JTA Is Peeved - So Am I

Over at the JTA, it seems they are peeved.

In a blog post at The Telegraph, I was sent to this story:

The acid test: We stand by our reporting by Ami Eden published on October 2, 2009 complaining about a campaign against a three-part series on Jewish extremists last June.

He notes:

"Our critics’ primary objection seemed to be JTA’s decision to focus on the issue [and] smeared the Jewish settlement movement in its entirety...most of the complaints center on one allegation: that acid has been thrown at Israeli forces. Here's how we reported it:

'Over the last year and a half, radical settlers seem to have upped the ante. They have defaced Muslim tombstones, set fire to Palestinian olive groves, assaulted Palestinians, slashed tires of IDF vehicles and thrown acid at Israeli soldiers.'

Eden attempts to justify that element:

'When we started hearing from some who questioned the acid report, we went back to the police who said that they stood by their version of events. Of course, I guess it's possible that the Israeli police made up the acid story (and planted the piles of weapons), in an elaborate frame job aimed at making settlers look bad -- and news outlets of various political stripes fell for it. But we see no evidence of this...We stand by our stories.'

Well, let me try to distand myself. (Distand is a made up word - like the acid story)

a) First of all, I spoke with Dina Kraft after the stories and told her that a story becomes non-factual when certain facts are left out. She seemed to understand my point.

b) Ami, have you seen an policeman with acid burns? With clothing burned by acid?

c) Ami, have you heard of a trial or even arrest of someone for this supposed crime?

d) Ami, don't you recall the same false claim being made at Kfar Darom during the disengagement? And it was false then?

e) Did Dina recheck her source(s)? Did you?

I am peeved that Ami Eden tries to pull the wool over our eyes.


(Kippah tip: BT)