TEL AVIV - Close buddies? Top terrorist Zakaria Zubeidi made a “guest appearance” in a video prepared by the staff of Reuters news agency in Israel and the Palestinian Authority as a “going away” gift for a colleague, Ynetnews has learned.
Zubeidi, who heads Fatah’s al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade in Jenin, has been named by security officials as a key figure in organizing terror attacks on Israeli civilians.
Zubeidi’s al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades have claimed responsibility for more than 300 terror acts in the last five years.
A Reuters spokeswoman confirmed the video’s existence, but said the London-based news organization is “not associated with any group or faction in any conflict.”
The screening, which occurred in a Jerusalem restaurant last March, involved the showing of a video during a private party.
"The video's theme was what Israel would be like in 10 years," said an Israeli government official who attended the party and viewed the video.
"All of a sudden, at the end, there is Zakaria Zubeidi, playing the head of Reuters. Zubeidi was sitting in Reuters' Jenin office, saying he was Reuters’ chief,” the official said.
The party included guests from the BBC, ITN, the Independent newspaper, and French journalists.
"They all thought the video was hilarious," the official said. He added that only a few individuals did not seem amused during the screening.
Reuters was quick to deny condoning the video.
Reuters spokeswoman Susan Allsopp said in a statement to Ynetnews that the film “was a spoof video put together for a departing member of staff by a few of his colleagues in Israel and the Palestinian territories. It was shown at a private farewell party and was meant to be humorous.
“As soon as editorial management in Jerusalem became aware of the video they told the staff involved that Reuters found it to be inappropriate and in poor taste,” the statement said. “The member of staff for whom the party had been held has never met Mr. Zubeidi. Reuters would like to make it clear that it is not associated with any group or faction in any conflict.”
There have been questions in the past about some of the reporters from the main stream media and their relationships with the terrorists. Back in April there were some questions about how a Pulitzer Prize-winning set of photographs from the Associated Press were taken without the photographer working with the terrorists to get them (an accusation that has been made in more than one instance). A CBS stringer was also investigated earlier this year for allegedly collaborating with terrorists.
Rumsfeld himself has even speculated about how journalists are able to be in the right place at the right time to get some of the coverage they do.
So what do we make of all this? Should we believe that the media is actively seeking to aid our enemies? I don't think so. Or, at least, I think that's taking it a bit too far. A more logical explanation would be that many times these journalists covering the war zones put big ratings above everything else, including the mission of the "good guys." Some of these journalists probably think that cozying up to some Islamic extremists is a small price to pay for the chance at having one of their stories make the front page or lead off that night's edition of the evening news. They probably even justify it in their minds by telling themselves that they're merely communicating both sides of the story to the people back at home.
Too bad they can't see the larger picture.
(via Ace)