It often seems that the rest of the world is hardly aware of Australia's existence. So when one of our major newspapers is selected for an international award, the least we at AIM can do is cover it.
The Dishonest Reporter Award recognises the most skewed and biased coverage of the Mideast conflict. Its 2009 prizewinners hailed from much larger countries, but this year Australia's Al Age got a mention. So hats off to Al Age for punching above its weight in media bias. Here are just some of the heavyweight winners, and nestled amongst them is our very own beloved Age:
This year, a four-letter word dominated coverage of Israel on a near-daily basis: Gaza.
The media war was dizzying. Hamas terror leaders got soapboxes in prominent US and British papers. BBC Arabic hosted a wonk who justified the death of Israeli kids.
Citizen journalism – the idea that anyone capable of posting text, photos or video online is a news source – emerged in 2009 as a force to be reckoned with.
We thank our readers for sharing their feedback on the year's worst Mideast coverage.
On with the "awards."
Poison Pen Award: Pat Oliphant 
For outright demonization of Israel, Pat Oliphant, one of the world's most widely-syndicated cartoonists, wins hands down. The headless, jackbooted, goose-stepping figure holding an outstretched sword pushing a Star of David -- baring its fangs at a Gaza mother and baby -- appeals to the worst Nazi stereotypes.
In a presentation to the Australian Cartoonists Association posted on YouTube, Oliphant replaced the Jewish star with a swastika to emphasize his intended Nazi comparison.
Lousiest Journalist Wannabe: Ken Livingstone, The New Statesman
The New Statesman invited ex-London mayor Ken Livingstone to be guest editor for the magazine's Sept. 17 issue. Unfortunately, the edition included "Red Ken's" fawning interview with Hamas boss Khaled Mashaal...
Worst Headline: The Evening Standard
Shortly before Israelis went to the polls in February to choose a Prime Minister, London's Evening Standard featured a headline so outrageous - Israelis Go to Polls to Choose between Three Warmongers - that no further comment is necessary.
Most Senseless Talking Head: Michael White
Michael White, associate editor at The Guardian, was a guest on BBC Radio London's Breakfast Show discussing an attack on Italian PM Sylvio Berlusconi when he made the following statement:
" In Israel they murder each other a great deal. The Israeli Defense Forces murder people because they don't like their political style and what they've got to say and it only means that people more extreme come in and take their place. "
Dumbest Question: Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, The Independent
During the war, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown asked:
How many Palestinian Anne Franks did the Israelis murder, maim or turn mad?
The comparison only works if The Independent's columnist can prove Dutch Jews fired rockets at Germany for seven years . . .
Crummiest Quality Control: The Age
First, The Age of Melbourne published a nasty commentary by columnist Michael Backman, titled, Israelis Are Living High On US Expense Account in the paper's business section. The paper pulled the commentary and published an apology saying the column "was published in error." Backman apologized to the Australian Jewish community too.
How does a column that noxious get published in error?
...I hear that the subs on the business desk at The Age are still arguing that the Backman column was all right and the Age had no reason to apologise for running it.
And now for the winner . . .
Dishonest Reporter of the Year: Donald Bostrom, Aftonbladet
In August Aftonbladet, one of Sweden's largest dailies, published a double-page spread in its cultural section headlined: They Plunder the Organs of Our Sons. The story quoted Palestinian claims that Israeli soldiers seized young men from the West Bank and Gaza and later returned the bodies with missing organs.
Bostrom failed to independently verify the claims of the family of Bilal Ahmed Ghanem, who died in 1992. Bostrom later backtracked, saying:
I was [present] during the interview that night, I was a witness. It concerns me to the extent that I want it to be investigated . . . But whether it's true or not - I have no idea, I have no clue.
Moreover, when Jerusalem Post reporter Khaled Abu Toameh tracked down the Ghanem family who said they never told Bostrom their son was missing organs: (source)
To be ranked among giants like Ken Livingstone is a wonderful achievement for Al Age. AIM have previously acknowledged their stirling contribution, nominating them for Dhimwit of the Month. Sadly they missed out on that occasion, as the quality of the competitors was just too high, but plaudits for their efforts, detailed in September Dhimwits. Here's just a taster:
Middle East correspondents, from the odious Ed O'Loughlin to the equally dreadful Jason Koutsoukis, have wholeheartedly espoused the Palestinian narrative: 
" Obama achieved one result in hosting the first meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Abbas. Both sides have agreed to resume final-status negotiations by the second half of October. But the rest seemed like a comprehensive whitewash for the Israelis.
...the much-talked-about freeze on building Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank has been downgraded to a meek plea that Israel ought to ''restrain'' itself from further construction.
...The paradox for Mr Netanyahu is that in order to keep his Government intact, he must continue to feed Israel's colonial enterprise in the occupied West Bank.
