Friday, November 13, 2009
So says the JPost: Author of organ theft article has 'change of heart'
Journalist Donald Bostrom, whose August article in the Swedish publication Aftonbladet accused the IDF of harvesting the organs of Palestinians during Operation Cast Lead, has had an apparent change of heart, Army Radio reported on Thursday.
Sources close to Bostrom related that his visit to Israel and the fair dialogues he was involved in caused him to think twice about the whole story, according to the report.
While in Israel for the Dimona media conference, Bostrom was interviewed by multiple Israeli media outlets and heard serious criticism of his article andthe accounts of IDF organ theft. It was quickly revealed that Bostrom's account lacked hard facts and relied on accounts from bereaved Palestinian families.
Upon his return to Sweden, Bostrom decided to cancel his participation in the Beirut conference, the goal of which was to slander Israel, the radio station said...
...Ze'ev Feiner, head of the group that initiated Bostrom's visit, was pleased with the journalist's apparent change of opinion.
"It is no secret that many thought it was not right to invite Bostrom to the Dimona media conference last week. But we now see that the decision to bring him was right and an excellent one from a public relations perspective. It is just a shame that we did not bring him two weeks prior,"the radio station quoted Feiner as saying.
We'll see where it (he) goes from here. Wonder how his editor feels about it.
[h/t: Seva]
Oh, by the way, according the Swedish Justice Minister, there was No legal excuse for Swedish Foreign Minister Bildt to refrain from criticizing blood libel article in Aftonbladet.
What is really weird is how fast he changed his mind once he was faced with Israeli journalists asking hard questions.
Apparently, Bostrom was used to writing for a kind of audience, and the kind of editors, who would eat this stuff up. He apparently is a conformist, believing in all the conventions of the people he lives among and works for, but quickly dispensing of his story when immersed in a different environment.
It makes one wonder at how big a role is played by opportunism, peer pressure, lack of imagination, and a lack of knowledge and courage all play in determining the behavior of reporters.
It makes one also realize how damaging it is to Israel that an anti-Israeli mode of thought has become entrenched in the world, and how things could be very different if that were not so.
By the way, if ever you read of a Frenchman, especially a French diplomat, lacerating Israel for being such a terrible country, just remember what's in this New York Times article from today:
http://tinyurl.com/yj6kbul