Huff Watch
“[T]oo many reporters have forgotten that the highest calling of journalists is to ferret out the truth, consequences be damned.”
- Arianna Huffington, July 29, 2008
“[W]e are increasingly seen ... as an Internet newspaper, not positioned ideologically in terms of how we cover the news.”
- Arianna Huffington, May 22, 2009
On Tuesday, Feb. 15, HuffPost gave top-line coverage to the shocking story of CBS correspondent Lara Logan. According to numerous reports, Logan was kidnapped in Cairo's Tahrir Square by an estimated 200 Egyptian men, savagely beaten and sexually assaulted for 30 minutes before she was rescued. (Right: Logan, moments just before she was kidnapped.)
HuffPost posted one "update" to the story indicating that Logan would soon be released from the hospital. Yet HuffPost completely ignored reports that CBS News and other sources claimed Ms. Logan's attackers shouted "JEW!!! JEW!!!" as they assaulted her.
Why did HuffPost omit this critical aspect of the story? Would it have also ignored a story been about a gang of 200 Jewish men who kidnapped and gang-raped a female Muslim journalist, while shouting "MUSLIM!!! MUSLIM!!!"?
We contend that HuffPost's decision to ignore that part of the Logan story was the latest manifestation of its long-documented anti-Semitic, pro-Islamist bias. Specifically, as we've documented over and over again, HuffPost pathologically (a) applies an egregious double-standard to news concerning Jews and Jewish affairs, and (b) protects radical Islamists from being held to public account for their barbaric acts and statements.
This article is divided into three parts:
(1) How we know that HuffPost completely ignored reports Ms. Logan's attackers shouted "JEW!!! JEW!!!" as they assaulted her.
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(2) The "news" items that HuffPost decided to publish on its front page and World page, instead of anything regarding this aspect of story.
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(3) How HuffPost's actions in this regard compare to its historic approach to covering (a) Inflammatory allegations against Jews, for which it knows there is no proof, and (b) Documented acts and threats of savage violence against Jews by radical Islamists
(1) How we know that HuffPost completely ignored reports Ms. Logan's attackers shouted "JEW!!! JEW!!!" as they assaulted her.
HuffPost published its version of the story about Ms. Logan's abduction and attack on Feb. 15 at 4:23pm.
Nine hours later, on Feb. 16 at 1:19am, the New York Post broke the following story:
"60 Minutes" correspondent Lara Logan was repeatedly sexually assaulted by thugs yelling, "Jew! Jew!" as she covered the chaotic fall of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo's main square Friday, CBS and sources said yesterday.
Soon thereafter, the Jerusalem Post, Fox News, the Boston Herald, and conservative, pro-Jewish and pro-Israeli blogs all began publicizing the story. Given the fact that HuffPost has a crack team of 53 "editors" who pull insane "news" stories from the most obscure corners of the Web (example 1, 2, 3), it is simply not credible to assert that it was unaware of this report. Yet HuffPost completely ignored it. How do we know? Easy.
First, here's a screencap of HuffPost's story page as of Feb. 19. Notice that the only update was that "Ms. Logan is reportedly being released from the hospital on Wednesday," meaning Feb. 16 --- and meaning that this "update" was posted on Tuesday, Feb. 15.
Second, here's a PDF that was taken of a search at HuffPost using the term "Lara Logan" --- on Feb. 17 at 12:18pm, nearly 36 hours after the New York Post story broke. Do you notice anything missing? There's not a single news story that mentioned anything regarding anyone shouting, "Jew!!!"
Even HuffPost's selection and positioning of blog articles on the Logan attack reflect its anti-Semitic bias --- and its willingness to protect radical Islamists.
HuffPost also published a number of blog articles (opinion pieces) pertaining to the Logan attack --- and its actions in this regard further reflect its anti-Semitic, pro-Islamist bias:
* At 11:30am on Feb. 16 --- ten hours after reports broke that Ms. Logan's attackers were yelling, "JEW!!! JEW!!!" --- HuffPost decided to publish near the top of its front page a blog article by Islamist-apologizing "anthropologist." It falsely claimed that there's nothing inherent in the radical Islamist mindset (which is dominant in Egypt) that leads to women and girls being subjected to savage brutality. Perhaps this scholar, and HuffPost's crack team of worldly editors, are unaware of this, this and this (caution: graphic media). Because of the prominent positioning that HuffPost gave the piece, it got 741 user comments as of Feb. 18.
* On Feb. 17, HuffPost published a blog article that described the reality of the widespread abuse of females in Egypt, without reference to any religion. But HuffPost placed this story somewhere beyond public view --- not on the front page, and not on the World page (we know, because we checked). Because of its obscure positioning, the piece only got 7 user comments as of Feb. 18.
(2) So what kinds of "news" items did HuffPost decide were more important to publish on its front page and World page?
Here's a sampling of the "news" stories that HuffPost decided to publish on its front page, on Feb. 17-18 (clockwise from top left):
(1) At the top of front page was "Arianna discusses her editorial vision"
(2) Just beneath that was "Transsexual model on Oprah"
(3) A little further down: A picture of Bill O'Reilly defaced with clown makeup
(4) Kitten dress-up - "An orgy of cuteness"
And here's a sampling of the "news" stories that HuffPost decided to publish on its World page, on Feb. 17-18 (clockwise from top left):
(1) "Nazi 3D films from 1936 discovered"
(2) "Pick-up artist teaches Chinese men the art of seduction" (posted 2/14)
(3) "Berlusconi's teen lover wants to be compensated"
(4) "Female anchor mocks co-host's manhood live on-air"
HuffPost decided that these stories are more important for its global audience to be aware of, than reports from CBS and other sources that Lara Logan's attackers yelled "JEW!!! JEWS!!!" as they beat and sexually assaulted her?
