Reporting during the Hamas war: Insights from the Director of CAMERA’s Israel office

The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (CAMERA) has been making waves in the media world, particularly in the wake of the October 7 massacre. A recent report by the Telegraph revealed that BBC’s Arabic-speaking outlet had to issue corrections a staggering 80 times in the first five months following the tragic event.

Many of these corrections involved mislabeling Jewish citizens of Israel as “settlers,” referring to UK-designated terror organizations as “resistance” groups, incorrectly stating Tel Aviv as Israel’s capital, and calling Israeli hostages “prisoners.” The Jerusalem Post reached out to CAMERA to learn more about their efforts in holding mainstream media outlets accountable for their reporting.

Founded in 1982 during the First Lebanon War, CAMERA describes itself as the world’s oldest and largest international media monitoring, research, and educational organization focused on Middle East reporting. With 300,000 members and supporters worldwide, CAMERA aims to promote accurate and balanced coverage of Israel and the Middle East in the face of what they see as deteriorating journalistic standards and anti-Israel biases.

CAMERA’s efforts include monitoring media coverage, conducting workshops, and engaging with college students to ensure an accurate portrayal of Israel and the Jewish people. Tamar Sternthal, director of CAMERA’s Israel office, highlighted the organization’s success in prompting mainstream British media coverage of BBC Arabic’s biased reporting on the war.

The Arabic department of CAMERA plays a crucial role in fact-checking Arabic-language reporting by Western media outlets. Sternthal explained that journalists reporting in Arabic for Western outlets are often influenced by biased coverage in the Arab world, leading to misinformation about Jews and Israel. The Arabic team focuses on holding Western channels with Arabic-speaking outlets accountable for unbiased reporting.

CAMERA’s work has led to several high-profile corrections in media coverage, including the firing of a France24 correspondent for praising Hitler and the intervention of the English Independent’s management in reviewing and amending content on Independent Arabia’s website.

Sternthal emphasized the importance of the public’s role in demanding accurate news coverage by becoming critical news consumers and familiarizing themselves with ethical journalism practices. She encouraged concerned individuals to join CAMERA’s letter-writing group, attend webinars, and engage with journalists on social media to advocate for unbiased reporting.

Despite the challenges of biased reporting, Sternthal remains optimistic about the impact of advocating for the truth. She quoted Winston Churchill, saying, “Truth is incontrovertible. Panic may resent it. Ignorance may deride it. Malice may distort it. But there it is.”CAMERA’s efforts have shown that advocating for accurate reporting can have a meaningful impact in the media landscape.