But to keep his country intact over the long term as a democratic Jewish state, he must end that occupation, which is as morally corrosive to Israel's national identity as it is destructive to the future aspirations of the Palestinian people. (source)
With regular contributions from Waleed Aly, Maher Magrabi, and other Muslims, Al Age has Islamophilia all sewn up. For instance, Immediately after the Melbourne terrorist arrests, they published Overland's apology to Muslims, plus a piece from a Muslima, decrying the victimisation of Muslims:
Nadia Mohamed was driving to university when she heard on the radio that members of the Somali and Lebanese communities had been arrested on terror charges... The sense of alienation and victimhood that the 24-year-old had seen steadily waning suddenly waxed strong.
"I know the families of these boys. I still don't believe they can be a part of that. It seems guilt by association — maybe they are friends with people who are friends of people .
Islamic Council of Victoria president Ramzi Elsayed says Somalis are angry and traumatised
"There were two lots of anger: first, they see it as a slur on the community by association, and second, at how the arrests unfolded...(Police) were going house to house without cultural sensitivity." (source)
Age journalist, Maher Mughrabi, is given free rein to attack any who tell the truth about Islam:
" Daniel Pipes is a rhetorical bomb-maker, and last weekend he struck in Melbourne...At Monash University's conference on anti-Semitism, he warned that preparations were under way for a "second Holocaust". .. picking a 2001 remark by a former Iranian president. "If a day comes when the world of Islam is duly equipped with the arms Israel has in its possession, the strategy of colonialism would face a stalemate because application of an atomic bomb would not leave anything in Israel but the same thing would just produce damages in the Muslim world."
Does this sound like a man threatening a second Holocaust, or one pointing out the obvious, that Muslim acquisition of nuclear weapons would change the strategic balance in the region? Is "stalemate" really another word for "mass murder"?
We live in an era when alarm at the genuine threat of Islamist terror is allowing some states to waive the civil rights of their Muslim citizens. In this atmosphere, one might expect a scholar of anti-Semitism to insist that the principles of innocence and guilt deserve especial attention when it comes to Muslims.
Instead, Pipes has said that "all Muslims, unfortunately, are suspect" and has advocated monitoring of American Muslims on the basis that "if searching for rapists, one looks only at the male population . . . if searching for Islamists, one looks at the Muslim population".
Koutsousis vented his bias again this week, with a sob story about Gaza's children, Growing Pains, on 22nd December. What about the children of Sderot? Or do they deserve no compassion, as they are Jewish children?
And how aggrieved Leunig must feel to learn that Oliphant was feted at the Australian Cartoonists Association, when his own cartoons are equally anti-Semitic.
I was pleased to see a mention of Citizen Journalism. Without it, we would just get propaganda.
Citizens are playing a vital role in putting out the FACTS, despite being constantly vilified by the msm and many in academia and other leadership positions.
But we will not be intimidated. The truth is slowly emerging, and we at AIM rely on our readers and fellow citizen journalists to help counter the lies which masquerade as news. Together we can help preserve freedom of speech, thought and religion against the onslaught of totalitarianism.
Let's stand up for FREEDOM!
Say NO to SHARIA!
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No wonder I dont read the Age. Period.
And where is my favourite arms-thrashing, trash-talking Q&A panelist Catherine Deveny.
I watch in awe at the antics of this "so called" Journalist.
Cassandra,
If Catherine doesn't make the cut for your list, what hope is there for Al Age.
Allah is Satan in the Bible.
Islam is NOT an Abrahamic faith.
Mohammed was a FALSE prophet.
Isa is NOT Jesus.
Mohammed broke the TEN Commandments of Moses.
ISLAMIC is SATANIC...ISLAMIC is SATANIC....ISLAMIC is SATANIC
There could be another interpretation of this cartoon. It could show how Jews have been decapitated by Islam, which has appropriated Jewish symbols (they frequently take over Jewish and Christian symbols and people - the Muslim Jesus, all the biblical prophets etc)
Then Islamic leaders, represented her by the jackbooted figure, march in to destroy their own people, the most vulnerable - women and children - being the first victims.
We know that Islam is a death cult and sharia only benefits the alpha males (read Nonie Darwish's "Cruel and Usual Punishment" for a clear explanation of how sharia works.)
Islam preys on its own and the good news is that it will eventually destroy itself. The bad news is that if we let it, it will destroy us first.
Let's hope that we can stop its onslaught and reassert our democratic values.
The alternative is too terrible to contemplate.
Does trading land for peace work? NO.
Please watch the second video “The PLO Phased Plan”.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/135387
We all need to contribute and bombard our politicians to make them WAKE UP!
The Palestinians and neighbouring Muslim nations don’t want PEACE.
They want to DESTROY Israel.
For those who read the Bible, please read Joel Chapter 2 & 3. This is an End-Times Prophecy.
About 3,000 years ago the prophet Joel warned that God would punish those surrounding nations who have “divided my land”. [Joel 3:2] And just look at who Joel named. Philistia (Palestine) and Tyre and Sidon (Lebanon).
All coming true today. Phase 3 of the PLO Phased Plan.
I do not believe it was this bad, say, twenty years ago, so apparently it is getting worse.
Is there any hope? (Please do not throw up Obama.)
