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  • Monthly Review Essays

About Julie Hollar

Julie Hollar is senior analyst for FAIR's Election Focus 2020 project. She was Extra!'s managing editor from 2008 to 2014.
  • Bezos

    As Trump II begins, Bezos swaps scrutiny for ‘storytelling’

    Originally published: FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting) on January 22, 2025 (more by FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting))  |

    As the Washington Post faces a staff rebellion and plummeting subscription rates, billionaire owner Jeff Bezos has introduced a new mission statement: “Riveting Storytelling for All of America.”

  • Casey Parks

    Press downplays danger of Supreme Court case that threatens Trans rights—among others

    Originally published: FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting) on December 20, 2024 (more by FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting))  |

    There’s no reason to doubt the incoming Republican government will continue its attacks on trans people and their rights, only now with much more power at its disposal.

  • “Security and [campus police] both retreated as pro-Israel counter-protesters and other groups attacked protesters in the encampment,” UCLA’s student paper (Daily Bruin, 5/1/24) reported.

    As peace protests are violently suppressed, CNN paints them as hate rallies

    Originally published: FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting) on May 3, 2024 (more by FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting))  |

    As peace activists occupied common spaces on campuses across the country, some in corporate media very clearly took sides, portraying student protesters as violent, hateful and/or stupid. CNN offered some of the most striking of these characterizations.

  • NBC and PBS aired three segments each with ceasefire mentions; CBS aired two, and ABC aired none.

    In hours of Israel/Gaza crisis coverage, a word you’ll seldom hear: ‘Ceasefire’

    Originally published: FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting) on October 24, 2023 (more by FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting))  |

    Since the October 7 Hamas attacks, and the subsequent, ongoing Israeli airstrikes, U.S. TV news has offered extensive coverage of Israel and Gaza.

  • Sen. Joe McCarthy would be proud of the New York Times' latest hit job against critics of U.S. foreign policy.

    NYT reveals that a Tech mogul likes China—and that McCarthyism is alive and well

    Originally published: FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting) on August 17, 2023 (more by FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting))  |

    “A Global Web of Chinese Propaganda Leads to a U.S. Tech Mogul,” the New York Times (8/5/23) announced on its front page. “The Times unraveled a financial network that stretches from Chicago to Shanghai and uses American nonprofits to push Chinese talking points worldwide,” read the subhead.

