Media conflict of interest debate
Plus, with elections just two years away can Kenya avoid another media-fuelled flashpoint?
This week on The Listening Post, we put the spotlight on a debate concerning The New York Times and its apparent conflict of interest in Israel. Also, we report on the tug of war for control of Kenya’s media.
Our Newsdivide this week focuses on one of the most respected newspapers in America and the world – The New York Times. Early this month, Electronic Intifada – a website devoted to Israel-Palestine news revealed a serious potential conflict of interest for the newspaper’s Jerusalem bureau chief, Ethan Bronner.
The website had received a tip that Bronner’s son had volunteered to join the Israeli army. The online newsbreak forced the Time’s hand and Clark Hoyt, the newspaper’s ombudsman, wrote a column in which he admitted his reservations about keeping Bronner in his position.
His article provoked a response from Bill Keller, the Time’s chief editor.
Richard Gizbert analyses the complexities of a debate that is not just about a conflict of interest, but also about how one of the world’s most credible newspapers reports on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Kenya media control
From Kenya we report on a media scene in churn – the powers that be are looking to gain ever more control and concerned observers and professionals are trying to effect reform. At The Listening Post, we have kept an eye on the state of the Kenyan media ever since the 2008 elections exploded in violence.
Media outlets – primarily local radio stations were amongst those named as key instigators. Their airwaves had been given over to extreme partisans who broadcast messages inciting Kenyans to violence. Now, in 2010, Kenya is just two years away from its next round of elections and Salah Khadr brings us a report on what is being done to avoid a media-fuelled electoral flashpoint again.
Taking a quick look at media news from around the world in Newsbytes: As libel laws around the world get tighter, Iceland is looking to become a safe haven for investigative journalists; a photo from Iran’s post-election protests last year has won the World Press Photo Awards for 2009 and in Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president, adds to his numerous media programmes with a new radio show.
Our viral of the week combines T-shirt art and stop motion animation to create T-shirt War – an internet video that had over half a million hits when we last saw it. Check it out here and see how many more hits they have gotten since then! Watch it here.
This episode of The Listening Post can be seen from Friday, February 19, at the following times GMT: Friday: 1230; Saturday: 1030, 2230; Sunday: 0300, 1930; Monday: 0030; Tuesday: 0630, 1630; Wednesday: 0130, 1430; Thursday: 0330, 2330.