tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008006782907969381.post8843781523618367691..comments2024-01-01T01:47:59.449+02:00Comments on Yaacov Lozowick's Ruminations: Maybe Distance MattersYaacovhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12835192312242961481noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008006782907969381.post-64093714563114568732009-08-06T00:29:08.218+03:002009-08-06T00:29:08.218+03:00I agree with the above comments. Friedman has been...I agree with the above comments. Friedman has been wrong more than right. He pushed the invasion of the Iraq to NYT readers arguing that it would spread democracy to the middle east. How naive. Though I enjoy reading his columns, I take them with a pinch of salt. He is an "idealist" with his head in the air rather than his feet on the ground. Sporadic visits for dinner parties in the the ME with friends is just not enough. Yaakov's critical evaluations on American pundits, and others in Israel, are very helpful. I say this even though I am a person of the left. Ron, Portland ORAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008006782907969381.post-35684339497848667252009-08-05T18:28:18.633+03:002009-08-05T18:28:18.633+03:00One instance where Friedman's anecdote or pers...One instance where Friedman's anecdote or personal story works is the example cited in "Right to Exist" of the North African grocer (Sasson?) and how his views are potentially representative of the way many Mizrachi Jews approach relations and peace agreements with Arabs.<br /><br />Unfortunately, in many cases, Friedman and other journalists don't use the anecdote or personal narrative to illustrate larger trends, but rather to push an agenda. For example, those like Friedman committed to the "peace process" no matter what, are happy to find a Palestinian who talks about just wanting to live in peace with Israel. They then lead the reader to the conclusion that there are hundreds of thousands of Palestinians ready to accept Israel when, in fact, this individual is either unrepresentative or lying. Sorry to get off on a tangent, but that is why I believe that so much of MSM reporting relies on the personal story or anecdote that does more to mislead the reader than to help illustrate larger truths.4infidelsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008006782907969381.post-10510459291719310492009-08-05T18:26:54.857+03:002009-08-05T18:26:54.857+03:00In according to Friedman's bio on Wikipedia he...In according to Friedman's bio on Wikipedia he is a trained ME scholar and speaks the local languages.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008006782907969381.post-59446895918548889042009-08-05T18:01:56.667+03:002009-08-05T18:01:56.667+03:00Avi Issacharoff may have a different ideological o...Avi Issacharoff may have a different ideological outlook than I do, but he sees a similar reality, even if he favors some different policies, and his analysis is almost always sharp. I prefer his work to both Goldberg and Friedman. I read Issacharoff regularly, check out Goldberg's blog every so often and avoid Freidman whenever possible.4infidelsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4008006782907969381.post-47386668514580535162009-08-05T17:55:49.738+03:002009-08-05T17:55:49.738+03:00Yaacov,
I think you give Friedman too much credit...Yaacov,<br /><br />I think you give Friedman too much credit. He's been consistently wrong for two decades. His style of journalism consists of conversations with his "Arab friends," overlooking the way Islamic doctrine influences Arab societies. Many of those friends are unrepresentative of their larger societies while others are quite skilled in deception--their lies are transparent even in print. His criticisms of Israel strike me as gratuitous, included often just to show he's no Zionist stooge.<br /><br />Goldberg has a left-of-center ideology which leads him to misread events (sees Fatah as more moderate than they are; thinks there is nothing inherently wrong with Islam or the Koran), but he is an honest reporter whose work contains more depth and integrity than Friedman's.4infidelsnoreply@blogger.com