(Photos from the reception were posted by Aharoni and I later learned that the Mideast Dig was not “new.” See my follow-up post.)
A new independent investigative reporting outlet is being started up called Mideast Dig. I liked the idea until I saw it is being rolled out at the home of the Israeli consul general in New York City, Ido Aharoni.
I may go, just to see these people talk about how independent they are going to be, with Aharoni standing there.
The Mideast Dig says:
Advocacy is often met with skepticism or ennui by the public. Even those already persuaded that the bulk of reporting coming out of the Middle East is bad journalism are overloaded with material that preaches to the choir. We are not affilitated with any advocacy groups. We will not be afraid to provoke and challenge our core audiences.
That is contradicted by the location of their opening reception. It’s also contradicted by the content already on the site. It’s what I get on a dozen pro-Israel websites.
You roll out an independent news operation at the Newseum or at the Columbia or CUNY journalism school. You roll out a pro-Israel pressure group at the home of the Israeli consul general.
We can use smart people running a smart site. We don’t need something stupid. Calling yourself independent and announcing your site at the home of the Israeli consul is stupid.