The Times Discovers the Road Map!

In the past, I've described how the New York Times has systematically avoided mentioning Palestinian obligations under the Road Map for Peace. The Palestinians must dismantle terror groups in the Road Map's very first phase.

Today, the Times puts its bias on display by showing when it does mention the Road Map in even the tiniest stories.

In a news brief in the "World Briefing" section today by Jerusalem Bureau Chief Steve Erlanger -- not online at this writing -- the Road Map is the central focus. The piece describes how Israel has "invited bids for the building of 13 houses in Maale Adunim... despite an obligation to freeze such construction under the 'road map' for peace with the Palestinians and a promise to President Bush not to expand settlements."

Wow. Thirteen houses -- in a town with a population of 28,700. Terrible! A real "expansion" by maybe 1/100th of 1%.

Compare this joyous magnification of a nonexistent Israeli "violation" to how the Times, again and again and again, refuses to mention Palestinians' refusal to abide by the Road Map by dismantling terrorist groups. To the Times, construction of 13 houses, in a "settlement" bigger than New London, Connecticut, is more important than Palestinians failing to get rid of murder groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

When asked by a reader about their paper's refusal to mention the Road Map, Erlanger and deputy foreign editor Ethan Bronner weaved and evaded and changed the subject. Erlanger sneered that he couldn't put "footnotes" to his stories. A Road Map reference was deleted from a correspondent's story, said Bronner, because of "lack of space."

I'm sending a copy of this item to the Empty Suit, New York Times spokesman (a/k/a "public editor") Barney Calame. Barney hasn't said word one about the Times's systematic anti-Israel bias since coming on board six months ago. Instead, this parody of a public editor prefers to run reader letters and focus on trivia. His job is to carry water for management -- as he did when he piled on Judy Miller.

So don't expect the Suit to do a thing about the Times slanting news about the Israel-Palestinian dispute. Still, I just love getting those computer-generated form letters!

Hey, Barney, here's some more Times bias for you to ignore. Can't wait to get your computer-generated response. Yes, I know, either you or your associate Mr. Plambeck will read this email. And you know what? I believe you will.