-Caveat Lector-
* * *
Dear HonestReporting Member,
The crime against humanity this week was horrifying. Only a sick tyrant like
Saddam
Hussein could rejoice in the carnage.
Or so we thought.
Palestinians in Beirut, Nablus and eastern Jerusalem rejoiced, danced and handed
out
candies.
But thats only part of the story.
Palestinian groups, including the Arafat-backed Tanzim and the Palestinian
police,
then used intimidation and violence to prevent journalists from distributing the
photos and videos of these celebrations.
One cameraman, on assignment for Associated Press Television News, was kidnapped
and
threatened with death if his footage was aired. Ahmed Abdel Rahman, Arafat's
Cabinet
secretary, said the Palestinian Authority cannot guarantee the life of the
cameraman
if the footage was broadcast.
http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/09/13/News/News.34751.html
See also:
http://us.news2.yimg.com/f/42/31/7m/dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010912/us/attacks_ap_pro
test_1.html
The Jerusalem Post also reports that armed Palestinians trapped foreign
photojournalists inside a Nablus hotel on September 11 while thousands took to
the
streets in celebration of the U.S. terror attacks. The journalists were
reportedly
forced to remain confined in the hotel, guarded by armed Palestinians -- both in
uniform and wearing civilian clothes -- while the festivities continued in the
streets.
http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/09/12/LatestNews/LatestNews.34700.html
According to Israeli Radio correspondent Danny Zaken, at least two news
organizations
had footage of the celebrations in Nablus and Ramallah that showed Palestinian
policemen shooting joyfully in the air. Zaken reported that the news agencies
refused
to broadcast the material after senior officials in the Palestinian Authority
contacted the heads of the news organizations, threatening the lives of news
personnel
and warning an end of access to PA sources if they broadcast the reports.
Obviously, since these images portray Palestinian affinity with the fervently
anti-
American tactics of the WTC terrorists, they greatly damage the Palestinian
cause in
the eyes of the world.
Asked for his reaction to the pictures of celebrating Palestinians, Secretary of
State
Colin Powell told Fox News, It is a searing image in my mind.
A strong statement was issued by the Foreign Press Association (FPA), which
represents
hundreds of mainstream journalists in Israel. The head of the FPA, Dan Perry,
who is
also the bureau chief of the Associated Press in Israel, issued this statement:
The FPA expresses deep concern over the harassment of journalists by the
Palestinian
Authority as police forces and armed gunmen tried to prevent photo and video
coverage
of Tuesday's rally in Nablus where hundreds of Palestinians celebrated the
terror
attacks in N.Y. and Washington. We strongly condemn the direct threats made
against
local videographers by local militia members and the attitude of Palestinian
officials
who made no effort to counter the threats, control the situation, or to
guarantee
the
safety of the journalists and the freedom of the press.
We call on the PA to ensure freedom of the press and the free flow of
information
and
to prevent elements operating within PA jurisdiction from making or carrying out
threats that aim to impede this and effectively impose censorship. We hold the
PA
fully responsible for the safety of each and every journalist operating within
their
areas, especially those who were filming and covering Tuesday's events in
Nablus.
Did your TV station and newspaper show the despicable scenes of Palestinian
celebration? Or did they succumb to intimidation?
We encourage you to contact local editors and producers, and demand that they
show
the
videos and publish the photographs.
A full list of U.S. newspapers is online at:
http://search.yahoo.com/bin/search?p=Newspapers+U.S.+list
A list of major media contacts is online at:
http://www.honestreporting.com/a/contact.asp
Thank you for your ongoing involvement in the battle against media bias.
HonestReporting.com
== SAMPLE LETTER
To the Editor:
I am sickened to hear that Palestinian officials are using violence and
intimidation
to suppress the distribution of photos and videos depicting Palestinians
celebrating
the American tragedy.
I urge you to publish these images. Anything less will be succumbing to the
forces
which oppose our beloved freedom of the press.
Beyond this, I urge you to report the story of how senior officials in the
Palestinian
Authority have contacted the heads of news organizations, and threatened the
lives
of
news personnel who distribute these damning images. Ahmed Abdel Rahman, Arafat's
Cabinet secretary, said the Palestinian Authority cannot guarantee the life of
the
Associated Press cameraman who shot footage of the celebrations. (Associated
Press,
Sept. 13)
I also urge you to report how armed Palestinians trapped foreign
photojournalists
