British journalist Alan Johnston did his profession no honour by cosying up to Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh after his release by the family of Islamist thugs who usually work in partnership with Haniyeh's Hamas party.
Geoffrey Alderman, a professor of politics & contemporary history at the University of Buckingham, UK tells why in this Jerusalem Post article.
"Excuse me while I do not raise my champagne glass to toast the release, unharmed, of BBC Gazastan correspondent Alan Johnston. Excuse me while I do not endorse UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown's encomium of Mr. Johnston as 'a fearless journalist' whose voice was 'silenced for too long.
"Don't get me wrong. I can be the life and soul of the party. I am not averse to a drink or three. But I am very particular as to what or whom I celebrate. And while the release unharmed of Johnston is clearly felt in some quarters to be a cause for mirth and merriment, I just cannot bring myself to embrace the mood of misplaced euphoria that seems to have gripped the United Kingdom."
Alderman explains that the "fearless journalist" failed in upholding any shred of journalistic integrity by becoming a part to the Hamas media circus that surrounded his release.
"Even if Johnston had been threatened that he would forfeit his life unless he launched into a public condemnation of Israel and Britain as the joint authors of all the misfortunes that have befallen the Muslim world, I have to say that I would have expected him, as a professional, to have defended that professional integrity, whatever the risk. But Johnston, sadly, did not rise to the occasion. And the most charitable explanation I can come up with for this extraordinary conduct is that he must actually believe what his captors asked him to say."
Rather than being "fearless", Johnston proved the opposite; that he is weak and cowardly. But in that regard he is merely following the path of his fellow journalists at home in Britain whose cowardly vote to boycott Israel was taken in his absence while he reamined a captive to those Hamas friendly thugs.
If you're wondering what Palestinian journalists in Gaza are thinking about Johnston's love affair with Haniyeh, then consider this news report from the Palestinian Maan Newsagency - Executive Force storms media tower in Gaza City.
"Gaza – Ma'an - The Hamas-affiliated Executive Force on Wednesday stormed the media tower in Tal Al-Hawa, in the south of Gaza City, and stole the car and mobile telephone of Palestine TV satellite channel manager, Muhammad Dawoudi.
Media sources told Ma'an that the Executive Force entered Dawoudi's home in the residential part of the tower and attempted to arrest him, yet dozens of journalists intervened and prevented the arrest.
The Union of Palestinian Journalists has condemned the repeated assaults against journalists, in general, and this attack against Dawoudi in particular.
In a statement to Ma'an, the union declared "such conduct represent a violation of the freedom of opinion", describing the attacks as "ideological terrorism" against journalists."
Geoffrey Alderman, a professor of politics & contemporary history at the University of Buckingham, UK tells why in this Jerusalem Post article.
"Excuse me while I do not raise my champagne glass to toast the release, unharmed, of BBC Gazastan correspondent Alan Johnston. Excuse me while I do not endorse UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown's encomium of Mr. Johnston as 'a fearless journalist' whose voice was 'silenced for too long.
"Don't get me wrong. I can be the life and soul of the party. I am not averse to a drink or three. But I am very particular as to what or whom I celebrate. And while the release unharmed of Johnston is clearly felt in some quarters to be a cause for mirth and merriment, I just cannot bring myself to embrace the mood of misplaced euphoria that seems to have gripped the United Kingdom."
Alderman explains that the "fearless journalist" failed in upholding any shred of journalistic integrity by becoming a part to the Hamas media circus that surrounded his release.
"Even if Johnston had been threatened that he would forfeit his life unless he launched into a public condemnation of Israel and Britain as the joint authors of all the misfortunes that have befallen the Muslim world, I have to say that I would have expected him, as a professional, to have defended that professional integrity, whatever the risk. But Johnston, sadly, did not rise to the occasion. And the most charitable explanation I can come up with for this extraordinary conduct is that he must actually believe what his captors asked him to say."
Rather than being "fearless", Johnston proved the opposite; that he is weak and cowardly. But in that regard he is merely following the path of his fellow journalists at home in Britain whose cowardly vote to boycott Israel was taken in his absence while he reamined a captive to those Hamas friendly thugs.
If you're wondering what Palestinian journalists in Gaza are thinking about Johnston's love affair with Haniyeh, then consider this news report from the Palestinian Maan Newsagency - Executive Force storms media tower in Gaza City.
"Gaza – Ma'an - The Hamas-affiliated Executive Force on Wednesday stormed the media tower in Tal Al-Hawa, in the south of Gaza City, and stole the car and mobile telephone of Palestine TV satellite channel manager, Muhammad Dawoudi.
Media sources told Ma'an that the Executive Force entered Dawoudi's home in the residential part of the tower and attempted to arrest him, yet dozens of journalists intervened and prevented the arrest.
The Union of Palestinian Journalists has condemned the repeated assaults against journalists, in general, and this attack against Dawoudi in particular.
In a statement to Ma'an, the union declared "such conduct represent a violation of the freedom of opinion", describing the attacks as "ideological terrorism" against journalists."
1 comment:
Hamas hasn't lifted a finger against that family of thugs who also kidnapped Gilad Schalit.
The logical conclusion is that Hamas is happy to free a media whore like Johnston but won't do a thing to free the Jew.
Hamas and Johnston are birds of a feather.
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