Skip to content
  • Image
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Podcasts
  • Email
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Opinion
  • News
  • Features
  • Comment
  • Store
The Arab Daily News

The Arab Daily News

Original news, features, opinions from Chicago to Jerusalem

  • About
    • About
    • Our Writers
    • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
    • Book Store
    • Contact
    • Submit Book Reviews, Press Releases
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Corrections Policy
    • Profile on Ray Hanania
  • Features
    • Food
    • Book Review
    • Humor
    • Movies
    • Travel
  • Arab Community Network Page
    • Arab Community Network Page
    • Arab Heritage America resources
    • Directory
      • Groups & Organizations
      • Mosques, Churches
      • Restaurants
      • 2008 & 2014 Arab Media Directories
    • National Arab Heritage Month
    • Video: Chicago Arab History
    • Video: Photo Array of Chicago Arabs
    • Overview of Arabs in America
    • Hanania standup comedy
    • Arabs on the Titanic
    • Obituaries
  • Podcasts
    • Arab News Ray Hanania Radio
    • Ray Hanania on Politics Podcast
    • Podcast Info
    • Hanania Podcast intro
    • Live Arab Radio
  • Your Views
  • Submit Press Release
  • Toggle search form
  • AHRC Logo new Feb 2021
    AHRC hosts an open meeting with TSA & community Activism
  • Former City Hall reporter Ray Hanania, ShawnTe Raines-Welch and Nick Kantas, candidates for Judge in the 4th SubCircuit, and Cook County Commissioner Frank Aguilar.
    Nearly 100 candidates, officials address Arab Democratic Club forum Sunday American Arabs
  • Citgo Gas Station and Quik Mart at 3759 W. Chicago Ave in Chicago ordered closed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot because a street gang member with an AK-47 killed someone in front of the store. Only Arab and Muslim stores are being closed by the Mayor
    Arabs and Muslim blast Mayor lightfoot for racist store closings American Arabs
  • Closure notice posted on the doors and windows of Arab American businesses during Mayor Lori Lightfoot's closure of Arab owned stores in June - Sept. 2021. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
    Chicago aldermen to host “forum” to explore Mayor Lightfoot’s racist crackdown on Arab stores Activism
  • Imam Jamal Saad leads the more than 1,000 muslim attendees in payer at SeatGeek Stadium's open grounds at the Eid al-Fitr celebration May 2, 2022 in Bridgeview
    Local Illinois officials join Chicagoland Muslims for Eid Celebration at SeatGeek stadium American Arabs
  • DCEO Panel discussion on business support opportunities for all businesses including Arab American businesses, April 26, 2022
    DCEO Access to Capital: Arab American Heritage Month business workshop American Arabs
  • DCEO Celebrates Arab American Heritage Month (AAHM) American Arabs
  • Alderman Raymond Lopez addresses the gathering at an Iftar hosted by Radi Abuhashish Thursday April 21, 2022 joined by Dr. Willie Wilson and other candidates for Chicago Mayor.
    Political candidates join local Arab leaders for Iftar Activism
  • U.S. Congressional Candidate Rob Cruz in the 6th District GOP Primary election June 28, 2022
    Republican Candidate for U.S. Congress, Rob Cruz, Opens a Dialogue with the Palestinian Community American Arabs
  • Peak Rock Capital affiliate completes acquisition of Ziyad Brothers, a leading provider of brander Middle Eastern and Mediterranean foods American Arabs
  • Closure notice posted on the doors and windows of Arab American businesses during Mayor Lori Lightfoot's closure of Arab owned stores in June - Sept. 2021. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
    Chicago aldermen to host forum on Arab businesses closed by Mayor Lightfoot American Arabs
  • April 24, 2022 Illinois DCEO American ArabChamber event
    American Arab Chamber and DCEO host online panel to help Arab Businesses secure funding Activism
  • Oussama Jammal presents Congresswoman Marie Newman with the Courage Award during the USCMO Annual Ramadan Iftar Dinner. Photo courtesy of Marie Newman Facebook Page
    Newman endorsed by major Arab and Muslim leaders Activism
  • Chicago ALderman Raymond Lopez announces his candidacy for Mayor of Chicago on Wednesday April 6, 2022. Photo courtesy of Ray Lopez announcement video
    Champion of Arab American rights Ray Lopez announces for Mayor American Arabs
  • The Ray Hanania Radio Show Live Wed 5 PM EST in Detroit, Washington DC, Ontario and on Thursday in Chicago. Watch the program live at Facebook.com/ArabNews
    Second Season of “The Ray Hanania Show” Arab American radio launches April 6 American Arabs

Why American Arabs and Muslims need their own news blog

Posted on July 30, 2014August 20, 2019 By rayhanania No Comments on Why American Arabs and Muslims need their own news blog
SHARE ...
          
