Hear, Hear! On 10/26/07, Nadav Har'El <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On Thu, Oct 25, 2007, Geoffrey S. Mendelson wrote about "You ain't paranoid > if people really are out to get you!": > > Since the topic came up earlier today, I thought this might be relevant: > > > > http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/oct/25/google.israel > > > > What was attributed to government paranoia or greed turns out to be > > good defense. > > Forgive me for saying this, but this piece of "news", which was also > published in all major Hebrew newspaper, is one of the worst pieces of crap > that was published in the last year. > > A good journalist should know that "reporting a fact" is not the same as > reporting the whole truth. For example, a journalist might report that > "Nadav Har'El was not found guilty of a murder", which is technically true > (I really haven't been found guilty of any murder), but incorrectly implies > that I have been suspected of some murder, and might cause readers to wrongly > associate me with some murder or some suspicion, that never existed in the > first place. > > In the case of the story you quoted, the papers basically quoted a fact: that > the Hamas was using Google Earth to see maps of Israel to decide where to > launch their rockets to. But quoting this fact as a piece of news *implies* > to the average reader that the Hamas are somehow dependent on Google Earth > for their targeting Israel, and if Google Earth did not exist (or was > somehow blocked by Israel) - the rockets would immediately stop. > > But the plain truth is that Google Earth doesn't give Hamas much beyond > what a plain printed map - of the type you can buy in any bookstore or gas > station - could give them. They are probably using Google instead of the > printed map because of the same reason we use it - convenience - not > necessity. > Similarly, I am guessing that the Hamas are writing their terrorism plans > on a computer with Microsoft Word, not on pieces of paper. So, why not publish > a piece of "news" saying that > > Microsoft Word Used to Plan Terror Attacks! > > After which surely many readers will want to block Microsoft sales in the > Gaza strip, and many readers might start believing that Microsoft is evil > and must be boycotted... > > > -- > Nadav Har'El | Friday, Oct 26 2007, 14 Heshvan 5768 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] |----------------------------------------- > Phone +972-523-790466, ICQ 13349191 |What's tiny, yellow and very dangerous? A > http://nadav.harel.org.il |canary with the super-user password. > > ================================================================= > To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with > the word "unsubscribe" in the message body, e.g., run the command > echo unsubscribe | mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >
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