Media Bias, Part XXXV

One has to admire Reuters' inexhaustible ideological moxie. The press agency openly loathes America and Israel, and loves Palestinians, as illustrated in these two photos/captions published four days apart. The pictures depict parallel events, labeled with superficially similar captions:


source: Reuters January 9th

caption: Demonstrators burn an effigy of U.S. President George W. Bush during a demonstration outside the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, in protest of Israeli aggression against Palestinians January 9, 2009. About 2,000 Muslim protesters gathered outside the U.S. embassy in the Malaysian capital on Friday holding placards and banners, and shouting anti-Israel slogans.



source: Reuters January 13th

caption: Hardline demonstrators burn posters of U.S. President-elect Barack Obama, during a demonstration in support of the people of Gaza, in front of the Swiss Embassy in Tehran January 13, 2009.


But the captions lie, both where similar, and especially where they depart from each other, as Best of the Web's James Taranto explains:

Not surprisingly, both captions are biased against Israel, the first referring to "Israeli aggression," and the second claiming the poster-burners support "the people of Gaza" when one presumes they actually back the Islamic supremacist movement Hamas.

But note the difference: The guys who are burning Bush in effigy are merely "demonstrators," while the guys who are burning Obama's poster are "hardline demonstrators." Reuters' pro-Obama bias seems to be tempering its usual anti-American bias. It will be interesting to see whether this continues to be the case after Obama becomes president next week. Is Reuters merely an anti-American news service, or is it a hardline one?

As I have said:

Treating similarly situated persons differently is the very definition of bias. Melody Music v. F.C.C., 345 F.2d 730, 732 (D.C. Cir. 1965).

When the media does it, it's the leftist editorializing that's replaced objectivity. And when al-Reuters does it, it's . . . well . . . just another day.

Notwithstanding Taranto's optimism, the media's anti-Americanism won't change: the press will say the Democrats are paying for years of bad Bush policies. Still, though he's not even President, credit Obama with prompting some "change"--pro-Hamas thugs can now be called "hardline." Yet, weren't we promised electing Obama would make other countries like America?