The National Post fisks Robert Fisk. Well, okay, it’s not really a fisking. It’s more of a direct attack on his credibility and views:
But it’s his moral certitude that seems, in a way, most enviable. He never lacks a strong opinion, and it’s always the same: Whatever goes wrong in the Middle East, he blames the Americans and the Israelis.
If an Arab nation commits some outrage, that’s because Washington supports Arab dictators. If Palestinians kill, it’s because Israel stole their land. He dislikes Yassir Arafat (“corrupt, vain little despot”) but believes he’s Israel’s fault because Israel helped create the Palestinian Authority and brought in Arafat “as a colonial governor” to control his people.
[Most journalists are biased, but Fisk paints himself into a particularly narrow corner. He has one subject and only about two opinions, which he expresses with an abundance of sneering pride and a total absence of nuance. He loves recalling Israel’s occupation of Lebanon (which he covered) but usually neglects to mention that the army went there to silence the artillery that was bombarding Israel.
At any moment, apparently, Fisk’s brain contains several pre-packaged articles, lacking only specifics. When something happens, he fills in the blanks. On Sept. 11, 2001, he happened to be on a plane as the news broke. No problem. He phoned his office and dictated a piece blaming America. It sounded just like every other Fisk piece.
[ . . . ]
Fisk claims to feel sympathy for the Arabs, but it’s the sympathy of condescension. To him the Arabs have no responsibility for their destiny. They are all pawns of the West. And sometimes he writes as if he personally carried on his shoulders the guilt of the West.
Nothing we haven’t all said before about Fisk at one time or another, but the National Post is a major national publication. Read the whole thing.