The discomfort felt by some radio listeners may be unavoidable - given the violence and tragedy of the conflict, says Hannah Rosenthal, executive director of the national Jewish Council. "What is going on in the Middle East is a very horrific thing," she says. "We just want to make sure that the hurt we feel isn't because of bias."
But both of them say they see carelessness lead to unfair characterizations on the air at NPR.
Other news organizations have also come under fire from Jewish groups. The Chicago Tribune (a sister paper of The Sun), The New York Times and CNN have all received strong criticism. An editorial cartoon in The Sun last fall that depicted Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as a tyrant drew the ire of many Jewish readers. Often there is an implied threat of sponsors canceling ads. Sometimes the threat is explicit, although the Jewish Council adopted a resolution this week discouraging such boycotts. Fox News Channel has won favor among many U.S. Jews by using the term "homicide bombers" to describe those who set off explosives against civilians - focusing on the deaths of innocents rather than the killing of the assailant.
