A CBS News headline from February, reporting on a series of Palestinian terror attacks against Israelis, reads, “3 Palestinians killed as daily violence grinds on.”
For the past six months, a wave of Palestinian terrorism has shaken Israel, and while some reporters and editors have been accurately reporting events, many are failing miserably.
The twisting of headlines and news stories to fit the “hip” narrative of the oppressed Palestinians often casts terrorists as victims. This is one small example of how the media fails to report on attacks against Israelis with any semblance of accuracy. CAMERA researchers are vigilant in prompting corrections to reports published in media outlets around the world, but significant damage to Israel’s reputation has already been done as these false and misleading headlines and news reports are immediately plastered across social media and television screens.
The constant spreading of misinformation about terrorism in Israel is upsetting as much as it is dangerous. Sadly, the example given here is a mere drop in an ocean of inaccuracy on Israel-related news. Add into the mix anti-Israel groups – many with a significant presence on college campuses – and students are left vulnerable to accepting such false accusations against Israel as factual realities.
Every year, 35 students are selected by CAMERA to lead in the fight against misinformation and media inaccuracies on their campuses. Responding to the defamatory and discriminatory anti-Israel movement, CAMERA Fellows are provided hands on training from CAMERA experts, high level instruction from leading Middle-East specialists, global networking with published writers and activists, live seminars and workshops, and assistance with event planning. These resources aid Fellows in confidently and effectively adding a desperately needed voice on the Israel-Arab conflict for students.
The CAMERA Fellowship stands out for its unique opportunity for college students to channel their Pro-Israel advocacy into journalist activism. As Fellows, students write in their local campus papers to expose anti-Israel media bias and activities, that would otherwise go unchallenged. CAMERA Fellows are the first to respond to anti-Israel slander and to fact check students’ inaccurate perceptions of the state.
“The tools offered to students at the initial conference as well as the ongoing support and guidance throughout the year have assisted me greatly in highlighting the constant misinformation and inaccuracies in today’s media coverage of Israel and the Middle East,” says CAMERA Fellow Joshua Seed (Binghamton University). “CAMERA has empowered him to effectively engage on campus. “The Fellowship has sharpened my writing skills, guiding me in correcting falsifications through strong well-written arguments in campus media outlets,” he says.
With the help of CAMERA, Fellows host events on campus inspiring countless students to learn about and advocate for Israel.
“CAMERA has given my campus group, Judges for Israel, the tools necessary to organize successful Israel events at Brandeis. It has empowered me to combat Israel apathy head-on, and has led to numerous students actively engaging in Israel activism,” says Misha Vilenchuk.
“I am now a journalist and writer, and I believe my career was made possible by the training and support I received from CAMERA,” affirms Eliana Rudee, a former CAMERA Fellow.
Summing up her experience she says, “Most importantly, and I cannot stress this enough, I found that the work that I began as a fellow has given my life and work deep meaning, as I feel I am involved in a cause much greater than myself.”
Empower yourself. Join our team of experts and gain the tools for effective activism.
To learn more/apply for the 2016-2017 CAMERA Fellowship, click here.
