Gill has done some superb work fisking
the Badman Review here, here, here, here, here ,
here and finally
here. It isn't at all surprising that it took at least seven posts. There are so many holes in the Badman report, you couldn't use it for a sieve.
4 comments:
Thanks Carlotta. Eight posts and still counting!
Argh! Use of the term 'fisking' comes from pro-Israeli attacks (spearheaded by Andrew Sullivan) against the work of Robert Fisk, the journalist who is known for his uncorruptible reporting of events in the Middle East. Sullivan, on the other hand, is known for his fanatical support of Israel, and Israeli military assaults in particular.
Sorry if this seems like nitpicking, but this is a propaganda term meant to drag Fisk's work through the mud because it upsets supporters of an ethnic-supremacist, apartheid regime. Point-by-point, line-by-line criticism existed long before it was coined. Coinage was for ultra-cynical, hate-filled propaganda reasons only.
If this is all new to you, and you wish to investigate what I have just written (please do!), you may also wish to research 'hasbara'.
Whenever Robert Fisk has an important article published, teams of racist 'activists' come into action to rubbish it. Spread of the term 'fisking' has been quite successful in turning the truth of the matter completely on its head. If Robert Fisk is viewed as the journalist who most closely fits the bill of someone who always publishes wrong stuff, then something is very very seriously wrong. He's closer to the opposite of that.
Anon is correct here. Use of the verb 'to fisk' paints Robert Fisk as the personification of rubbish journalism. Why him? Well, look where he writes about and what he says. Some users may not know what memes they are spreading when they use the term. Please wise up on this!
The term was spread about by pro-Israeli bloggers in late 2001, in the aftermath of Israeli tank assaults on the main cities of the West Bank, including Ramallah, Jericho and Jenin? (Remember Jenin?)
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