(3) How HuffPost's actions in regard to the Logan attack compare to its historic approach to covering (a) Inflammatory allegations against Jews, for which it knows there is no proof, and (b) Documented acts and threats of savage violence against Jews by radical Islamists
Our archive of documentation of HuffPost's anti-Semitic, pro-Islamist bias is overflowing with examples of the double-standard it applies to its coverage of Jewish vs. Muslim/Islamist news, issues and inflammatory content. Following are some highlights, with links to the master documentation.
As you peruse these examples, and consider the pattern of HuffPost editorial decisions that produced them, keep in the back of your mind the question we asked earlier:
Do you think if a gang of 200 Jews kidnapped a female Muslim reporter, and gang-raped her while shouting "MUSLIM!!! MUSLIM!!!," HuffPost might give it some coverage?
Anyone who's paid attention to our deep documentation of HuffPost's approach to Israeli and Jewish affairs knows with 100% certainty that it would give such a story 72pt red headline treatment (like this, or this) for a week. But rather than speculating, let's focus on HuffPost's specific historic acts and omissions that give clear indication of its bias concerning radical Islamist and Jewish affairs, that bear relation to what happened to Ms. Logan.
(a) HuffPost routinely publishes on its front page inflammatory allegations against Jews, for which it knows there is no proof.
HuffPost may claim that it had no triple-checked, hard evidence with which to support CBS's and other sources' allegations about the Egyptian men yelling "JEW!!! JEW!!!" at Ms. Logan as they beat and assaulted her. If that were its journalistic standard (which it isn't), then there is no explanation for the following:
* When Israeli Jews were accused of murdering Palestinian Muslims to "harvest their organs," HuffPost published prominently on its front page ---- even though the "journalist" admitted in the story that he had "no idea, no clue" if the allegations were true or not. Yet when numerous reports came out soon thereafter that revealed (a) the allegation is medically impossible, and (b) the Palestinian family at the center of the story denied ever making the allegation, HuffPost completely ignored them. (Link)
* When the Israeli military merely detained a female Palestinian journalist, HuffPost put the story, along with her face and her allegations of her "interrogation," on its front page, not knowing whether it was PallyWood propaganda (Link; screencap below, left).
* When a group of unruly rabbis reportedly "spit on" what HuffPost claimed is a "seasoned" journalist, again, HuffPost put that on its front page --- even though there was zero proof, and it turns out the "journalist" had just been exposed for her anti-Israel bias (Link; screencap below, center).
* When the notorious, jihadist-celebrating al-Jazeera posted a totally unverifiable smear --- alleging that Israeli guards "humiliated" a female detainee --- HuffPost ran it right on its front page, not knowing whether it was PallyWood propaganda (Link; screencap below, right).
* "Outrageous Statements": HuffPost periodically runs items on its front page alluding to "outrageous statements" by Israeli officials and religious figures. (Link) Yet it pathologically ignores, and has never run a comparable analysis of "outrageous statements" by Hamas, Hezbollah and other radical Islamist terror groups --- which tend to include genocidal threats. (Link; more, more)
(b) HuffPost routinely ignores or buries documented acts and threats of savage violence against Jews by radical Islamists.
Conversely, even when HuffPost has direct access to abundant physical proof of radical Islamists' savagery --- such as Hamas's own words, and pictures of it celebrating its murder of Jewish civilians --- it pathologically refuses to feature any of it.
* In December 2010, HuffPost gave front-page coverage of Hamas's claim that it was committed to a "cease-fire" with Israel. Yet in the prior weeks, completely ignored every one of Hamas's admitted rocket attacks and attempts to murder Jews, and its genocidal threats against them. Instead, HuffPost published "news" stories on its front page such as color pictures of Hitler at Christmas (which it'd been running on both pages for four days straight), and video of chimpanzees opening Christmas presents. (Link; more)
* Our special report, "HuffPost's pathological anti-Semitic bias: Children's edition," documented the fact that it buried, then quickly removed the story of Hamas's targeting and murder of four Jewish civilians --- including a mother of six who was nine months pregnant. It also completely ignored the names and pictures of the victims and their funeral --- as well as pictures of Hamas leading jubilant celebrations in Gaza over this "heroic act" --- all of which were readily-available. Yet when militant Islamists are killed by Israel in the course of attempting to arrest them, or sneaking into Israel, HuffPost routinely twists the stories to make them appear as "victims," features their names and pictures, and coverage of their funerals. More here, here, here.
(Inset: 9-year-old Hodoya Imes, seen at the funeral of her father and mother --- who was nine months pregnant --- at the time they were targeted and machine-gunned to death by Hamas. If only the Imes weren't Jewish, perhaps HuffPost would have given this outrage a scrap of the personal coverage it gives to militant Islamists who get killed.)
* When Israel was blamed for a cross-border dispute with Lebanon, HuffPost put the story on its front page. Yet when it was revealed that Israel was the victim, and that Lebanon/Hezbollah had murdered a beloved IDF officer, HuffPost moved the story to a secondary page, then quickly removed it. HuffPost ignored the personal story of the IDF officer, refusing even to publish his name or picture --- yet decided that "news" stories about a parasailing donkey, and a woman who paints with her nipples, were more important to post --- and keep posted for days on end. (Link)
* As noted above, HuffPost has a fetish for giving coverage to what it deems "outrageous statements" made by Israeli politicians and religious figures. Yet when when HuffPost's Middle East correspondent was given an exclusive interview with a top Hamas leader, she asked him not a single question about its "outrageous statements" (some of which she actually echoed). Further, it ran the story on its front page, and even allowed her to lash out against users who criticized her fawning approach. (Link)
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