Reply #42: regarding MEMRI, I do think it is biased. [View All]

[Shaktimaan]

In the sense that they almost exclusively print translations of material that is hateful to Israel and demonstrates examples of anti-semitism or extreme anti-zionism. I don't think that there's any doubt that they aren't trying to bring a balanced view of Arab society to the table, but rather, to further their cause. And while I'll be the first to admit that when any organization places a cause over journalistic ethics their reporting becomes circumspect, that doesn't mean that MEMRI's translations can be universally discounted.

There is a difference between biased reporting and inaccurate reporting.

MEMRI's bias is in what they choose to report; the reporting (translations) itself has been widely confirmed, even by MEMRI's critics, to be high quality and accurate to any reasonable expectation. Again, Tom Friedman uses them and has complimented them in his Op Ed page, and I absolutely trust him and his writing in this regard.

Just being who they are and doing what they do means that there's no shortage of groups out there that would love to discredit MEMRI. The fact that there is such scant evidence against their translations speaks volumes as to their credibility. The negative articles you linked to read more like endorsements than refutations in that way.