Following yesterday’s post on the recent detestable BDS protest at a Perth Jewish day school, I was attacked by some fellow Jews after it was revealed the BDS-holes chose the venue to protest an MP and Israeli guest speaker who were speaking in a hall at the school – and not because it was Jewish school.
I was quick and transparent to update my post as these facts came to hand, yet this was not enough for some who still claimed I was not being honest. Here is one such comment from the StandWithUs Facebook page:
if you really think you’re headline is relevant you are just like all the rest of the professional journalists. I’m sure you’ve criticised BBC CNN etc. for being economical with the truth if you’re happy to do the same I have no problem but you make yourself fair game for being hypocritical. at least the BBC have started to retract and rewrite their headlines when it’s pointed out to them. I’m certainly not defending their slanted reporting but with pressure they restate their reports. perhaps one day you’ll feel confident enough to do the same at which point you’ll make the leap from a blogger to a serious reporter/journalist. I know you’ve based this on the report of the Rabbi but even Rabbonim are human and have their own slant.
I want to address these comments here now.
One of the things I pride myself on, and indeed Israellycool (because I demand it of all my contributors) is the integrity and fact-checking. That is not to say that from the time we post something, more facts won’t come to light. But we have always been transparent and willing to update posts and even admit mistakes.
In this case, once the new information came to light, I updated the post. I kept the headline pretty much intact, since the Rabbi I quoted revealed kids were the target of some pretty horrific statements. And I explained this clearly in the post. I did remove the term “antisemitic” from the title, though, based on this new information.
As far as I am concerned, it does not matter that the protest happened on a Sunday when there were no classes. Kids were still targeted and the school and the schoolchildren have to deal with the fallout. Imagine if people demonstrated outside a Muslim school against a speaker inside – I am sure people would not be too quick to dismiss the gravity of it.
I see this type of criticism as symptomatic of a “holier than thou” attitude. And if I was to play psychologist for a second, I’d suggest the critics want to appease the outside world to somehow prove we are fair. If only they were willing to give pro-Israel advocates like me the same benefit of the doubt they give the vile antisemites protesting.
I will continue to call out the haters as I see fit, based on facts, while also ready to admit where I have made factual errors and mistakes. I may not be a “serious reporter/journalist”, but I value honesty, integrity and courage.
