Make no mistake, the Jewish Chronicle made a huge error in trusting a source they should not have done. But as embarrassing as this episode may be – the attempt to turn this event into a national scandal of epic proportions is a transparent politically motivated attack. The real crime of the JC in the eyes of those attacking it – is that it has a pro-Israeli outlook and sits towards the right on the political spectrum. For Guardian readers, Yachadniks, and Hamas operatives dressed up as BBC Journalists – there are no bigger crimes.
What makes it worse is that much of the escalation was driven from within the community – the Jewish left. Attacking their own in the midst of a brutal and bloody war – just when British Jews may possibly need the Jewish Chronicle more than we ever have before.
The Jewish Chronicle event
The Jewish Chronicle relied on a journalist named Elon Perry. He had been taken on as a freelancer over the summer. Earlier this month Perry produced what seemed like a major scoop about a plot to smuggle Hamas leaders and hostages out of Gaza. This was a loaded claim – with political implications about long term IDF and Israeli presence along the Philadelphi Corridoor (the Gaza /Egyptian border that Hamas has used for smuggling).
This news story spread back to Israel – elements in the intelligence services scratched their heads – and the IDF began to investigate the claims. And here it gets really messy. There are plenty of major divisions between opposing sides in how to continue (or end) this conflict. And as this story contained nuggets of possible propaganda (fake news) coming out of the Netanyahu camp – lots of sources eagerly began to investigate Elon Perry and his past claims – some of which clearly appeared to have been exaggerated (because nobody else ever exaggerated their CV).
From this moment the actual truth no longer mattered. Perry had been caught fabricating something – possibly even news stories (it is also still possible he himself was duped by a source) – and it became an instant liability to stand by him (for those who think I should be with the mob holding torches burning down Perry’s house – that is not my style – I know how this game works and the actual depth of deception here is still completely unknown).
Whatever the truth, this story carries significant errors on the part of the JC – in trusting someone (and their sources) that they should not have. The Jewish Chronicle carried out an internal investigation – and to its credit, the JC then swiftly deleted all of Perry’s contributions – and apologised.
But in this world – Jews (and their organisations) are not allowed to make human errors – and when they do – they are treated far differently from when others make the same type of mistakes.
A Guardian episode
The Jewish Chronicle was mugged by a journalist into posting fake news. Now if only we had a benchmark to test this against?
Oh look – remember this from 2016? Joseph Mayton – who had a *SEVEN-YEAR* – working relationship with the Guardian, was caught fabricating quotes:
The episode is considered so insignificant it does not even appear on the Guardian’s Wikipedia page. You can be absolutely certain the JC’s Wiki page will forever have its own episode given major coverage:
This is how anti-Jewish bias works. Unequal treatment creating different footprints – all gathering together to sway opinion in one direction.
And even though the Guardian had carried out an investigation and knew that the journalist had fabricated some of his stories – the Guardian LEFT UP other articles that Joseph Mayton had written. They are still there today. Legitimising a journalist who apparently wrote about events he had never attended. Kudos to the JC then for having more ethically forceful policies than the Guardian.
The Guardian example is especially notable because the journalists who made the most noise about the Jewish Chronicle episode – had no problem at the time carrying on for the Guardian. Why? Because this is not about being caught with a bad journalist at all – this is about a far greater crime – the crime of not being a left wing mouthpiece that hates Israel.
The left-wing attack
The first major name to stab the Jewish Chronicle in the back was the Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland. If you read his ‘resignation‘ note properly – the real reason for his stepping back is all too clear:
The irony and levels of hypocrisy necessary for a Guardian columnist to write those words about another media outlet are off the charts – but they tell you the real reason Freedland has walked away. He appears comfortable in the Guardian’s (far larger) fake news factory – but opposes anything ideologically in a different part of the spectrum. It is easy to argue then that he – rather than the JC – is the problem.
Another journalist who spent years at the Guardian quickly followed – Hadley Freeman:
We are facing jaw-dropping hypocrisy and irony again. The BBC has literally spent the last 11 months posting fake news – breaking its own guidelines over 1500 times and dressing Hamas supporters up as journalists. This is the platform Hadley chose to attack the JC from?
