From: paricam.te@videotron.ca
To: nilemedia@aol.com
Subject: review on news media
Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2001 15:18:15 -0400

I recently read your positive review of the bbc coverage of middle east events, I would have to disagree with you. I visit bbc middle-east website daily for the news and the reason I do that is that perhaps among the major media organisations, they would probably be the most accurate, BUT the language used, images and photos are not much different than say ny times or others. Nothing is balanced in the palestinian-israeli conflict, number of casualties, the fire power the political support, when these news organisations claim to give "balanced" news (even if i am to believe it) it comes out unbalanced. Just 2 examples, on bbc website whenever you will read a news item on "suicide bombing" or "terrorist attack" you will see in major icons the time line of previous such actions with the number of casualties within the news article. When reporting israeli attacks on palestinian towns, you will never find such precision on previous israeli attacks and the number of casualties. Their choice of photos are particularly interesting, most often palestinians are photographed in groups, during funerals etc. however the israelis are often photgraphed invidually, usually grieving wife and other loved ones. You almost having a feeling that western journalists are not allowed to take photos of dead palestinian children or their grieving parents, they just seem to find themselves a tall tree from where they can photograph an image, there never seems to be a personal story behind any palestinian tragedy.