 
  

  • Tweet

Why American Arabs and Muslims need their own news blog

By Ray Hanania

Arianna Huffington and Tina Brown
Arianna Huffington and Tina Brown (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Huffington Post is one of the internet’s top ranked news blogs. And yet when you read through the HuffPo’s postings today, you notice that while the rest of the world is focused on the Israeli siege of Gaza and the massacre of civilians there, HuffPo is AWOL from the coverage.

The Huffington Post is a blog news site where bloggers express their opinions. Although it is described as “liberal” and is constantly battling with the rightwing neo-cons, HuffingtonPost is really very conservative when it comes to the issue of Palestinian rights.

In fact, when it comes to Palestinian rights, Huffington Post suddenly transforms from a liberal defender of civil rights, to a propaganda machine for Israel.

How can that be when they do have some American Arab writers? Well, they censor the stories. They manage the postings. They allow certain writers to write who they know will downplay the criticism of Israel to softballs and lobs, rather than hardhitting slams that Israel’s government deserves.

Ironically, the Huffington Post slams the right so powerfully and without any restrictions, but when it comes to Israel, the restrictions kick in as if they are making up for their slanted hammering of former President George W. Bush, former Vice President Dick Cheney, and the darling of the rightwing fools, Sarah Palin.

Of course, I am not saying Bush, Cheney and Plain don’t deserve close scrutiny and harsh criticism. They do and so do many of the rightwing nutjobs whose columns libel civil rights, ethical journalism and international law. These rightwing idiots celebrate hypocrisy as if it were their real political party. So reading Huffington Post as they slam the rightwing conservatives is definitely fun.

But, what’s not fun is watching the very subtle but clearly intentionally tempering of anything that overly criticizes Israel.

There is a generic story about the most recent bombing of the Gaza Strip that took place today despite the so-called ceasefire.

It did run a pretty generic and “balanced” news story about the Israeli attack on a UN school that killed 15 children written by Arab and Jewish reporters for Reuters News Service, one of the more dependable and journalistically professional news organizations out there. But that’s exactly the problem. If this had been Cheney attacking Obama, it wouldn’t just be a balanced news story. It would be diatribe against Cheney. It might even be clever. But it would be brutal because defending good politics is what Huffington Post claims to be all about.

But when it comes to defending international law and legal rights of civilians, the Huffington Post has to walk on eggshells like every other major news outlet in the United States.

And they are careful about who blogs and what they blog. If they don’t like something, they have a built in system to screw you. Unless they showcase you, your blog post is dead to the world, buried in the HuffPo’s belly of 55,000 bloggers. Individual bloggers who are not showcased have to promote their own blog posts themselves to their own networks. You are not even always indexed by Google. Just selected bloggers. That is controllable.

Do you want to know why it ranks number 1 on the Internet? Because 55,000 bloggers are posting content that drives up the traffic. If you have 5 bloggers, HuffPo would be invisible.

So HuffPo can afford to showcase the celebrity bloggers, the owner bloggers, and the blogs it loves. And, it can bury the blogs it does not love. Huffington Post is much like Google’s blogging system called Blogspot.com. Anyone can blog.

But if you want to showcase your views. If you want people to be able to hear the justified criticism of Israel’s government. If you want the world to know that Palestinians are being massacred by the extremist government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, you are going to have to do it someplace else, like here, at the Arab Daily News online news blog.

Here at the Arab Daily News, there is a benefit for you. The benefit of empowerment that comes from lie-minded people sharing the true facts about a story that is bludgeoned into twisted exaggerations and denials all to defend Israel.

I wrote for the Huffington Post one time. I wrote for a lot of media at one time, too. But I realized that everything I wrote for the biased mainstream news media only helped them oppress me even more. And one day when the Huffington Post editors emailed me to say that I was being “too critical” of Benjamin Netanyahu and they wanted me to edit my post before they would approve it, I decided they could go to hell. I’ll blog for myself. That led to the formation of the Arab Daily News online news blog, a site that this month will hit 700,000 reader visits and we only have 24 bloggers. Not 55,000 like the Huffington Post. Just 24 bloggers. Imagine if we had 55,000 bloggers. I am sure the U.S. Congress would pass a law that would outlaw our website

We don’t want haters here at the Arab Daily News. We don’t want anti-Semites. But we do want bloggers who want to point out the bias of the mainstream news media. We do want bloggers who want to write about the conflicted policies of the Arab World governments. We do want bloggers who are going to present the true facts about Israel’s brutality against the Palestinians and how Israel’s PR Machine distorts the facts and manipulates American politicians like lapdogs in a circus freak show.

We do want bloggers who want to showcase the events and activities of the American Arab and American Muslim community, a topic that the mainstream news media (and Huffington Post is a part of the mainstream news media) refuses to cover. We want bloggers who are going to write the stories that the biased mainstream news media refuses to publish and refuses to cover. What is the Arab community doing in America? That SHOULD BE front page news!