This is all a politically motivated stunt. Just look at those using platforms to attack the JC as if the episode is some type of unforgivable national scandal.
Baroness Warsi: Warsi is a well-known Israel hater. She posted an attack citing the JC’s right-wing leanings.
David Baddiel: Clearly of the ‘non-Zionist’ left. Naively walks hand in hand with Baroness Warsi not realising she makes political mincemeat of him in their podcast.
Lee Harpin: One of the laziest, most untrustworthy, and ethically corrupt journalists I have ever had the misfortune of working alongside. How he still has a job in the industry I have no idea. Openly attacked the JC (why wouldn’t he – he has been a Yachad mouthpiece for years now).
James O’Brien: Goes without comment that he would put the boot in. He has retweeted a dozen or so posts attacking the JC from his account.
Yachad: Yes the rancid anti-Netanyahu mob that spawned the anti-Zionist youth group Na’amod. Of course they attacked the JC. And their post again highlights this is an ideologically driven attack – trying to shut down right-wing voices:
And all of this infighting feeds our real enemies – an example from UK based extremist group CAGE piggybacking on the ride:
All this noise is not about the JC getting burnt by a bad journalist. It is an opportunistic political free-for-all because the Jewish Chronicle has committed the crime of not being just another left wing mouthpiece. In the eyes of the left the ‘unforgivable’ crime of the Jewish Chronicle is that it has a pro-Israeli outlook. That is what this is really about.
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This is really really funny. Literally the only thing you can think of to defend the JC is to whimper: “Er, er, er, but LOOK AT THE GUARDIAN!”
Or you can read the article again and try to understand it
Literally you are babbling drivel.
Try reading the article again, slooooooowly, or having a friend (more likely a stranger who desperately needs a few quid and is literate) read it to you. Then you might get the point he made, asshole.
I am well and truly on the (old fashioned, pre-Corbyn) left, and as such, resent the imputation that being left wing is inherently anti-Israel. Let us recall, because in these times it is infra dig on most of the left to do so, that Israel was founded, in the teeth of ultra-orthodox opposition, by the secular left, and governed by it for most of its succeeding years.. Even today, the only battle ultra- orthodox Haredi West Bank ‘settlers’ are prepared to wage is against illegally evicted Palestinians, while secular Jews give their lives to protect Israel from Islamo-fascism.
Robin
I cannot less this pass. While you are correct that historically the secular left may have built up in the state through the early years – the ideological battle vs Jabotinsky far predates the state.
But what is really galling is the idea that the religious are causing trouble with the Palestinians while the secular are the ones fighting Hamas and Hezbollah
Your knowledge of the state of Israel is extremely skewed and dated. If you think religious Zionists are not pulling their weight in the IDF – then you do not know what you are talking about. It is an offensive, incorrect and ultimately antisemitic attitude to take.
Well said.
This beyond moronic. “in the teeth of ultra-orthodox opposition” is a lie. “only battle ultra- orthodox Haredi West Bank ‘settlers’ are prepared to wage is against illegally evicted Palestinians” is a lie.
Lefty lie, every word.
Being a liberal leftie on Israeli politics usually means being ‘give land for peace’ and in my humble opinion, trusting the so called palestinians. The Arab world itself wants nothing to do with the palestinians. Any form of extremism is not good. Freedland’s association with the Guardian is shameful .. a newspaper which does all it can to dig up dirt on Israel and Jews associated with Israel.
Articles by David Colter are a joy to read .. they’re factual, pragmatic and supportive of Israel.
I appreciate every word you write if I or any otherjew had written this we would be laughing stocks.i don’t know if you know how much what you do is appreciated by me and fellow Jews.Just for writing the truth.Thankyouwith all my heart
many thanks Daniel
I have always had to block my nose when reading Freedland, and wondered how such a dyed in the wool Guardianista could on the one hand write for the JC, and on the other how the JC could let him write for it on their pages.
well said .. Freedland’s name in my household is muck.
How simply dreadful that a (British) Jewish newspaper should be so radical as to actually support Israel as it fights for its survival against those sworn to its destruction. You couldn’t make the leftist mock horror show up, could you?
