Feedback on the Victims of Terror Series

Speaking of some of my feedback, I also penned this note to Rick Davis, the CNN ombudsman, in response to CNN's Victims of Terror series and an Electronic Intifada "action item." While I normally don't do action alerts - I somewhat view them as having too much in common with the PR industry's "astroturf campaigns" - I felt vindicated this time because I noticed the series and connected the dots days before Ali Abunimah, Nigel Parry, and Michael Brown.

Here's what I wrote:

Date: Thu, 27 Jun 2002 23:59:48 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Victims of Terror Series
To: rick.davis@turner.com

Dear Mr. Davis,

I am writing to express concern regarding the recent addition of the "Victims of Terror” Special Report to CNN.com. The main problem I have with the report is that it promotes feelings of empathy towards the Israeli population without any substantial foil for the Palestinians.

I am sure you know that the ratio of Palestinian to Israeli deaths is approximately 3:1 since the beginning of the intifada. And the vast majority of the Palestinian casualties can only be classified as innocent victims, many of them children. Lamentably, though, none of CNN’s reporting emphasizes this point as personably, or effectively, as the Victims of Terror series.

Your audience rarely has the opportunity to peer into the lives of a Palestinian population that endures a different type of violence than the Israelis, but one that is actually more deadly in terms of numbers. The failure to counterbalance the Victims of Terror report with one that underscores the Palestinian plight implies that the Israelis are the only victims in the conflict. Even worse, one gets the impression that CNN places more value on an Israeli life than a Palestinian.

Suicide bombings are a grave threat to the population of Israel; that I do not dispute. But the Israeli occupation and IDF incursions are just as much of a threat to the Palestinian population, if not more so. Multiple reports by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and B’Tselem on the wrongful use force against Palestinian civilians, as well as a frank look at the death toll, make this an uncontroversial point.

So, I am not asking you to discontinue the Victims of Terror series. Instead, I am asking CNN to provide and promote an equally compelling series on the Palestinian plight. This is an entirely reasonable expectation and one, I hope, you would have no objection to.

Thank you for your time. I eagerly await your response and look forward to hearing about the status of upcoming special reports that will provide the type of balanced coverage mentioned above.

...

As expected, I haven't received a response yet. In the meantime, feel free to email Davis with your own thoughts.