  • When Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D.—Wash.) called Israel a “racist state” at the Netroots Nation conference, corporate media dutifully covered the political backlash—but scrupulously avoided evaluating the veracity of Jayapal’s statement. Addressing activists who interrupted a panel to protest panelist Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s refusal to support a bill protecting Palestinian children, Jayapal said: As somebody that’s been in the streets and has participated in a lot of demonstrations, I think I want you to know that we have been fighting to make it clear that Israel is a racist state, that the Palestinian people deserve self-determination and autonomy, that the dream of a two-state solution is slipping away from us, that it does not even feel possible. Republicans immediately jumped on the statement, working to cast the Democratic party as antisemitic for as many news cycles as possible (Daily Beast, 7/19/23). Top Democrats swiftly rebuked Jayapal, distancing themselves from her remarks and declaring that “Israel is not a racist state.” Jayapal offered a lengthy apology, explaining, “I do not believe the idea of Israel as a nation is racist,” but rather that Netanyahu’s extreme right-wing government has engaged in discriminatory and outright racist policies and that there are extreme racists driving that policy within the leadership of the current government. Reporting the push-back Most major U.S. news outlets covered the blowup over Jayapal’s statement. But astonishingly few took the obvious and necessary journalistic step of factchecking it. NPR (7/17/23) discussed the events under the headline, “Top House Democrats Reject Rep. Jayapal’s Comments Calling Israel a ‘Racist State.'” CNN (7/16/23) went with “Top House Democrats Rebuke Jayapal Comments That Israel Is a ‘Racist State’ as She Tries to Walk Them Back.” The Washington Post‘s version (7/17/23) ran under the headline, “Democrats Push Back on Rep. Jayapal’s Description of Israel as ‘Racist State.’” NPR characterized her words as “controversial.” The Post and CNN quoted top Democrats calling the remarks “unacceptable,” and CNN added a quote from Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz calling them “hurtful and harmful…wholly inaccurate and insensitive.” Both NPR and CNN briefly mentioned that progressive Democrats have “concerns” about “human rights” in Israel, but offered no further information about them. ‘System of domination’ But, of course, progressive Democrats aren’t the only ones with concerns about human rights or racism in Israel, and Jayapal didn’t come up with the “racist state” characterization out of thin air. In 2021, Human Rights Watch (4/27/21) published a lengthy report spelling out its determination that Israel had committed crimes of apartheid against Palestinians, which is defined under international law as an intent to maintain a system of domination by one racial group over another; systematic oppression by one racial group over another; and one or more inhumane acts, as defined, carried out on a widespread or systematic basis pursuant to those policies. HRW explained, for those inclined to split hairs, that this applies to Palestinians because under international law, “race and racial discrimination have been broadly interpreted to include distinctions based on descent, and national or ethnic origin, among other categories.” Earlier the same year, Israeli human rights group B’Tselem (1/12/21) released a report declaring Israel an “apartheid regime.” Amnesty International (2/1/22) followed the next year, publishing a 280-page report titled “Israel’s Apartheid Against Palestinians” that declared that Amnesty International concludes that the State of Israel considers and treats Palestinians as an inferior non-Jewish racial group. These reports came about after Israel in 2018 passed a law with constitutional status that declares Israel is the “nation-state of the Jewish people,” and that “the right of national self-determination in the state of Israel is unique to the Jewish people”—in other words, that Israel is not a nation-state for its Palestinian residents, whether accorded citizenship or not, and that Palestinians subject to Israel’s control have no right to self-determination. As B’Tselem explained in its report: It is true that the Israeli regime largely followed these principles before. Yet Jewish supremacy has now been enshrined in basic law, making it a binding constitutional principle—unlike ordinary law or practices by authorities, which can be challenged. This signals to all state institutions that they not only can, but must, promote Jewish supremacy in the entire area under Israeli control. Jayapal’s statement, therefore, that Israel is a “racist state” has clear grounding in international law, as multiple respected human rights organizations have documented. ‘Certain subjects are taboo’ But in the flood of coverage, mentions of any of the human rights organizations that have designated Israel an apartheid state were extremely rare—and only came after Palestinian-American Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D.—Mich.) highlighted them in a speech on the House floor against a House resolution declaring Israel “not a racist or apartheid state.” At publication, a Nexis search of U.S. news sources found 474 articles and transcripts since July 15 that mentioned Jayapal and “racist state.” Only 24 of those mentioned Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch or B’Tselem. The New York Times (7/18/23) quoted Tlaib saying, “Israel is an apartheid state,” and noted that in her speech she cited “determinations from United Nations officials, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem that Israel’s treatment of Palestinians amounted to apartheid.” This was followed with three sources calling the “racist state” characterization “contrary to the facts,” “false” and “hateful.” The Hill (7/18/23) offered a brief article about Tlaib’s comments, and the Washington Post‘s follow-up article (7/18/23) mentioned them as well. Opinion columns in Newsweek and the Post were noteworthy standouts. Both noted the human rights organizations’ designations and explored the political context beyond the current theatrics. Ishaan Tharoor’s Post column (7/19/23), headlined “It’s the Republicans, Not the Democrats, Who Are Radical on Israel,” focused on the contradictions of growing U.S. public support for Palestinians as the GOP moves radically rightward on Israel/Palestine foreign policy. The Newsweek column (7/18/23), by Omar Baddar, offered the only forceful defense of Jayapal’s remarks FAIR could find in establishment media. Under the headline “​​Rep. Jayapal Was Right: Israel Is a Racist State,” Baddar argued: “We cannot live in a functioning democracy and make informed policy decisions if certain subjects are taboo, and if acknowledging reality in them is derided.” Newsweek diligently countered Baddar’s column with another (7/18/23) under the headline, “No, Israel Is Not a ‘Racist State’.” When Amnesty released its report last year, the New York Times refused to even mention the report for 52 days (FAIR.org, 5/23/23). When journalist Katie Halper, in her new co-host position at Hill TV, recorded a political commentary about the human rights reports titled “Israel IS an Apartheid State,” the Nexstar Media outlet killed the segment and axed Halper (FAIR.org, 10/7/22). That we could find even one critical piece in the wake of Jayapal’s comments in an establishment publication was surprising, given the strong taboo against criticism of Israel that cuts across outlets. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D.–Wash.)

    Covering ‘Racist State’ backlash—but not the reality that Israel is a racist state

    Originally published: FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting) on July 21, 2023 (more by FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting))  |

    When Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D.—Wash.) called Israel a “racist state” at the Netroots Nation conference, corporate media dutifully covered the political backlash—but scrupulously avoided evaluating the veracity of Jayapal’s statement.

  • CEO Christ Licht

    CNN needs more than a new CEO—it needs a new model of journalism

    Originally published: FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting) on June 8, 2023 (more by FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting))  |

    After less than a year, Warner Bros Discovery has ousted CNN chair and CEO Chris Licht.

  • 60 Minutes’ Weight-Loss Tip

    60 Minutes’ weight-loss tip: Don’t bite the hand that feeds you

    Originally published: FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting) on February 10, 2023 (more by FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting))  |

    People in the United States have grown accustomed to endless pharmaceutical ads when watching TV. The industry is the fourth-biggest spender on TV advertising in the country—one of only two in the world (along with New Zealand) that allows such direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs.

  • Collage of mass shooters compiled by JSTOR Daily (10/21/15).

