NPR’s David Greene did a long piece on Bahrain opposition today. “Political Change Slow To Come To Bahrain activists.” He focused on Abdulhadi Al Khawajah, a prominent human rights activist, on Day 87 of a hunger strike.
Greene knows the Arab Spring. He covered it. Does he include the surging inspiring nonviolent movement in Palestine part of the Arab Spring? If not, why not? These people are trying to end a tyrannical occupation.
And speaking of media non-blackouts, here is Jodi Rudoren, distingushing herself in the New York Times, reporting from the Hebron Hills on the hunger strikers as the new face of “Palestinian resistance.” Great to see that word in a Times headline! Notice that Rudoren is not piping this story from Jerusalem, she goes out to the village and interviews Shireen Halahleh, wife of Thaer Halahleh, who is at death’s door. But notice the honor she gives this movement:
The newest heroes of the Palestinian cause are not burly young men hurling stones or wielding automatic weapons. They are gaunt adults, wrists in chains, starving themselves inside Israeli prisons…
Hunger striking by Palestinian prisoners is not a new tactic. According to the Palestine Solidarity Project, the tactic was first used in the Nablus prison in 1968 and has been repeated at least 15 times since, with three men dying over the years….
But social media have spread the siren this time, first on Khader Adnan, a member of Islamic Jihad who was released last month from administrative detention after a 66-day fast that left him in grave condition.
Noticeable progress. Rudoren may not write like she’s posting on mondoweiss, but she is a vast improvement over Bronner and Kershner. There are no irritating inaccurate factoids littering her piece, and she seems to be simply striving for true even-handedness, which no doubt will be viewed by Zio-loonies as pro-Palestinian, pro-terrorist, whatever. She’s also choosing to write about an event that Israel no doubt would love to see buried in a tiny article on page 29 if printed at all. It may be a bit premature, but this appears a breath of fresh air.
It minimizes the significance of Rudoren’s amazing piece by instead focusing on the question, “Where’s NPR?”
Her piece is so significant that, for the moment, I don’t care where NPR is.
go rudoren!! a nice bit of writing.
Hallelujah for the changing of the guard at the NYT’s Jerusalem bureau. Good riddance to Bronner! The only people/institutions that will miss him are the pro-settlement/zionist PR agencies that he established relationships with that were blatantly a conflict of interest and journalistic integrity.
Jodi Rudoren shows her merits and what real journalism is through this article. She reports the facts, what a journalist is meant to do. I sent her a note to tell her; it can’t hurt considering the pressure she will be under.
Let us all hope that this continues.
Rudoren’s piece was spectacular for the Times; I don’t remember anything there before which actually tried to let the reader understand what it might feel like to be Palestinian–though there was often some pro forma reporting or acknowledgment of the Palestinian “perspective.” But wow, what a concept, two peoples here, struggling for justice and self-determination, not just one. Bravo Jodi.