The New York Times’ Nuclear Uncertainty Principles: Bias and Disinformation on Nuclear Programs in Israel and Iran
By Jim Naureckas
Global Research, February 10, 2015
FAIR 9 February 2015
Region: Middle East & North Africa
Theme: Media
Disinformation
NuclearCore
Israeli laboratory model of a nuclear warhead core–photographed by Mordechai Vanunu.
Covering a speech by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, the New York Times(2/4/15) reported that he “asserted that the nuclear weapons amassed by the United States and, he said, possessed by Israel, have done little to ease their worries about vulnerability to attack.”
What’s the role of the phrase “he said” in that sentence? It’s to make sure that the New York Times is not saying in its
own voice that Israel, which refuses to say whether it does or does not have nuclear weapons, actually does have them: It’s Rouhani saying Israel has nukes, not the Times.
I don’t know that there’s anyone who seriously argues that there’s any actual doubt that Israel has nuclear weapons; if there were any lingering questions, they were resolved by the revelations of Mordechai Vanunu, a whistleblower who exposed details of Israel’s nuclear warhead lab in 1986 and was imprisoned by Israel for 18 years as punishment. Later on in the piece, in fact, the Times notes that “the Arms Control Association, a research group in Washington, says Israel is believed to have 100 to 200 warheads.”But it’s still treated as claim to be attributed to a source rather than a verified fact.
Image, right: New York Times, February 24, 2012
Contrast that with the Times‘ handling of the question of Iran and nuclear weapons research. The government of Iran denies in no uncertain terms that it is seeking such weapons, and US intelligence agencies believe it is telling the truth, as the New York Times has reported: “American intelligence analysts continue to believe that there is no hard evidence that Iran has decided to build a nuclear bomb,” the Times‘ James Risen and Mark Mazzetti reported in a front-page story (2/24/12).
Nevertheless, the Times has repeatedly
referred to the existence of an Iranian nuclear weapons program as a fact, not an allegation. Thus the paper (11/19/13) reported that “a bipartisan group of the Senate’s top foreign policy and national security committees urged Mr. Obama to reject any nuclear deal with Iran that did not include a tangible rollback of its nuclear weapons program.” Likewise, it reported that Obama (11/9/14) “said America continued to seek an arrangement with Iran that would end its nuclear weapons program.” The Times (6/17/13) editorialized:
The election of Hassan Rouhani as Iran’s next president creates an opportunity to move forward on a negotiated agreement to stop Iran’s nuclear weapons program and to begin to repair three decades of hostility with the United States.
This treatment of Iran’s quite possibly nonexistent nuclear program as though it were an established fact showed up even in a New York Times correction (8/1/14; FAIR Blog, 8/1/14):
An article on Wednesday about demands among both parties in Congress that the Obama administration allow a vote on any agreement with Iran on its nuclear weapons program misstated, in some editions, the value of assets that Iran will have access to under an agreement. It is more than $2 billion, not more than $2 million.
This correction was noted by the Times‘ internal After Deadline blog
(9/23/14)–not because it treated something that is likely imaginary as though it were definitely real, but because the numerical mistake should have been obvious: “Assets of $2 million would seem to be loose change in a context like this.” The blog, subtitled “Newsroom Notes on Usage and Style,” pointed out:
Like names and dates, numbers are among the most basic facts the Timesreports–and getting those facts right is the foundation of our journalism.
When it comes to nuclear weapons, however, basic facts seem to be subject to political revision.
SHOP GLOBAL RESEARCH
Comment on Global Research Articles on our Facebook page
Become a Member of Global Research
3
5 0
21
Articles by: Jim Naureckas
Related Global Research Articles:
Is
Political Zionism Another Form of Ideological Fundamentalism?Is Political Zionism Another Form of Ideological Fundamentalism?
