not hit-and-run "trolls"; they are some of the anti-Semites and anti-Israel propagandists that HuffPost has been enabling and protecting for years --- note how many have 500-2,000* or more "fans" (*"peacekitten"):

HUFFPOST SUPER USER
cliffhammond
1148 Fans
A rabbi telling kids to throw rocks at a dog? How sick is that?
Permalink


HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Lozange
97 Fans
Sick. When their guilty conscience leads them to malign a simple dog, it shows how deranged and superstiti­ous some people are. Run dog run!!
Permalink


HUFFPOST SUPER USER
cliffhammond
1148 Fans
10 to 1 that dog was Palestinia­n. Poor fella. They should have put a yarmulke on his head; they'd have given him his own settlement in the West Bank and let him pee on Palestinia­n olive trees to his heart's content.
Permalink


peacekitten*
1957 Fans
you can always rest assured that if someone is that cruel to innocent animals, they will be just as horrible to humans. it's absolutely guaranteed­.
Permalink

*Note that "peacekitten" has strenuously objected to the fact that someone is keeping track of her vile anti-Israel propaganda on HuffPost, and has even threatened HUFF-WATCH with legal action if we don't remove her posts --- which we haven't, and won't. See an interesting exchange concerning this on the comments section here.

HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Sal Glen
72 Fans
WE DO NOT NEED TO INVENT MUSLIMS H.ORROR STORIES. THAT COUNTRY IS AN E.V.I.L T.WISTED A.PARTHEID STATE!
Permalink

(Reply)
youdonotknowanything
10 Fans
ISRAELIS K.I.L.L 100 TIMES MORE PALESTINIA­NS AND THEY DO IT TO STEAL LAND AND OPPRESS.
Permalink

miamibeach80
1 Fans
The dogs in the picture are so cute! How could anyone hurt an animal? :(
Permalink


JoeDGoy
36 Fans
The Tal mud mandates this nonsense. Time to unmask and expose the Tal mud..
Permalink

---

Now, getting back to the headline at the top of the page, regarding Arianna and the donkey...

According to Arianna's (and presumably, her advertisers' and attorneys') views on journalistic ethics, she should have no problem with that headline. After all, it was merely asking a question, right?


What's the real story? Well, turns out it was just a rumor, that Arianna got drunk in a Tijuana bar, then paid to have a boom box fitted to the back of a donkey, through which she lectured Mexican farm laborers on why they should read Huffington Post:

R.I.P., "Hector" the Donkey.
We're sorry you had to endure that audio torture, mi amigo.

Then, according to the rumor, "Hector" the Donkey went into convulsions after the first six minutes of her nails-on-a-chalkboard voice, gasped, and keeled over.
(Attention "peacekitten": does this not qualify as "animal cruelty"?)

You seem surprised. Why, what "unspeakable act" did you think we were talking about?

---

Conclusion & Action Items

Was this HuffPost's latest effort to use its status as the #1 most-read blog on Earth, and a top-ten U.S. “news” site, to continue inciting hate against Israel and Jews throughout the world?

Do you think HuffPost's advertisers really know what it is that they are enabling?

Action Items: If you'd like to make your voice known on this matter, write to HuffPost's senior management here, and its advertisers here.

.