The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate lists many values. "Truth," "Objectivity" and "Fairness" are not among them. ~ Elder Of Ziyon

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate lists many values. "Truth," "Objectivity" and "Fairness" are not among them.

Normative journalistic ethics include Truth and Accuracy, Impartiality and Objectivity, and Fairness and Respect.

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate includes none of those.

Their published values are: Transparency, Accountability, Gender Sensitivity, Respect for Others(with the caveat that they must align with core national values), Independence, Community Service, Support for Marginalized Groups and "Anti-Normalization" - no contact or partnership with Israeli media or other organizations.

Isn't it strange to have a journalists group that does not include truth, impartiality and fairness among its principles?

It does claim "Independence." This idea is subverted because PJS recently published another set of "ethical principles" that was co-written with - the BDS Movement.

That document is a masterpiece of doubletalk, as it pretends to uphold journalistic standards as long as they adhere to what BDS wants people to think about Israel.

Or as it quotes a Pakistani journalist, “Should journalists still present all sides when we know that one side is lying, or that one side is clearly the oppressor? By giving the oppressor a means to justify their oppression, does journalism perpetuate the cycle of oppression?” By defining Israel as the side that is lying, it justifies promoting Hamas lies as the only acceptable narrative.

The official position of Palestinian journalists - not Hamas, but all Palestinian journalists - is to promote anti-Israel propaganda. Truth, fairness, accuracy and impartiality are definitely not among their values, by their own definitions.