We want bloggers who recognize that there is a need to provide accurate and persuasively reasoned information to the American people to educate them and to allow them to make up their minds. Because when the Palestinian cause is given a chance to be presented fairly next to the Israeli cause, the Palestinian cause will always win. That’s why israelis fight so hard to undermine the Palestinian cause and why media like the Huffington Post apply subtle but effective censorship on accurate American Arab viewpoints.

American Arabs and American Muslims are powerful. We have influence. We have strength in numbers. We don’t have to scrounge around for the bread crumbs and table scraps left for us by American society. We can tell our own story. We don’t even need the New York Times newspaper to tell it because we can tell it better.

The mainstream news media is biased. They don’t want to cover the American Arab and American Muslim community. They want to bury us in lies and distortions and prejudice. And, they are doing a good job of it, a good job that reflects the inaction of American Arabs and American Muslims to make change. Change the system. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Build your own vehicle. If the media is biased, create your own media and get the word out.

And there is no more effective way to get the word out then in an environment that is Arab Friendly and Muslim Friendly, right here at the Arab Daily News online news blog.

We want your blogs.

RAY HANANIA
Managing editor

Related articles
  • Media Twists Facts to Make Israel Look Good in Conflict With Palestinians
  • Americans denied fair debate on Israel
  • Online Newspaper seeks to improve understanding of American Arabs and Muslims
  • Arab World AWOL in Israel-Hamas violence escalation
  • Arabs and Muslims must blame themselves for Western biases
  • Levin Slams Obama for ‘Bullying’ Israel
  • Arab Leaders are Puppets for Israel & The West, Time For The People Close To Palestine To Take Over

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
rayhanania
rayhanania
Op-Ed writer, author, radio host, podcaster at The Arab Daily News
RAY HANANIA — Op-Ed writer, author, radio host, podcaster

Ray Hanania is an award winning political and humor columnist who analyzes American and Middle East politics, and life in general. He is an author of several books.

Hanania covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992 at the Daily Southtown and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began writing in 1975 publishing The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper (2004-2007).

Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues as Special US Correspondent for the Arab News ArabNews.com, at TheArabDailyNews.com, and at SuburbanChicagoland.com. He has published weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, YNetNews.com, Newsday, the Orlando Sentinel, Houston Chronical, and Arlington Heights Daily Herald.

Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media. In 2009, Hanania received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. He was honored for his writing skills with two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild. In 1990, Hanania was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.

His writings have also been honored by two national Awards from ADC for his writing, and from the National Arab American Journalists Association.

Hanania is the US Special Correspondent for the Arab News Newspaper, covering Middle East and Arab American issues. He writes for the Southwest News newspaper group writing on mainstream American issues.

Click here to send Ray Hanania email.

Follow RayHanania on Gettr.com, the uncensored Twitter Ray Hanania on Gettr, the new Twitter
rayhanania
Latest posts by rayhanania (see all)
  • Nearly 100 candidates, officials address Arab Democratic Club forum Sunday - May 15, 2022
  • Arabs and Muslim blast Mayor lightfoot for racist store closings - May 7, 2022
  • Unresolved status of Palestinian rights makes UNRWA essential - May 7, 2022

  • Tweet

SHARE ...
          
 
  
 
          
 
 Tweet 
Activism, American Arabs, Bloggers, Commentary, News Media, Ray Hanania, Spotlight Tags:American Arabs, blogging, Huffington Post, journalism, Muslims, news media, politics, Writers

Post navigation

Previous Post: Sharon and Hamas: How the Likud Bloc Mid-wifed the Birth of Hamas
Next Post: National Press Club condemns Iran for journalist detention, but is silent on Israel’s killing of journalists

Related Posts

  • Peoples march in Algiers Streets to protest Pdt Bouteflika fifth-term. Photo courtesy of Abdennour Toumi
    A Cri-de-coeur for Dignity and Stability  Abdennour Toumi
  • Palestine United wins 2016 soccer championship American Arabs
  • More than $750,000 refunded to Arab property owners in County Treasurer Maria Pappas and Arab Chamber program American Arabs
  • American Arab enters Florida senate race American Arabs
  • Trump about Muslims American Arabs
  • Interview with Eileen Fleming on her new ebook American Arabs

More Related Articles

Israeli report on Children killed at Beach flawed Arab World
Roger Waters holding up civil rights tradition in opposing Apartheid Bloggers
Trump Reneges on JFK Assassination File, Former House Rep. Responds with a reminder of Vanunu Mordechai Arab World
Michigan Accident Attorney Joumana Kayrouz helps place the corner stone for the new Youth Hub Center she is funding in Batroun, