1. religion and spirituality
2. judaism

“I have been deployed on the
Gazan border for the last 5
months and at this time with all
the chaos that the Jewish people
are dealing with I just wanted to
say thank you, please never stop
the great work that you guys at
HonestReporting do.”
– Ben Z.
www.honestreporting.com
2014 Q3
Report
HonestReporting
Defending
Defending Israel
Israel From
From Media
Media Bias
Bias
HR 2014 Q3 REVieW / page 2
OPERATION
PROTECTIVE EDGE
The 50-day war with
Hamas in Gaza saw
HonestReporting’s
small team of
dedicated staff
working around
the clock producing
content and material
to enable subscribers
to respond to a
veritable avalanche
of anti-Israel bias
in the media and
elsewhere.
As Operation Protective Edge
began, HonestReporting
was the first organization
to publish a primer giving
background information and
talking points on the conflict.
This was followed up by
further informational content
answering some of the most
difficult questions surrounding
the reasons for Israel’s
actions and efforts to avoid
harming Palestinian civilians.
In addition, HonestReporting
monitored, critiqued and
exposed many examples of
media bias from multiple
sources. Some of the
corrections that were
achieved are included in this
quarterly review.
During Operation Protective
Edge, HR produced some
70 featured articles and
action alerts, 35 daily news
roundups, 5 videos, 58 email
campaigns and 120 original
graphics while we reached
almost 10 million people on
Facebook.
HonestReporting also
acted as a multiplier on
social media by spreading
other relevant and viral
materials through Facebook
and Twitter, particularly
multimedia and infographics
created by the IDF.
Other organizations also
reciprocated by spreading
HonestReporting material to
their own supporters (below).
HR gained over 8,000 new
mailling list subscribers and
900,000 website views –
indicative of the intense activity
during this short period.
See page 22 of this report for more about Slideshare and our
success with “Top Five Media Fails of the Gaza War.”
Want to see this and previous reports on the web? http://www.honestreporting.com/activity-reports/
page 3 / HR 2014 Q3 REVieW
On the frontlines
of the media war
During the Gaza conflict, HonestReporting placed strategically
located banners on The Times of Israel website, which had
seen a massive increase in traffic during the conflict. These
banners were designed to promote our work to people
interested in Israel who may not yet be subscribers of ours.
Our banners were seen almost one million times over a
period of three weeks. We rotated banners that linked to our
homepage’s daily updated content, a petition in which people
could express their disappointment with Gaza-related media
coverage, and a link to our donation page. Thousands of
people clicked on these links resulting in more visits to the
website, more subscribers, and additional donations.
“Thank you ever so
much for your efforts
to keep the world
media honest in their
reporting of events
and situations on the
ground in Israel and the
Middle East.
“You have been very
instrumental in lighting
a fire within me and
have been active in
carrying this passion
for honesty in reporting
to my local newspapers
and among my friends
and family.”
– Trevor W.,
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada
FIGHTING A BLOOD LIBEL
In August, Time Magazine
gave new life to a horrendous
blood libel accusing the IDF of
stealing Palestinian organs.
In the middle of a video
about the Israeli military, the
narrator stated that the “IDF
is not without controversy.”
The example:
“…in 2009 a Swedish report
came out exposing some
Israeli troops of selling
organs of Palestinians who
died in their custody.”
Having already debunked
this false Swedish report at
the time, HonestReporting
exposed this latest libel.
Within hours of our critique,
Time removed the allegation
from the video, adding this at
the end:
“Correction: The original
version of this video cited
a contested allegation in a
2009 Swedish newspaper
report as fact. The allegation
has been removed from the
video.”
This success garnered media
coverage including in: The
Times of Israel, Haaretz, The
Algemeiner, i24 News, and
JNS.
Make a meaningful gift today via our secure donation page at https://honestreporting.nationbuilder.com/
page 4 / HR 2014 Q3REVieW
HonestReporting not only exposed
media bias against Israel but also
ensured numerous corrections.
Media
Corrections
Three mothers united in grief:
Thousands mourn Israeli
teenagers ‘killed by Hamas’ as
revenge bombings of Gaza begin
The Daily Mail Gets it Wrong
Omitting Hamas Man’s
Terror Affiliation
In a report on an Israeli air strike, The
Daily Mail failed to mention that the
focus of the headline and photos was
not only a “Palestinian father” but
also a police officer in Hamas’ security
services. Following correspondence
with HonestReporting, the man’s
Hamas affiliation was added to the
story by The Daily Mail.
The Daily Mail’s report on the funerals and aftermath
of the murder of three Israeli teens contained multiple
errors as well as bias. The headline (above) referred
to “revenge bombings of Gaza,” falsely asserting that
Israeli actions to prevent rocket attacks from Gaza
were motivated purely by revenge rather than the need
to protect Israeli citizens from terror.
The Daily Mail also claimed that “Fighter jets
unleashed a rain of missiles along the West Bank and
a Hamas member was shot dead last night as Israel
carried out its retaliation for the murder of the three
teenagers.”
Contrary to this claim, no missiles were fired by Israeli
fighter jets “along the West Bank” while the description
of a “rain of missiles” is also an embellishment that
implies that were this to be the case, Israeli missile
strikes are indiscriminate.
In addition, the Hamas member was not simply “shot
dead” but was apparently killed when he threw a
grenade at forces carrying out an arrest raid, an
important piece of missing context.
Following a complaint from HonestReporting,
amendments were made to both the headline and the
article text.
Hundreds of Hamas
Rockets go Missing for
Australian Broadcaster
An Australian Broadcasting
Corporation story stated that “At least
five rockets fired from Gaza were
shot down over Tel Aviv by Israel’s
Iron Dome defence system, army
radio reported.” The article, however,
failed to mention how many rockets
had been fired in total. Following a
complaint from HonestReporting, that
vital statistic was added to the article.
The original HR article was also
republished by Australia’s J-Wire.
Want to see this and previous reports on the web? http://www.honestreporting.com/activity-reports/
page 5 / HR 2014 Q3 REVieW
Palestinian youth lynched by
settlers in revenge killing
media corrections
It’s Not the Popcorn That’s
Rotten
Only hours after the publication of a
critique and in response to a complaint
from HonestReporting, The Daily Mirror
removed a recycled photo that had
been used to illustrate a story of Israelis
watching events in Gaza from a lookout in
Sderot.
Irish Times Corrects Gaza
Occupation Photo Caption
The Times of London Adds Fuel to the Fire
The Times of London published a speculative headline
on the killing of a Palestinian boy (see image above).
Only hours after its exposure by HonestReporting, The
Times changed its original headline.
Sky Sports Corrects: Tel Aviv is Not
Israel’s Capital
Sky Sports removed a reference to Tel Aviv as Israel’s
capital following a complaint from HonestReporting.
b
The Times of London Corrects Error About
Avigdor Lieberman
Following an email from HonestReporting, The Times of
London issued the following correction:
“We said in a leading article (“Avoiding
vendetta”, July 8) that Avigdor
Lieberman, Israel’s foreign minister, “has
now walked out of government”. Although
Mr Lieberman has ended his alliance with
Binyamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, he
remains in the coalition government and
as foreign minister.”
The caption to an accompanying photo in
an Irish Times story referred to the “Israeli
occupation of Gaza.” The paper replaced
the caption after HonestReporting
contacted the Irish Times, pointing out
that Israel withdrew its soldiers and
civilians from Gaza in 2005, hence there
is no “occupation of Gaza” to bring to an
end.
Fox News Amends
Misleading Ceasefire
Headline
Fox News promptly updated a misleading
headline following a request from
HonestReporting. The original headline
implied that it was Israel rather than
Hamas that had rejected a ceasefire
proposal.
Israel Not to Blame: False
Photo Caption Corrected
After HonestReporting pointed out the
error, The Daily Telegraph amended the
captions on two photos that suggested
that Israel had shelled the Karni Crossing
on the Gaza border. HR also contacted the
Associated Press, which was responsible
for supplying these photos and captions to
numerous media outlets around the world.
AP subsequently amended the captions on
the offending photos.