The Political Zionist doctrine of the Netanyahu government that claims the whole of former Palestine as being a 'gift from God' is essentially ideological fundamentalism i.e. a ritualistic reading of scripture and a reliance upon dogma - a position also known as 'extremism'. It is […]
The Paris “Charlie Hebdo” March: The Frailty of Free Speech The Paris “Charlie Hebdo” March: The Frailty of Free Speech
“We must demonstrate our solidarity with
Charlie Hebdo
without forgetting all the world’s other Charlies.” - Christophe Deloire, RWB Secretary, Jan 11, 2014 “Paris is the capital of the world today,” proclaimed French President François Hollande. “The whole country will rise up.” The […]
Israeli Attack on Gaza Was “Massive State Terror”: Former UN Official Richard FalkIsraeli Attack on Gaza Was “Massive State Terror”: Former UN Official Richard Falk
As a brutal winter storm hits Gaza, where tens of thousands of Palestinians remain without proper shelter after Israel’s summer attacks, a former United Nations official warns of a “humanitarian emergency of the highest order.” “The evidence seems overwhelming as to the commission of […]
Disclaimer: The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). The Centre for Research on Globalization will not be responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect statement in this article. The Center of Research on Globalization grants permission to cross-post original Global Research articles on community internet sites as long as the text & title are not modified. The source and the author's copyright must be displayed. For publication of Global Research articles in print or other forms including commercial internet sites, contact:
public...@globalresearch.ca
www.globalresearch.ca contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the
copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of "fair use" in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than "fair use" you must request permission from the copyright owner.
Copyright © Jim Naureckas, FAIR, 2015
Font-size:
A+
[print]
Print:
Global Research Newsletter:
The Globalization of War by Global Research
Latest News / Top Stories
Two US Wars Of Aggression You Probably Never Heard Of: The War on Laos and the Panama Invasion
Why Public Banks Outperform
Private Banks: Unfair Competition or a Better Mousetrap?
Netanyahu’s Forthcoming US Congress Speech on Iran: Dear Mr. Netanyahu, Please Don’t Cancel Your Speech
Is Peace or War at Hand?
Global Hegemony in the Guise of “Collective Defense” against Russia. Moscow’s Response?
Ukraine War: Kiev Announces America’s War With Russia!
Obama Refuses to Rule Out Arming Kiev Following Talks with Merkel
Canada’s Opposition Parties Acquiesce to Government’s Draconian “Anti-terror” Bill
Haiti: Mainstream Media Reduces Protests Against Dictatorship and Occupation to Mere Protest About Gas Prices
American Medical Association Opposes Mandatory Vaccines: Medical Ethics Statement
The New York Times’ Nuclear Uncertainty Principles: Bias and Disinformation on Nuclear Programs in Israel and Iran
Ukraine’s Economy is Collapsing, Currency Drops 50 Percent in 48 Hours
Big Pharma ‘Repatenting’ Raises Prices of Top Drugs by More than 6 Times
White House Preparing Military Response If Diplomacy With
Russia Fails: “Lethal Defensive Weapons” and Other Options Being Examined
CDC Documents “Show Statistically Significant Risks” of Autism Associated with Vaccine Preservative Thimerosal: Vaccine Industry Watchdog
All Articles
News
Most Popular
Geographic Regions
Themes
I-Books Series
IN-DEPTH REPORTS
GLOBAL RESEARCH VIDEOS
The global research news hour
Truth in Media: Support the Global Research News Hour
Jeff Halper, Noted Peace Activist, Touring Canada Jan 17 – Feb 13
Become a Member
of Global Research – Receive Free Books!
Donate to Global Research
Advanced Search
Index by Countries
Index by Author
Global Research Publishers
Join us on Facebook
Partner Websites
Project Censored
Stop NATO
Strategic Culture Foundation
The Corbett
Report
Washington's Blog
The 4th Media - Just another voice
Clarity Press
youtube
twitter
facebook
rss
English
Français
Español
Italiano
Deutsch
Português
srpski
العربية
Global Research News
I-BOOKS SERIES
Countries Index
Authors Index
Most Popular
Links
Contact
Membership
Online Store
Themes
Geographic Regions
US
NATO War Agenda
Global Economy
Crimes against Humanity
Militarization and WMD
Law and Justice
Police State & Civil Rights
Culture, Society & History
9/11 & ‘War on Terrorism’
Media Disinformation
Militarization and WMD
Oil and Energy
Police State & Civil Rights
Politics and Religion
Poverty & Social Inequality
Science and Medicine
United Nations
US NATO War Agenda
Women’s Rights
USA
Canada
Middle East & North Africa
Latin America & Caribbean
Europe
sub-Saharan Africa
Russia and FSU
Asia
Oceania
GlobalResearch Center for Research on Globalization Privacy Policy Copyright © 2005-2015
GlobalResearch.ca