CiF Watch. Exposing Anti-Semitism Online
A year ago a blog named CiF Watch was launched, its mission being to monitor and expose anti-Semitism on the Guardian newspaper’s ‘Comment is Free’ website. It was born out of the frustration of ordinary people who were tired of writing unanswered letters of complaint and dissatisfied that their attempts to counter above and below the line bias and anti-Semitism were often deleted by the site’s moderators.
This unaffiliated, unfunded, diverse group of people was motivated to join forces and move from the defensive to the pro-active not only by the fact that a respectable mainstream media outlet was providing a platform where anti-Semitic hate speech thrived and multiplied to the point that the public vilification of Jews and Israel had become acceptable, but also out of an understanding that a society which allows hate speech against Jews will sooner or later turn on other minority groups as well.
Although CiF is one of the worst offenders, it is by no means the only mainstream media on-line news outlet failing to take responsibility for hate-speech in its domain. Social media such as Facebook, You Tube and numerous political blogs often suffer from the same malaise. With the advent of Web 2.0 communication across international boundaries has never been easier or quicker, and the promotion of anti-Semitism as a socially acceptable stand point and a means of delegitimizing Israel can therefore be utilized by anti-Zionist organizations.
One year on since CiF Watch’s inception, the Guardian continues to grant a platform to those who vilify, demonize and libel Israel and Jews. Anti-Semitism, Holocaust denial and hate-speech are still to be found in the post-moderated comments, albeit somewhat less, and readers’ attempts to oppose the hate speech and distorted narratives of Israeli and Jewish history are often still deleted. Moderators continue to rely upon the public’s flagging of offensive comments as a basis for their removal, indicating the management’s shirking of its responsibilities as a site operator.
However, the anti-Semitic hate speech and the Guardian’s anti-Israel bias have been exposed by CiF Watch to the fresh air of public awareness. The newspaper’s biased political agenda and its refusal to deal effectively with hate speech and incitement by adopting a policy of pre-moderation has been brought to the attention of revenue-providing advertisers. CiF Watch also aims to provide its readers with factual information which empowers them to counter the bias and anti-Semitism found both above and below the line at CiF and to act as a support group for those attempting to oppose racist incitement.
Eating the hate-speech elephant is a one bite at a time task, and CiF Watch and other media monitoring sites still have a gargantuan task ahead as the epidemic of internet anti-Semitism continues to permeate even once respectable media outlets. Despite attempts by many nations to apply legislation against internet hate speech, these laws have limited efficacy. Not only is there little legal censure for the propagation of hate speech, there is also no social or commercial price to be paid for the promotion of anti-Semitic incitement today. Indeed often the exact opposite applies; this free rein has granted a social respectability to anti-Semitic hate speech now being employed by politicians, trade unionists and activists in universities, among others, to promote an anti-Israel political agenda.
The notion that hate speech can be confined to the anti-Semitic variety is, on the strength of lessons of history, obviously mistaken. Whilst grassroots initiatives such as CiF Watch are clearly a welcome start in the much needed campaign against internet hate speech, the battle for the principles of a tolerant and pluralistic society cannot be left to them alone.
Hadar Sela is a member of CiF Watch, exposing anti-Semitic hate speech online.
