On March 12 at 2:50pm, HuffPost put up a news thread entitled Israeli Hiker Falls To Death Out Of Rescue Helicopter, accompanied with the following picture:
Here is the story excerpt featured on the thread:
"In this image taken from Israel's Channel 10 television, an injured hiker falls to this death from an Israeli military helicopter sent to rescue him from a minefield he accidentally stepped into in northern Israel, Wednesday, March 11, 2009. The military sent a helicopter to airlift the seriously injured man to a hospital. But as rescuers were hoisting him into the aircraft at the end of a rope, he fell 60 feet (20 meters) back down into the minefield and died on impact." (AP Photo)
The first questions that an informed observer would ask are:
(1) What is the news value of this story? (We didn't realize that HuffPost considers individuals falling out of helicopters on the other side of the world to be super-newsworthy, but we certainly look forward to its covering similar accidents from Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Bhutan and Rhodesia.)
(2) Why was it placed in the "gutter" of the main page --- the lowest possible point of prominence --- just above a story that is of just a bit more relevance... the FBI's raiding of the office of Obama's IT chief? (which, of course, would have been a screaming splash headline at HuffPost, had this been the Bush administration)
(3) Given the prevalence of comments from HuffPost's hard-leftists containing vicious anti-Semitic, anti-Israel slanders and hate speech, what did the site's management think would happen by putting up a thread such as this?
So what sort of comments did HuffPost "approve" for publishing on this thread?
Read them for yourself, below. Key passages are in bold. Extra-special items are in red.
Notes:
(1) For a reminder of the reality of HuffPost's news thread comment approval procedures, please see this link.
(2) As you read these comments, please keep in mind that HuffPost's own FAQ: Comments & Moderation and Comment Policy claims that it prohibits and removes off-topic comments, ad hominem attacks, slurs based on ethnicity or other factors, libelous statements, comments that celebrate the death of anyone, etc.
(3) PDFs of all cited comments, and the threads they appeared on, are available upon request.
(4) The following comments are placed in chronological order.
The following were among the 80+/- comments that HuffPost "approved" and published at the time that the PDFs captured for verification were obtained, while 40+/- were "pending" approval:
Manchurian See Profile I'm a Fan of Manchurian permalink
He was from an Arab village. Could that be a factor?
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 09:14 PM on 03/12/2009JesusIsALie See Profile I'm a Fan of JesusIsALie permalink
If only Israel stopped with carpet bombs, in 1982 they used oxygen bombs, also known as Thermobaric weapons, in neighborhoods! What that does is so devastating and beyond description! I know, I was in Beirut Lebanon when Israel invaded in 1982, I was only 11, but I'll never forget what I lived through... I still have the images in my head as clear as if they just took place!
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 06:31 PM on 03/12/2009NoElephants See Profile I'm a Fan of NoElephants permalink
Are we really so preocupied with Israel that there is an article about the death of one Israelie civilian with not connection to anything else in the news?
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 05:52 PM on 03/12/2009(responding to above...)
EHarold See Profile I'm a Fan of EHarold permalink
One down....
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 06:45 PM on 03/12/2009AdGuy See Profile I'm a Fan of AdGuy permalink
Was the minefield REALLY a "leftover" from one of their wars? Or is it actually just a "cheap" border fence to keep the Arabs contained in their village? The one "conveniently" surrounded by minefields.
Sure, some innocent people might wander in there and die but it sure is cheaper than building a concrete wall to make sure those Palestinians know that they have no rights at all.
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 06:09 PM on 03/12/2009guntotinganglion See Profile I'm a Fan of guntotinganglion permalink
(...) Countries that continue the mindless use of land mines, should pay a very dear price for their wickedness. That price should at least be in reparations to the innocent victims of these randomized mechanisms of murder and crippling injuries.(...) Shame on all nations who use these vicious weapons of terror.
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 06:12 PM on 03/12/2009113 See Profile I'm a Fan of 113 permalink
maybe they should have better equipment and training to lift people into rescue
helicopters...amateurs!
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 06:13 PM on 03/12/2009Palemoon See Profile I'm a Fan of Palemoon permalink
Landmines should be considered WMD and countries that continue to use them should be given a choice to give them up and eradicate them, or face forced disarmament by a world body. As well as charged with crimes against humanity everytime one of them kills an innocent. (...)
By the way, why do they call this person an "Israeli" but then point out he is from a northern "Arab town"?? What's the point of pointing out the fact that he was an ethnic Arab?
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 06:25 PM on 03/12/2009mystic See Profile I'm a Fan of mystic permalink
And what about deliberately murdering people wqitrh cluster bombs, or white phosphorus? Where is the outrage? I feel no pity for a country that is composed of barbarians. They are subhuman.
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 07:54 PM on 03/12/2009jabreal00 See Profile I'm a Fan of jabreal00 permalink
It's a sad story. Israel needs to catch up to the 21st century. What industrialized nation has mine fields on their border?
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 06:40 PM on 03/12/2009TheBaffler See Profile I'm a Fan of TheBaffler permalink
Israel isn't a civilized country.
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 09:24 PM on 03/12/2009washlib See Profile I'm a Fan of washlib permalink
"You wouldn't want an illegal settler family to move in nearby with children."
actually, i bet they would... and blame it SOMEHOW on the mus.lims.
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 08:47 PM on 03/12/2009overcat See Profile I'm a Fan of overcat permalink
Minefields? Unmarked? Civilians wandering into them? Oh, that's right, Israel's a "civilized democracy". Let's all bow down in praise in unison. (...)
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 08:41 PM on 03/12/2009UncleJimbo See Profile I'm a Fan of UncleJimbo permalink
He reached his Final Destination!
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 09:07 PM on 03/12/2009Symphysodon See Profile I'm a Fan of Symphysodon permalink
I cannot believe that anyone wants to live there at all. ISRAEL IS A SHITHOLE.
That two ethnic groups have been killing each other for millennia for the right to live
in that shithole is just a tragedy.
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 09:59 PM on 03/12/2009GravitonX See Profile I'm a Fan of GravitonX permalink
Arab Israeli. They dropped him.
Reply Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 10:02 PM on 03/12/2009
All that from a thread discussing a tragic accident involving one victim falling out of a helicopter in Israel.
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