Excellent bang-on the money piece from David about the pile-on against the JC by a coterie of hypocritical faux self-righteous virtue-signalling leftist jewish journalists & their opportunistic hate-filled Islamist & leftist fellow-travellers
‘Kol Kavod’ to David for calling out these organ-grinders and their monkeys
The Marx Brothers couldn’t have done a better job than these jokers who’ve made a mockery of the profession of journalism
Tony
I’m not clear on the problem here. Don’t almost all newspapers have an editorial agenda that serves its intended readership? Aren’t there stats that show that more than 90% of British Jews are Zionists who support the State of Israel? Isn’t the JC doing the same as the Gruniad and the Mail and playing to that gallery? Is this a thing because there is only one proper paper serving the British Jewish community and the chippy, neurotic “As a Jew…” brigade want their biases bolstered in print over their Crunchy Nut Corn Flakes?
Perhaps it’s time that the International Socialist Workers Movement diverted some of the funds for Paly Placards, keffiyehs and watermelons to the creation of a new Not In My Name Periodical for the delicate Corbynistas of Islington and Barnet so they can have their lovely warm anti-Israel feelings in the comfort of their own homes 5000 miles away from our region.
Another excellent post!
Makes the leftists vomit into their lattes when their reprehensible behaviour is exposed like this, for all to see!
Good work (again)!
this is a storm in a teacup exacerbated by the ‘guardianistas’ resignations, very much a ha’aretz moment where the ‘Joos’ aspect makes it newsworthy.
Rather like your ‘not in our name’ newspaper idea; maybe it could be called ‘JoosNews’
Richard, we have had a relatively long history of seeing eye to eye on most things in these threads. I wonder whether we share the same view here though, specifically with regard to the notion that things like this are ‘a storm in a teacup’. I should say that since last October the ex-pat Brits in my community in Israel have been talking about the mass Paly marches, the attacks on Jewish businesses and the demands by the police for Jews to hide signs of their religious identities in public and always in the same terms. Their sincere belief is that “it’ll all blow over when the war ends”, “It’s just rent-a-mob” and “the protestors don’t know what they’re protesting about.” I suspect that this is mostly wishful thinking from people whose heads are in Herzliya and Netanya but whose hearts are still in Borehamwood and Radlett and who cannot bear the thought of things turning a bit sour for them on their bi-monthly visits back to the old country. It suits them to think about this being something and nothing but I sense that there is far more orchestration and planning behind the sequence of events that are being seen at scale around the world. There appears to be a highly coordinated campaign of attrition against diaspora Jews on multiple fronts of which this episode with the UK’s main Jewish news source is another element. You may be right that the impact on the reputation of the paper may be short lived but I sense that it will remain a target for attack by our opponents as a key tactic in their battle.
When I was at SOAS about 8 years ago and got involved fighting the students union, I went to one of their anti-Israel meetings. They tried to throw me out , but I refused to leave, so they eventually carried on with their meeting while blanking me out completely. The interesting upshot of all of this is they started talking about long term planning for anti-Israel events etc. Well one of the more senior members said that they have to continue what they started in the mid-1980’s of taking over the student unions so they could control events.. So anybody talking about spontaneity in the current protests is either totally ignorant or fast asleep. All this nonsense on the streets has been planned in one say or another years ago.SA and it isn’t going to get better anytime soon
100%
David, as always you are ‘on the nail’. Thank you for all you do in supporting Israel.
Excellent piece!
So glad that the tedium and predictable repetition ad nauseam of Aaronovitch, Freedland and the unfunny Baddiel will no longer be part of the JC.
Good riddance to this trio of narcissistic bores.
A marvellous consequence to this storm in a teacup news.
I wonder why The Times saw fit to give Aaronovitch his marching orders, other than he’s an incredibly rude person.
There is the other problem of ownership of the Jewish Chronicle.
How can any news organisation which demands transparency – or writers who are quick to condemn others for being opaque about their funding – be coy about ownership?
Not even the journos at the JC know who really own the paper.
And John Ware – hardly a left winger or anti-Zionist – who was part of the consortium that was the front for the purchase is on the record as saying he didn’t know who the moneybags is.
A little off topic but aligned to this and recent articles about reporting on my country by the foreign media. Very encouraging to see the BBC remaining consistent in their own approach. Yesterday, Jeremy Bowen assumed the role of enthusiastic cheerleader for Hezbollah in his online column. He was positively cooing at the possibility that we have misjudged the strength of the Lebanese terrorist organization whom he was certain and seemingly hopeful would inflict some serious damage to our forces.
The same UK national broadcaster was also in the news over its treatment of Yariv Mozer, the Israeli independent film maker and director of ‘We will dance again’, a documentary about the Nova Festival. The Beeb, anxious to maintain its journalistic impartiality (oh, the irony) conditioned the scheduling of the film upon Mr. Mozer not describing Hamas as a terrorist organization. Bear in mind that this is an independent film maker and not a hack on the BBC payroll. Nonetheless the editorial staff felt compelled to exert their own group-think to 3rd parties.
As a reminder to all UK readers, you are paying for this !
Why is “the guardian” still respected?
really, really, really, good question
Here the latest about The Guardian
__
Ritchie Torres @RitchieTorres:
There is a concerted effort to normalize Hassan Nasrallah. ‘The Guardian’ describes Nasrallah as a “qualified Islamic scholar, effective public speaker, and competent organizer.”
[https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GYmSCZ6XkAAEHE2?format=jpg&name=900×900]
Guess which words are missing?
Mass murderer. Terrorist. War criminal.
6:51 PM · Sep 28, 2024
https://x.com/RitchieTorres/status/1840162497241985405
The two important genocide quotes by Hezbollah islamofascist NASRALLAH
Humanity at the Abyss.
The Temple Institute, R’ Chaim Richman.
June 27, 2002
… Outwardly, these monsters appear to be human beings. Yet mothers who carried them in the womb and bring them into this world, joyously encourage their children to kill themselves. Are not human mothers generally known for zealously protecting their children, cherishing them and protecting them with their own life? Are there any mothers reading this? What would you not do to keep your child alive for even one more moment? But these are mothers who make send-off video clips with their sons, both brandishing assault rifles, joyously anticipating the son’s death and the death he is about to inflict upon other children. These are fathers who say that their only regret is that they don’t have another 70 children who could die so that more Jews would die, but even so this one will be an example to the other siblings. “How beautiful it is to kill and to be killed,” wrote one bomber in a note. Hizballah’s Secretary General Nasrallah revealed the truth in a recent interview: “We have discovered how to hit the Jews where they are the most vulnerable. The Jews love life, so that is what we shall take away from them. We are going to win, because they love life and we love death.”
Is there any other “people” in the world that has elevated cold-blooded murder to a position of worship?
https://web.archive.org/web/20041018114851/Templeinstitute.org/archive/02-06-27.htm
===
“If Jews all gather in Israel, it will save us the trouble of going after them worldwide.”
Gilder, G. (2012). The Israel Test: Why the World’s Most Besieged State Is a Beacon of Freedom and Hope for the World Economy. United States: Encounter Books, p. 16.
https://books.google.com/books?id=hGOnMJ2gc-8C&pg=PA16
Islamist “Palestinian” Hatem Bazian’s directed JVP shared from an Arab “activist” mem that destruction of Israel is imperative.
_
Adar Rubin @rubin_a1:
Wow, @JVPumich just shared a graphic calling for “death to Israel.”
No wonder why JVP is under federal investigation by both the Ways and Means Committee and the Committee on Education and the Workforce.
@SantaJOno, for the safety of your Jewish students, ban JVP from @UMich.
September 28, 2024.
https://twitter.com/rubin_a1/status/1840136719506505837
PBS NewsHour Oct 1, 2024.
Amna Nawaz with Leila Molana-Allen echo chamber the absent Israeli innocent victims.
The duo went back and forth repeating the same thing over and over again about the people in Lebanon.
Nothing was said between them about the huge terrorizing effect on millions of Israelis and coming ahead of Rosh HaShana.
But just as their “reporting” on Israel vs Hamas, rarely have they talked about the Israeli victims of this unprovoked war.
Here again, the 60,000 evacuated Israelis scared, are a non issue.