Make a meaningful gift today via our secure donation page at https://honestreporting.nationbuilder.com/
page 6 / HR 2014 Q3 REVieW
Media
Appearances
[
HonestReporting’s work was included in a feature
story in Mishpacha Magazine:
“The worst reporting comes
from a particular liberal/leftwing bias inherent in many
media organizations that tend
to hire their reporters and
staff from a particularly narrow
background,” says Simon
Plosker, managing editor of
]
HonestReporting, an Israelbased media watchdog. “This is
particularly the case in the BBC,
which falsely claims to seek
‘balance,’ while The New York
Times and The Guardian make
no bones about their political
and editorial slants.”
Want to see this and previous reports on the web? http://www.honestreporting.com/activity-reports/
page 7 / HR 2014 Q3 REVieW
According to Joe Hyams, CEO of HonestReporting,
it’s too late for Israel supporters to consider
withdrawing from social media, “the very thing
that could have prevented Judge Goldstone’s
[anti-israel] allegations from spreading [after the
2008 Gaza conflict],” he said.
Joe Hyams was quoted
extensively in a feature in
The Times of Israel about
the merits of taking an
occasional “fast” from the
intensity of Israel-related
social media.
“The lies against Israel just can’t take root if
everyone is so active on social media,” said Hyams,
who believes that how social media platforms are
used is just as important – if not more – than why.
“It’s like the decision with Iron Dome, to launch
or to not launch,” said the British-born Hyams,
who abstains from social media on Shabbat. “With
social media too, we need to use thought and
precision and be aware of the powerful tools that
words are,” he said.
Hyams called silence in the face of media assaults
on Israel “unacceptable,” comparing it to the story
of Rashbi and Rebbe Eliezer “leaving the cave” to
encounter a shocking world, followed by a return
to the darkness.
– from The Times of Israel
Media appearances
Alex Margolin
(right), HR’s Internet
Strategist, has had
several articles
republished by The
Algemeiner, including:
Simon Plosker (above), HR’s Managing
Editor, wrote in The Times of Israel
on the unsubstantiated rumors that
spread online following the brutal
murder of an Arab boy from Jerusalem.
The Hebrew Israeli YNet news site
profiled the anti-Israel bias of the
medical journal The Lancet, drawing on
a number of HonestReporting critiques
and research.
People Watch the News to Confirm
What They Believe • The BDS
Movement Can’t Harm Israel’s
Economy, Just its Reputation • How
the Media Distorted the Gaza War
• Analyzing ‘The Palestine Effect’ •
Revealed: Hamas’ Media Strategy for
Gaza War
Make a meaningful gift today via our secure donation page at https://honestreporting.nationbuilder.com/
page 8 / HR 2014 Q3 REVieW
Israel Daily News Stream
Facing an overwhelming
amount of news reports
during Operation Protective
Edge, readers turned to
to the Israel Daily News
Stream for succinct and
engaging roundups of the
most important stories,
commentaries, and trends
in coverage.
700,000
600,000
500,000
400,000
Page Views
637,309
Uniques
549,199
467,188
408,009
386,067
336,862
300,000
200,000
100,000
HR rose to the occasion, as the IDNS
broke all records for readership in the
third quarter of the year.
One example was the August 11 roundup,
“Hamas Executes Dozens of Tunnel Diggers,”
which became the most-read IDNS post of
all time. More than 22,000 readers spent an
0
Q1
Q2
Q3
exceedingly high average of 10 minutes on this
page.
The useful roundups accounted for one-third of
all of HonestReporting’s page views during the
crisis.
HonestReporting Board Member Max Blankfeld (lower left) had the honor of hitting the “Send”
button for the September 10 IDNS email, reaching well over 100,000 subscribers.
Want to see this and previous reports on the web? http://www.honestreporting.com/activity-reports/
page 9 / HR 2014 Q3 REVieW
Joe hyams at new York city rally:
no apologies for not bleeding More
The disparity in
casualties between
Israel and the
Palestinians in the
Gaza war is a product
of Israel’s intense
efforts to protect
its own citizens,
HonestReporting’s
CEO Joe Hyams told a
crowd of supporters
at a pro-Israel rally in
front of CNN’s studio
in New York.
And the international press
has an obligation to make that
clear to the public, he said.
Joe said he was tired of the
insidious double standard
and media duplicity. “I won’t
apologize to the international
media that we didn’t bleed
enough,” he said.
He also rejected the notion
that there were two sides to
the conflict between Israel
and Hamas, both of which
deserve equal treatment in
the media.
“To say that there is offers
legitimacy to Hamas, a
terrorist organization,” Joe
said. “We are not asking the
international media to wake
up and sing ‘Hatikvah’
tomorrow. We are just asking
them to be great journalists.
“We need to see a shift to
reporting intent and not
consequence,” he added,
referring to the false
impression people get from
the raw casualty figures often
reported in the press.
“Why can’t our media be
brave and courageous and
prepared to get off that
fence and champion those
who protect their babies and
denounce those who send
them out to kill and maim?”
he asked.
Make a meaningful gift today via our secure donation page at https://honestreporting.nationbuilder.com/
page 10 / HR 2014 Q3 REVieW
honestreporting events
Following the
success of
HonestReporting
events in the second
quarter, we’ve
expanded this
important means
of connecting and
educating our
audience directly.
We increased
our outreach to
Israeli supporters
with more events
in our Jerusalem
headquarters with
both inspirational
speakers and
practical advocacy
training. In addition,
we successfully
held a first-ever
conference call
allowing a global
audience to
participate.
melanie PHILLIPS
The jewish
diaspora:
paying the price
for gaza
COL. (RES.)
BENTZI Gruber
The idf:
ethics in the
field
Dr. Jonathan
Schanzer
Israel’s Options
and Hamas’
Strategy
Neil
Lazarus
practical
advocacy
training
Want to see this and previous reports on the web? http://www.honestreporting.com/activity-reports/
page 11 / HR 2014 Q3 REVieW
hr eVENTS
MELANIE PHILLIPS
Prominent British commentator Melanie
Phillips addressed a crowd of 300 people in
Jerusalem’s Heichal Shlomo building, which
houses HonestReporting’s headquarters,
on August 27 on the subject: “The Jewish
Diaspora: Paying the Price for Gaza.”
Referring to Israel as a “lifeaffirming place of hope where
Jews are not on their knees but
are fighting for the defense of
civilization against barbarism,” Ms.
Phillips noted how, in the discourse
surrounding the Gaza conflict, antiIsrael attitudes had morphed into
overt anti-Judaism in a “tsunami of
bigotry and hatred.”
Using the UK as a case study, Ms.
Phillips addressed the prejudiced
attitudes towards Israel from both
Muslims and left-wingers and socalled liberals before criticizing the
UK Jewish community for failing to
respond adequately and preferring
to keep their heads down.
She also criticized Israel’s failure
“to grasp that information is a
strategy of war on the battleground
of the mind, and a strategy that
has been used to enormous effect
against Israel, and against which it
doesn’t even seem to know that it
is fighting.
“Israel needs a new strategic
vision. It needs to have
a strategy to combat the
psychological warfare strategy
being deployed by the enemy
and having been deployed so
effectively against Israel for
around four decades now.”
Ms. Phillips stated that Israel needs
to reframe the entire narrative
about the Middle East, firstly by
educating the uneducated through
teaching the history of the Jewish
people and Israel, through exposing
the Muslim and Arab anti-Semitism
so prevalent even among so-called
moderates in the Middle East, and
to position Israel at the forefront of
the global battle for civilization by
reclaiming the word Zionist for the
moral high ground where it belongs.
She stressed that Zionism is an
integral part of Judaism and to be
hostile to Israel or Zionism is to be
hostile to Judaism.
Israel should delegitimize the
delegitimizers by calling the United
Nations to account, particularly
UNRWA’s relationship with Hamas
and the UN Human Rights Council’s
credibility as it empowers dictators
and rogue states.
Ms. Phillips also urged Israel to
hold its allies to account for their
silence in the face of years of
demonization and delegitimization
and the constant incitement
against Israel and Jews.
Finally she said that Israel should
present its fight not as a regional
conflict but place itself at the head
of a global battle for civilization
against Islamists and jihadists that
Western states are all in together.
Melanie Phillips concluded:
“Diaspora Jews are not paying
the price for Gaza… They are
paying the price for something
else. They are paying the
price for Gaza for European
and Western anti-Semitism.
They are paying the price for
Israel’s strategic failure on
the battleground of the mind.
They are paying the price for
their own silence and their
own futile attempt to separate
themselves from Israel. They
are paying the price, above all,
and I’m thinking particularly
of Britain, of living in a fool’s
paradise.”
HonestReporting Managing Editor
Simon Plosker said, “Melanie
Phillips is a forceful advocate for
Israel and there is much that both
Israel and Diaspora Jewry can learn
from her willingness to confront
the challenges facing us in these
difficult times.”
A video of Melanie Phillips’ speech can
be found online here: https://www.
youtube.com/watch?v=cKosCIScvO4
This video alone has been viewed by
over 21,000 people.
Make a meaningful gift today via our secure donation page at https://honestreporting.nationbuilder.com/
page 12 / HR 2014 Q3 REVieW
hr eVENTS
COL. (RES.) BENTZI Gruber
On July 7,
HonestReporting
hosted IDF Colonel
(res.) Bentzi Gruber
who spoke to an
audience of 50 at
HR’s Jerusalem
headquarters on the
subject of “Ethics in
the Field.”
The choice of speaker and
topic was deliberate in
that Operation Protective
Edge was launched the
following day. Colonel Gruber
gave the audience a firsthand
look into the strategic
and ethical decisions that
IDF commanders and
officers make daily and
demonstrated the way in
which the IDF strives to avoid
collateral damage while also
maintaining national security.
Col. Gruber is a regular HR Mission lecturer.
Don’t miss our June 2015 Mission to Israel!
dr. jonathan schanzer
On July 15, in
the midst of the
Gaza conflict,
HonestReporting
initiated what is
expected to be the
first of many future
teleconferencing
events.
Dozens of valued friends
and supporters of
HonestReporting joined
Joe Hyams to hear from
Dr. Jonathan Schanzer,
a respected author and
scholar in Middle Eastern
studies, and vice president of
research at the Foundation
for Defense of Democracies.
Dr. Schanzer gave his
analysis of the latest
situation and answered
numerous questions from
his listening audience. By
cooperating and working
with outside experts in their
fields, HonestReporting
is increasingly seen as a
credible source of expertise
on broad regional issues.
Want to see this and previous reports on the web? http://www.honestreporting.com/activity-reports/
page 13 / HR 2014 Q3 REVieW
hr eVENTS
neil
lazarus
On September 30,
dozens received
practical advocacy
training from
Neil Lazarus of
Awesome Seminars
at HonestReporting’s
International
Headquarters.
Neil is an internationally
acclaimed expert in the
field of Middle East Politics,
Israel Public Diplomacy and
Effective Communication
Training.
Thanks to his unique style,
the participants left with a
greater confidence to be able
to defend Israel, a particularly
important skill in light of the
recent Gaza conflict.
Making an Impact: Educating and Advocating
Feedback from our events testifies to their value. We ran educational programming for
nearly 450 people during the quarter and the results were overwhelmingly positive.
When asked how
they would rate the
educational value of
the Jonathan Schanzer
conference call, 73% of
respondents stated that
it was exceptional or
very educational.
Make a meaningful gift today via our secure donation page at https://honestreporting.nationbuilder.com/
HR EVENTS
page 14 / HR 2014 Q3 REVieW
Making an Impact: Educating and Advocating
The speaking events outlined above have registered impressive feedback.
82% of respondents have
found the speakers to be
very interesting.
In Washington, D.C. in July, HonestReporting
CEO Joe Hyams met with Ron Dermer (right),
Israel’s Ambasador to the United States,
to discuss Israel’s media challenges.
Joe Hyams with William Daroff, Vice
President for Public Policy and Director
of the Washington Office of The Jewish
Federations of North America (JFNA).
Social media is where a significant proportion of the
battle for Israel’s image is being fought and more
than anywhere else, the forum where individuals
can have the greatest impact by simply sharing and
promoting HonestReporting’s materials and those of
other prominent personalities.
Join HR’s social media efforts on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, SlideShare, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Google+.
Want to see this and previous reports on the web? http://www.honestreporting.com/activity-reports/
page 15 / HR 2014 Q3 REVieW
U.S. Outreach
On August 3,
HonestReporting
CEO Joe Hyams
participated in
a communitywide gathering at
Congregation Beth
El Atereth Israel in
Newton, MA.
Guest speaker Rabbi
Steven Weil led the
commemoration of the
shloshim of murdered
Jewish teens Eyal, GilAd, and Naftali, z”l, while
solidarity was shown for
Israel.
Joe demonstrated support
for members of the IDF with
HonestReporting material
gathered during Operation
Protective Edge.
U.S.A. executive director
HR’s USA Executive
Director Gary Kenzer
continues to travel
the country on behalf
of the organization.
Gary continues to be a regular
monthly guest on the talk show
Hebrew Nation Radio which
has a listenership of thousands
worldwide.
He also spoke at the Chicago
area chapter of Parents of
North Americans in Israel (see
below).
During this quarter Gary gave
several talks at two Limmud
events, one in the Bay area just
north of San Francisco and the
other in Baltimore, MD. Both
events and cities attracted
several hundred people.
Make a meaningful gift today via our secure donation page at https://honestreporting.nationbuilder.com/
page 16 / HR 2014 Q3 REVieW
U.S. OUTREACH
In Jacksonville, FL on July 21,
HonestReporting CEO
Joe Hyams spoke to
over 200 people
at Congregation
Ahavath Chesed.
Elizabeth J Kanter @elizabethkanter Jul 24
@LegalPoetry @HonestReporting -SO
proud ‘The Lawrence & Kathy Kanter
#Endowment For #Jewish Preservation’
brought this program 2 #Jacksonville!
Reply • Retweet • Favorite ••• More
Joe Hyams presenting to Brandeis University
students on September 23. Ethical challenges
in journalism were explored through the lens
of this past summer’s conflict. Students had
the opportunity to review biased news reports
and develop their understanding of how media
influences public opinion. Joe invited students
to recognize their own capacity to counter hate
and misinformation that affects Jews all over
the world through appropriate use of social
media to drive grassroots change.
Want to see this and previous reports on the web? http://www.honestreporting.com/activity-reports/
page 17 / HR 2014 Q3 REVieW
I’d like to commend you on the
wonderful work you do. It is really
sad that the mainstream media is so
blatantly dishonest (and dangerously
so) in reporting the truth. Linda Z., British Columbia, Canada
So glad that you are
on the job getting
the truth out. wish
more of the public
were reading HR.
Thanks a million!
Now my friends
won’t think I’m
crazy!! Just love
your reporting
and look forward
to your emails
every day.
Arlene K.
Maryland
Hi HonestReporting,
After 15 years as a MP I will now
finish as a parliamentarian. I have
appreciated all the information I
got from you during all those years.
Thank you!
Annelie Enochson
Member of the Swedish Parliament
Myrna B.
New York
What you are doing is fantastic. I applaud your
constant vigilance and the recognition that the
battle for minds and hearts is critical. Mahti T.
Maryland
HonestReporting’s work clearly made an impression during the Gaza conflict judging by an
appearance on an Al Jazeera report on the information war.
Make a meaningful gift today via our secure donation page at https://honestreporting.nationbuilder.com/
H
De
page 18 / HR 2014 Q3 REVieW
the Blankfeld Award
for media critique
The 2014 Winner is...
Elijah granet
HonestReporting is proud to
announce that Elijah Granet,
19, from San Diego, California,
and currently studying in New
York City, is the winner of
the third Blankfeld Award for
Media Critique.
On receiving his certificate
and the first installment of his
award, Elijah commented:
“I am deeply honored to
have received this award.
As someone who has both
aspirations to be a journalist
It was a unanimous decision
and a strong connection to
to give this year’s award to
Israel, I consider the treatment
Elijah, currently majoring in
of Israel in the media to be
Political Science and Talmud
a crucial issue. I am looking
at Columbia University and the forward to working with
Jewish Theological Seminary
HonestReporting to help ensure
in New York City. Elijah has
objective coverage of Israel.”
been a regular contributor
HonestReporting received
to The Times of Israel blog
entries from aspiring student
section and wrote several
writers from around the globe,
opinion pieces for the Daily
including the U.S., Canada,
Californian having spent
South Africa, Australia and
the first year of college at
the UK. HonestReporting
the University of California,
staff members and HR Board
Berkeley.
member Max Blankfeld, the
Elijah has been a dedicated
sponsor of the $2000 award,
Israel activist from high school were joined by The Jerusalem
where he founded an AIPAC
Post’s Political Editor Gil
club to his time at UC Berkeley Hoffman on the judging panel.
where he was on the executive
Dedicated to the memory
board of the Tikvah: Students
of Eli Blankfeld, a journalist
for Israel group. Elijah was
who documented Jewish
also a recipient of the Goor
life in Germany after World
Prize in Jewish Studies.
War II and during the period
surrounding the creation
of the State of Israel, after
having lost his parents and
sisters during the Holocaust,
the Blankfeld Award for Media
Critique recognizes aspiring
journalists who demonstrate
a commitment to the values
of objective and honest
reporting, specifically in the
field of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
As the recipient of the
Blankfeld Award, Elijah has
committed to producing
at least four pieces of
writing during the year
2015 for publication on the
HonestReporting website.
HonestReporting’s Managing
Editor, Simon Plosker said:
“We were extremely impressed
with the quality of the
applicants’ submissions and
the commitment shown in
their writing. Elijah’s writing
stood out for its creativity and
unconventionality and we are
confident that he is one to watch
both now and in the future.”
Elijah’s success was covered
in the San Diego Jewish World
and Carmel Valley News.
Want to see this and previous reports on the web? http://www.honestreporting.com/activity-reports/
page 19 / HR 2014 Q3 REVieW
During the
third quarter,
HonestReporting
produced eleven
new videos, many
of which showed
specific examples
of biased media
coverage during the
Gaza conflict.
Videos were used to
encourage viewers to contact
the media and also to
promote the HonestReporting
website.
Our video channel saw a
large increase in traffic in this
quarter with 140,000 people
having been educated and
influenced by our work,
totalling over half a million
minutes spent watching
HR material. The videos
hr videos
encouraged engagement of
viewers with thousands of
comments and shares.
These views came from both
new and existing videos. Our
Melanie Phillips lecture (see
p. 11) was recorded and
was watched over 21,000
times on YouTube. Our video
comparing a CNN interview
with guests defending Hamas
and one on Fox News with
Sean Hannity currently has
some 17,000 views. Another
20,000 views were attributed
to an older but important video
showing how Palestinians
often act out fictional scenes
of Israeli destruction for news
cameras (“Exposed: Pallywood
Returns to Gaza”).
welcome Talia Felix, HR’s social media manager
Recognizing the need
to increase our already
substantial social media
activities, HonestReporting
was delighted to hire Talia
Felix as our new dedicated
Social Media Editor. Talia
joined HR fresh from a
period of reserve duty in the
IDF Spokesperson’s Unit
during the Gaza conflict.
Having previously served on
the European Media Desk
of the unit’s Foreign Press
Department, Talia brings her
mix of youth and experience
to this important part of
HonestReporting’s work.
Make a meaningful gift today via our secure donation page at https://honestreporting.nationbuilder.com/
page 20 / HR 2014 Q3 REVieW
social media
HonestReporting attracted 1.2
million visits during the third
quarter of 2014. The biggest
referring site to HonestReporting
remained Facebook, which sent
more than 200,000 visitors.
Facebook
During the third quarter, HonestReporting’s
Facebook page nearly doubled in size, growing
from 15,900 members to 29,400.
In addition to the traffic Facebook sent to
HR’s website, it also helped HonestReporting
reach 10 million people through Facebook
itself during the Gaza war. The numbers
include an astonishing 5 million in one week,
largely on the strength of several graphics
that were shared virally.
The most popular graphic HR
produced during the conflict
was a picture of Golda Meir
with one of her famous quotes
from the 1950s about peace. The
message clearly resonated with
how many of Israel’s supporters
felt about the Gaza war.
8,953 Likes
307 Comments
45,764 Shares
Reach: 3,406,000
24,725 Likes
1,200 Comments
37,987 Shares
Reach: 3,312,640
Want to see this and previous reports on the web? http://www.honestreporting.com/activity-reports/
page 21 / HR 2014 Q3 REVieW
social media
HR’s Facebook effort had the
most successful week in its
history, reaching millions of
readers with news and analysis
during the heat of the Gaza
war, and inspiring hundreds of
thousands to get involved in the
online effort to support Israel.
