UPDATED: Over 300,000, and Israel STILL isn’t a story

Ami Kaufman By Ami Kaufman August 6, 2011 | Edit

Last week I posted a piece about how mainstream media websites did not update their sites with news items about the huge demo taking place on Saturday evening. There were 150,000 protesters on that Saturday.

It’s now 4 hours after this Saturday’s protest. This time it was 350,000 people across Israel. That is 5 percent of the population. That would be the equivalent of 15 million Americans marching in D.C.

And yet, before I go to bed, I’m checking the major sites again. Not the TV – I don’t have cable (can’t afford it). So, I don’t know how the TV news sites are dealing with it. But I checked over a few hours how the New York Times, Guardian, BBC News and Huffington Post sites covered the demo.

Or shall I say, didn’t cover it. The New York Times had an old piece by Ethan Bronner up for most of the day, that was oddly taken down just as the demo started. Also, it’s global edition – which you would think would be more open to coverage – had nothing as well. The site did put up an AP piece, but buried it somewhere in its global section.

The Guardian, during the demo, put up a video of the Tel Aviv tents during the demo. But there was no news update on the site about the amazing numbers, as the demo was happening. The caption on the video, by the way, states that Tel Aviv is Israel’s capital (but that could be political…).

The BBC News portal had nothing.

The HuffPo Had nothing.

Just because it’s socio-economic does not mean that when 350,000 people take to the streets, it should not be mentioned as it is happening. It was mentioned when Egyptians took to the streets, and as Spaniards did. And let’s not forget the political implications this has in Israel.

If there were 350,000 people (or 15 million) in D.C. as we speak, right now – would you see it mentioned on the homepage of major news sites? I think so.

Again, to be clear – my critique is not against the ongoing coverage of this revolution. There are more important stories out there today. And there were last week.

But as a breaking story, especially in the days of Twitter, Facebook, and technology of easy-updating and confirming of facts, I find it astounding that these sites did not mention this demo on their homepages.

I’ll check in a few hours, when I wake up, to see if anything’s changed. Hope it won’t be like last week. But even if there is something in the morning, they already failed the “breaking news” test. Big time.

UPDATE:

New York Times – nothing on homepage. There is a piece in the WORLD section, “below the fold”

Guardian: Finally, a link on homepage. 6th story down. I’d say that’s fair – yet still very late.

BBC News: Second story. Very good position, but like the Guardian – very late.

HuffPo: It’s on homepage, way below the fold – but there.

So, to sum up: some improvement, NYT is beyond bizarre, and everyone is late. Oh well, it’s still nice to wake up to a new Israel on your birthday. 🙂

Ami Kaufman

Ami Kaufman was chief night editor for Haaretz, for the prominent Israeli financial daily Calcalist, and correspondent on Israeli affairs for 93.6 RAM FM, a joint Palestinian-Israel radio station. His interest in food and cooking led to culinary studies at the "Israeli CIA" (Tadmor, Herzliya) and a brief stint in the restaurant business. Born in Tel Aviv, Ami lives in Bat Yam with his wife and two daughters. In his spare time he blogs at Half & Half.

End of article module for Members

TEST TEST GAL Our team has been devastated by the horrific events of this latest war. The world is reeling from Israel’s unprecedented onslaught on Gaza, inflicting mass devastation and death upon besieged Palestinians, as well as the atrocious attack and kidnappings by Hamas in Israel on October 7. Our hearts are with all the people and communities facing this violence.    We are in an extraordinarily dangerous era in Israel-Palestine. The bloodshed has reached extreme levels of brutality and threatens to engulf the entire region. Emboldened settlers in the West Bank, backed by the army, are seizing the opportunity to intensify their attacks on Palestinians. The most far-right government in Israel’s history is ramping up its policing of dissent, using the cover of war to silence Palestinian citizens and left-wing Jews who object to its policies.   This escalation has a very clear context, one that +972 has spent the past 14 years covering: Israeli society’s growing racism and militarism, entrenched occupation and apartheid, and a normalized siege on Gaza.   We are well positioned to cover this perilous moment – but we need your help to do it. This terrible period will challenge the humanity of all of those working for a better future in this land. Palestinians and Israelis are already organizing and strategizing to put up the fight of their lives.   Can we count on your support? +972 Magazine is a leading media voice of this movement, a desperately needed platform where Palestinian and Israeli journalists, activists, and thinkers can report on and analyze what is happening, guided by humanism, equality, and justice. Join us.

Make a Donation