Wednesday's Biased Item - January 10, 2007

NBC Declares Israel’s Attack Plans ‘Alarming’—But What of Iran’s?

Excerpt

QUESTION:  Read the excerpt below from Mark Finkelstein posted at Newsbusters.org on Jan. 7.  What do you think about NBC's report ? 

NBC Declares Israel's Attack Plans 'Alarming' -- But What of Iran's?

Which is more alarming? 

  1. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's nuclear ambitions; his flouting of the recent unanimous UN Security Council resolution to stop his march toward acquiring nuclear weapons; his repeated vows to wipe Israel off the map and his various threats to the US, including at least one to achieve "a world without America"? OR
  2. Israel's possible plans to defend itself and eliminate Iran's nuclear program? 

If you're NBC, the choice is clear: the answer is #2. Consider the editorializing that crept in the news item NBC's Amy Rohbach "news" item on January 7th "Today.":

"An alarming report in a British newspaper says Israel is plotting a nuclear attack on Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities. Now, the report cannot be independently confirmed. In response, Iran's foreign minister today called Israel 'the main menace to global peace and promises to retaliate if attacked.'"

View video here.

Granted, the possible use of nuclear weapons, even the small, tactical ones described in the Times [UK] article, could seriously raise the international stakes. But while NBC views Israel's possible use of nuclear weapons as "alarming," it blithely passes along Iran's vow to retaliate and its branding of Israel as the world's biggest "menace."

Fair and balanced?

Go to NewsBusters.org for the complete report.

Types of Media Bias

Explanation of Media Bias