Indy Media Watch

I am fed up with what passes for "news".

Earlier this week, an explosion on a Gaza beach killed most of the members of a young girl's family.

Palestinians immediately claimed that Israel had shelled the beach and the worldwide media was quick to report it. Much of the media have now backed away from this story as it has become clear the victims may well have been killed by Palestinian explosives, and not by Israel at all.

Irrespective of who you choose to believe was responsible, at best it is unclear.

UK Indymedia now has a front-page article The Gaza Sea Weeps Blood. It is not 'unclear' in the slightest and definitively continues the earlier narrative:

On Friday, 9th of June, the Isreali (sic) Navy shelled families holidaying on Gaza beach. Ten people were obliterated in the bombing and children were left screaming over the mutilated bodies of their loved ones.

Note the article suggests not only that Israel shelled a beach, but that it shelled "families holidaying", as though this were the aim.

Understanding how easy it is to update blogs and Indymedia as new material comes to light, and knowing that new material certainly has come to light, it is telling that UK Indymedia continues to offer a particularly 'limited' attempt at reporting this story.

By "limited", of course I mean bullshit.

UK Indymedia has a disgraceful and long history of this, including extremely partisan censorship, despite this apparently being against the whole point of Indymedia. Hypocrites.

This hasn't stopped Google News from including UK Indymedia and the above article in their news index. Note also the inclusion of the 'Palestinian Solidarity Movement' (previous report here) as a "news source".


There's not a lot more that needs to be said about Indymedia. However, could Google possibly set the bar for 'news' sources any lower?