    Mass shooters’ most common trait—their gender—gets little press attention

    Originally published: FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting) on June 30, 2022 by Olivia Riggio (more by FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting))  |

    There were a few things the Buffalo and Uvalde mass shooters who killed a combined 31 people had in common: Both used AR-15-style rifles bought legally. Both were just 18 years old. But perhaps most overlooked in the corporate press as a shared characteristic worthy of commentary: They were both male.

  • During the invasions of their countries, US TV news was much more likely to talk to civilians from Ukraine (left, ABC, 2/26/22) than from Iraq (right, CBS, 3/19/13).

    How much less newsworthy are civilians in other conflicts?

    Originally published: FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting) on March 18, 2022 (more by FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting))  |

    A lot less, particularly when they’re victims of the U.S.

  • Austin Ahlman (Intercept, 2/11/22): “The decision puts Biden on track to cause more death and destruction in Afghanistan than was caused by the 20 years of war that he ended.”

    Biden’s multi-Billion Afghan theft gets scant mention on TV News

    Originally published: FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting) on February 15, 2022 (more by FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting))  |

    Two months ago (FAIR.org, 12/21/21), I noted the striking contrast between vocal media outrage—ostensibly grounded in concern for Afghan people—over President Joe Biden’s withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, and the relative silence over the growing humanitarian crisis in that country, which threatens millions with life-threatening levels of famine.

  • The Wall Street Journal (7/7/21) takes aim at critical race theory, which it describes as “a neo-Marxist ideology that…teaches that a person is defined above all else by race, gender and sexual orientation.”

    The two big lies of WSJ’s attack on critical race theory

    Originally published: FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting) on July 23, 2021 (more by FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting))  |

    The Wall Street Journal editorial board (7/7/21) recently condemned teachers’ support for anti-racist curricula and professional development.

  • Photo of Black Lives Matter protesters that accompanied a New York Times op-ed (5/22/21) on support for the movement in polls.

    Why do White Republicans oppose Black Lives Matter?

    Julie Hollar

    Look what they’re watching.

  • In Media Framing, Trans Kids Are Problems to Be Solved—Not People With Rights

    In media framing, trans kids are problems to be solved—not people with rights

    Originally published: FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting) on May 6, 2021 (more by FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting))  |

    As states continue to pass laws that dehumanize and endanger transgender kids, the country’s most influential newspapers have not met the challenge of covering the issue.

  • When Centrists Lose, Corporate Media Blame the Left

    When Centrists lose, corporate media blame the left

    Originally published: FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting) on November 10, 2020 (more by FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting))  |

    Joe Biden hadn’t even been declared the victor of the 2020 election before establishment Democrats, in the face of poorer-than-expected results in House and Senate races, began pointing fingers at the left—with corporate media giving them a major assist.

  • New York State Tries to Suspend Democracy; NYT and WaPo Shrug

    New York State tries to suspend Democracy; NYT and WaPo shrug

    Originally published: FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting) on May 8, 2020 (more by FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting))  |

    Blaming health risks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the New York State Board of Elections announced last week that the state would simply cancel its Democratic presidential primary, leaving former Vice President Joe Biden to be proclaimed the victor without a vote. The response from the country’s two most prominent newspapers? Meh.

  • Pro-Biden super PAC American Bridge presents China lying about the coronavirus as something that “everyone knows.”

    Media fail to identify xenophobia as Biden says Trump ‘rolled over for Chinese’

    Originally published: FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting) on April 21, 2020 (more by FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting))  |

    Rather than respond by focusing blame for the crisis squarely where it belongs—on Trump’s incompetent, reckless and self-centered management—and working to beat back the dangerously rising anti-Asian sentiment in this country, Biden and some of his supporting super PACs are choosing to adopt rather than challenge the anti-China premise of the attacks.

  • Coronavirus-Ballots

    Can the U.S. pull off a November Election? Journalists play a critical role

    Originally published: FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting) on March 23, 2020 (more by FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting))  |

    It might be easy to forget, given the crisis enveloping the world at the moment, that the United States is scheduled to hold a very important election in November.

  • Visual comparisons of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump from ABC News, Fortune, ABC News, CNN, Deadline, New York Times, The Wrap, CNN and Washington Post (left to right, top to bottom)

    Corporate media equate Sanders to Trump—because for them, Sanders is the bigger threat

    Originally published: FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting) on January 24, 2020 (more by FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting))  |

    As Bernie Sanders emerged as a threat to Hillary Clinton’s presidential nomination in 2016, media began liberally tossing around articles equating Sanders and Donald Trump (FAIR.org, 4/15/16, 12/9/16).

  • The Big Loser in the Iowa Debate? CNN’s Reputation

    The big loser in the Iowa debate? CNN’s reputation

    Originally published: FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting) on January 15, 2020 (more by FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting))  |

    The biggest loser from last night’s Democratic debate (1/14/20) was CNN’s journalistic credibility.

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