On more than one occasion an anonymous reader (Perhaps the same one? Perhaps a Haaretz employe) has asked what do I have against the so-called New York Times of Israel, and if I criticize the paper so much why do I keep quoting it.
In regard to the first question, Haarez and The Jerusalem Post are the two major English language Israeli news websites. (The Maariv version isn't updated enough to be taken seriously and Ynet has yet to launch its English version.) I tend to read Haaretz more than JPost because my political views are more in line with the former than the latter.
When I see mistakes on Haaretz, reports with questionable journalism, or points I disagree with, I point it out. I do the same with JPost, but this happens less often because I read it less frequently than Haaretz.
At the same time, I find Haaretz to be intellectually over the top to a degree that is both tiresome and humorous. In this context, I felt it was worth pointing out that the newspaper claiming to be intellectually superior to the competition misspells the name of Pierre Bourdieu, an important French philosopher. (Such a mistake would be less interesting in The Jerusalem Post.)
On the other hand, on several occasions on this blog I have discussed my disagreement with JPost columnist Caroline Glick.
Why do I continue to quote Haaretz? Why shouldn't I? It's still an excellent source of news. I point out mistakes because they should be corrected and because as an English speaker who knows something about journalism I find them embarassing and sometimes misleading.
But because Haaretz makes mistakes does this mean it is a poor source of news? Maybe. Maybe not. That's for the reader to decide. Mistakes are a reminder that Haaretz coverage presents a worldview and version of events based on facts presented in a manner that lend support the so-called liberal values of the Israeli elite.
By the way, to my knowledge there aren't too many Israeli Arabs or other minorities employed by Haaretz. Should the management of a newspaper that repeatedly calls attention to social inequalities in Israel actually do something to change this state of affairs in its own house? I guess not.
Lots of Ashkenazim and a few progressive religious types work there. Granted this is perhaps the job applicant pool, but some effort could be made to recruit minorities. It's just another example of the condescending top-to-bottom 'We know what's good for you' Yossi Beilin/Kfar Shmariyahu/Labor-Meretz attitude that has dominated so-called progressive/liberal politics in Israel.
