Another Reason Not to Trust the ‘Experts’
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
one of the great lessons of the past decade is that when you read a variation of “experts say” in a headline, you ought to think twice and for yourself.
This week, the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) voted on a resolution that accused Israel of committing genocide in its war against Hamas. Like moths to a flame, the mainstream press ran wild with the story of the organization’s declaration.
“Israel Is Committing Genocide in Gaza, Leading Scholars’ Association Says,” ran the headline in The Washington Post .
The Guardian quoted the president of the association, Melanie O’Brien, declaring that the resolution represented “a definitive statement from experts in the field of genocide studies that what is going on on the ground in Gaza is genocide.” In another interview with ABC News Australia , O’Brien boasted that the resolution passed with nearly 90 percent support.
The BBC’s headline read: “Israel Committing Genocide in Gaza, World’s Leading Experts Say.”
The problem for these publications is that if you kick the tires—even slightly—it becomes obvious that the resolution is a sham, top to bottom.
Let’s start with the organization itself. According to O’Brien , the members of her organization “mainly consist of people who are academics, so scholarly experts, but our membership is also made up of people who come from different communities within the field of genocide prevention, education, and punishment.”
On Tuesday evening, Salo Aizenberg , a board member of Honest Reporting and contributor to NGO Monitor, tested that proposition. After exploring the IAGS website, he found that he could become a member of the organization with just a $30 contribution. “This organization that purports to be a leading organization of scholars is open to anyone who is interested,” he told The Free Press .
After Aizenberg posted about his new membership to X, others joined in on the fun. Newly minted genocide scholars now include Emperor Palpatine , the villain of the Star Wars franchise; Adolf Hitler of Gaza City; and our favorite, “ Mo Cookie ,” who turns out to be the Cookie Monster wearing a green scarf with the Hamas logo.
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People who get their news from left wing sources like the BBC and the Guardian are fed a completely made up reality.
Any source from "Gaza public health officials" to guys who pay $30 to be an expert that parrots the proper narrative will be credited and pushed to the massed.
Buddy, if you don't think your left wing networks do that....
No, to most of the left, the propaganda spewed on LW channels speak the almighty truth.
They would never tell them lies, would they?
Another scoop for the Free Press which is the best independent journalism site on the net. They are apparently being purchased by CBS and the site founder is going have editioral control over CBS, which is the best thing to happen to news media in decades.
We may actually have an objective MSM site.
Weiss is going to end up running cbs news after she was foreced to resign from the NYT becuase she green lighted an op ed from a us senator opposing rioting and that made the NYT staff feel unsafe. Quite a story.
I learned a long time ago to never trust these so-called experts. Or MSM headlines on articles or stories
This guy clearly feels the same way.
The MAGAverse love their DIY news like they love their DIY redneck dentistry, and the results are about the same.
It's always good to hear both sides of a discussion to attempt to find the truth as we seldom find truth in any single source. Here's another article that casts doubt on that resolution.
Saw a Chris Williamson quote yesterday.
"If I know one of your views, and from it, I can accurately predict everything else you believe, then you're not a serious thinker."
As I'm reading comments here, it just came to mind.
So, one can pay $30 and add their name and opinion to the list.
Interesting.
Yep, and progressives and their media will dutifully call you an expert and blindly parrot whatever you say.
And 'conservatives' claimed the Great Barrington Declaration was the bee's knees.
"While the authors' website claims that over 14,000 scientists, 40,000 medical practitioners, and more than 800,000 members of the public signed the declaration, [ 46 ] [ 47 ] this list—which anyone could sign online and which required merely clicking a checkbox to claim the status of "scientist"—contains some evidently-fake names, including: "Mr Banana Rama ", " Harold Shipman ", and " Prof Cominic Dummings ". [ 48 ] [ 49 ] [ 50 ] More than 100 psychotherapists , numerous homeopaths , physiotherapists , massage therapists , and other non-relevant people were found to be signatories, including a performer of Khoomei —a Mongolian style of overtone singing —described as a "therapeutic sound practitioner".
I wouldn't be surprised to hear about Mr. Banana Rama being hired as Trumps new Doctor. These morons can't be helped, they are so sure of their position they don't even realize their perspective is inverted from having their head up their own ass.
I hope you didn't hurt yourself stretching for that comparison.
Along with not chasing maga micro squirrels, my Muse would never allow it.
Like making an asinine comparison between the Great barrington Declaration and left wing new sites citing "experts" who pay thirty dollars to a internet site as authorities in order to deflect?
Nothing but deflections from the left on being exposed. Not surprising.
I guess my 4-5 year memory is far better than yours.
Nothing but squirrels from the right dictated by their Master of Kitsch.
Your memory isn't the issue. The issue is that you can't tell the difference between a document (that was correct btw) that allowed members of the public to sign who were not listed as authors and made clear distinctions between the authors and public signers of support, and an opinion that was credited to "Experts" by left wing media without disclosing that the "experts" were anyone who paid #30.
If you read the GBD and don't know who authored it, that's a failure of reading comprehension.
I'm just wondering what this article has to do with what Israel is doing in Gaza.
You have no problem with the reporting cited in the article? Were you also okay with the same orgs using a picture of a kid with muscular dystrophy and claiming he was a famine victim?
Israel is either behaving properly in Gaza or they are not. I dont think the people mentioned in the article are the deciders.
Various groups have been accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza for over a year. Are they all corrupt?
Is the Israeli Defense Ministry corrupt ?
It is a matter of opinion either way.
That's just more proof that Hamas' lies are sucessful in creating useful idiot declared terrorist supporters around the world.
This is indefensible and you know it’s indefensible. If the media did this to promote some pro trump issue you’d be the first person screaming fascism and the end of the republic.
Amazing, isn't it, how successful the psychological warfare that the Iranians taught Hamas to use has been. They're even still telling the same lies that have been disproved, such as the 500 dead in the Gaza hospital parking lot that was actually caused by an Islamic Jihad misfired rocket. Their successful arousing of the bleeding hearts of the world with such lies is one of the reasons Hamas will not give up and surrender notwithstanding their defeat is inevitable. It is disastrous how weak-minded so many people are - most totally ignore that Hamas and its Health Ministry and journalists exaggerate the numbers of casualties and NEVER indicate how many Hamas militants were included, but they sure as hell want the public to know how many kids, how many women were killed. And why were they killed? It seems to have slipped everyone's mind that Hamas militants use women and children as HUMAN SHIELDS, and they hide themselves and their weapons and control centres in and under schools, hospitals, mosques, UNRWA facilities and refugee centres. If Hamas was concerned about the safety of the cvilians they are supposed to protect, they would surrender today, but why should they, because they want world opinion to fight their battle for them, and the weak-minded suckers around the world are winning their war for them.
All we have to do is see pictures of Gaza to know what has been done to that place. It is way too late to deny what happened.
War is hell, as it has always been. Shit happens. Civilian casualties happen. The lesson is to NOT PROVOKE a war. Hamas did that on Oct 7 2023. Before they did 18,000 Gazans had good jobs in Israel providing them with better wages than they could get at home, and persons whose health conditions could not be serviced by Gazan hospitals were admitted to Israel and treated in Israeli Hospitals. There was no starvation, and UNRWA spoonfed the Gazans. Power and water were provided by Israel, and MOST of the time people lived in peace save for the occasional kite or balloon bombs sent to provide destruction and death in Israel. Can you think of a good reason why Hamas wanted to end that and provoke a war of destruction? But it's so easy to blame Israel, isn't it.
I love this.