Likes: New Membership
4,500
3,500
increase from
previous
week
2,000
1,500
1,000
986
500
0
Week of
July 8-14
1,250
Week of
July 15-21
499%
4,000,000
increase from
previous
week
3,000,000
2,000,000
1,000,000
0
269,754
Week of
July 8-14
449,807
Week of
July 15-21
increase from
previous
week
300,000
200,000
100,000
0
24,700
42,301
Week of
July 8-14
Week of
July 15-21
Week of
July 22-28
22,694
20,000
15,000
17,779
18,477
Week of
July 8-14
Week of
July 15-21
Week of
July 22-28
20%
increase from
previous
week
10,000
5,000
Week of
July 22-28
Total Reach: HR’s Presence on Facebook
6,000,000
5,146,157
5,000,000
556%
400,000
0
Week of
July 22-28
Post Reach: People Served HR Content
6,000,000
501,943
500,000
Likes: Total Page Membership
163%
3,000
2,500
600,000
25,000
3,922
4,000
Engagement: People Who Clicked,
Commented, Shared, or Liked HR Posts
5,167,224
5,000,000
496%
4,000,000
increase from
previous
week
3,000,000
2,000,000
1,000,000
0
279,978
Week of
July 8-14
457,858
Week of
July 15-21
Week of
July 22-28
“Well done! The journalists need to be constantly reminded of their duty
to report impartial and honest, thank you for taking the time to write to
the media to correct them!”
– Amanda L., via Facebook
Make a meaningful gift today via our secure donation page at https://honestreporting.nationbuilder.com/
page 22 / HR 2014 Q3 REVieW
social media
Slideshare
Slideshare is the Internet’s
largest showcase
for slideshows and
presentations, attracting
more than 60 million visitors
each month. A featured
place on Slideshare allows
HR to spread its message far
beyond the “choir” of Israel’s
supporters.
Slideshows have emerged
as a major part of HR’s
communication toolkit. Our
slideshow about the worst
media bias failures during the
Gaza war attracted more than
40,000 views, making it one
of the most popular items
released by HonestReporting
in connection to the war.
During the third quarter, all
of HR’s slideshows attracted
viewers, drawing nearly
100,000 people.
Slideshare elevated our presentation to a Featured position
on their homepage, as well as packaging it in a “Top Weekly
Content” newsletter (above).
Twitter
HonestReporting’s Twitter
following grew by nearly
100% during the third quarter,
jumping from 6,700 followers
to 11,300.
We also drew attention from
a vast array of pro-Israel
activists and even some
celebrities (see right).
Want to see this and previous reports on the web? http://www.honestreporting.com/activity-reports/
page 23 / HR 2014 Q3 REVieW
fighting bds
The Boycott, Divestment, and
Sanctions (BDS) movement is
an international strategy that
seeks to present Israel as a pariah state akin to Apartheid South Africa. It aims to isolate
Israel politically, economically, militarily, academically, and culturally,
Although the BDS
movement slipped in
prominence during
the Gaza war, it has
returned in full force
with the start of
the academic year.
HonestReporting
expects major BDS
battles in the fourth
quarter, and beyond.
for news and discussion
about BDS issues as they
appear.
The Fighting BDS page on
Facebook has grown to over
6,600 members, and the
page remains a vibrant forum
Many of the posts have been
republished by other news
sites, helping HonestReporting extend its reach.
HonestReporting writer and
editor Alex Margolin appeared
semi-regularly in the Jewish
news site, Algemeiner. His
pieces have been featured
several times, including during
the period of the Gaza war.
Scholars for Peace
in the Middle East,
a respected and influential website covering the
BDS movement, re-published Alex Margolin’s article,
“Activist Admits BDS Effect Largely Psychological” in
its entirety on September 30.
Make a meaningful gift today via our secure donation page at https://honestreporting.nationbuilder.com/
HonestReporting’s presence on Twitter
example, currently showing 188 Likes and 205
Facebook
continues to grow on a daily basis, attracting nearly
Shares.
Facebook remains one of the pillars of HR’s
6,500 followers, hundreds of retweets, and countless
mentions. Twitter has also emerged as an important
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