A critical note on Khoury

Regarding Editor Khoury’s speech at Stanford, I note that Khoury did not mention the blogosphere’s role in finding numerous examples of biased reporting — against Israel. Littlegreenfootballs.com and a few sites documented examples of pictures that were photo-shopped or manufactured as overt propaganda — and then published by major media.

As far as one writer’s claim that “there is an urgent need for political resolution,” what is this person talking about? The right of Hezbollah to take hostages and to try to trade them for terrorists? Lebanon has no political claims on Israel, but can’t say so because its government remains hostage to an independent militia that continues to threaten the freedom of every Lebanese citizen.

The two issues are related because I do not believe Khoury is truly free, as an editor, to express any opinion. Because of militias within his area and the physical threat to his paper, he cannot say what he really thinks about the Hezbollah. He is the Lebanese equivalent of the old editor of the Soviet news service “Pravda.” That may sound harsh, and Khoury may be doing his best under the circumstances, but anything he says, frankly, has to be taken with a grain of salt.

Daniel Jacobs MD

AB 1982 History