PBS Appeal

 
by Michael Goldblatt 
WHYY-Radio Slanders Israel


        A recent fundraising campaign by WHYY-Channel 12, Philadelphia's local
affiliate of the Public Broadcasting System, concluded with the showing of
two programs about Israel: a history of the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra, and a
geographical overview of Israel's magnificent valleys, mountains, beaches,
and other natural landmarks.

        The broadcasts were a pleasant surprise, in view of WHYY-TV's
history of showing anti-Israel programs such as the pro-PLO "Days of Rage" and "The
Faces of Arafat."  One can only hope that the recent programs on the Philharmonic
and Israel's natural beauty represent a sincere change of heart on the part of
the WHYY-TV management, rather than just a temporary fundraising gimmick aimed at
wooing Jewish donors.

        Unfortunately, whatever change of heart may have occurred at WHYY has
certainly not yet filtered over to its sister radio station, WHYY-Radio,
which continues to play the anti-Israel broadcasts of National Public Radio (NPR),
its national affiliate.  For example, in its recent coverage of the Har Homa
dispute, WHYY-Radio repeatedly referred to the Har Homa neighborhood as an
"Israeli settlement" in "Arab East Jerusalem."  In fact, Har Homa is no more
a "settlement" than Merion or Bryn Mawr, and eastern Jerusalem has a Jewish majority.

        That mis-reporting of the Har Homa controversy was just the latest
in a long series of slanted NPR stories to which Philadelphians are subjected, courtesy
of WHYY-Radio.

        For example, NPR ran 32 reports concerning Baruch Goldstein's
killing of Arabs in Hebron in February 1994.  Compare that to NPR's coverage of Arab
terrorist attacks.  Two months after Goldstein, Hamas blew up an Israeli bus
in Afula; NPR ran 3 stories.  A week after that, Hamas bombed an Israeli bus in
Hadera; NPR ran just 1 report about it.  The October 1994 Tel Aviv bus
bombing,  which left 22 dead?  Eight stories on NPR--and one of them called Hamas
"terrific community organizers" who help to "develop young people" and who
promote "business projects like honey, cheese making, home-based
manufacture."  The January 1995 Beit Lid bombing, in which 21 Israelis were killed?  Just 6 stories--and one of them depicted the bomber as a family man driven to
desperation by crowding and unemployment in Gaza.

        Much of NPR's reporting from Israel has been the work of correspondent
Linda Gradstein.  Typical of her brand of journalism was her coverage of the
terrorist murder of Israeli teenager Helena Rapp in May 1992, and the killing
of Arab terrorist Anton Shamili a few days later.  Gradstein devoted only four
sentences to the Rapp murder--and three of her sentences were critical of
Israelis' reaction to the slaying.  But when Shamili, a member of the
terrorist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, was killed by Israeli
soldiers, Gradstein presented a sympathetic, 80-sentence report praising him as someone
who "was quick to tell a joke and laugh," and who left behind a handicapped
father.  Gradstein, who is fluent in Hebrew and Arabic, reported that the
crowd at Shamili's funeral chanted "Anton, Anton, you were murdered--we promise to
continue your struggle." In fact, the crowd shouted, "With fire and blood we
will liberate Anton," derived from the traditional Arab slogan, "With fire
and blood we will liberate Palestine."

        If National Public Radio, and its local affiliates such as WHYY, were
financed entirely by private sources, their anti-Israel bias would be
troubling enough.  But NPR is funded in part by the American public's tax dollars.  It
receives funds from federal agencies, including the Corporation for Public
Broadcasting and the National Endowment for the Arts.  Perhaps the time has
come to remind NPR that it has an obligation --financial as well as ethical-- to
provide the American public with objective, accurate, and balanced coverage
of the Middle East.

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