Bloggers and the Middle East, Continued

By Ken Silverstein

I complained recently that liberal media outlets, including those in the blogosphere, tend to be almost as narrow-minded in analyzing the Middle East (read: uncritically pro-Israeli) as the mainstream media. In response, blogger Richard Silverstein (no relation) wrote to tell me that I’m being somewhat unfair and that there are plenty of places to look for a more balanced approach to Middle East coverage. He cited the work of writers like Matthew Yglesias (with whom I had noted a small disagreement in my original post), Ezra Klein and Glenn Greenwald. (All good names, to which I would add others such as Laura Rozen and Justin Elliott.)

Silverstein also noted a number of Jewish blogs, including those by Philip Weiss and Gershom Gorenberg, as well as his own site.

So I stand corrected, at least in part. Because despite these important exceptions, I still think the general consensus on the Middle East at some of the big liberal blogs–especially those close to the Democratic Party–is hard to distinguish from the general consensus found elsewhere in the mainstream media.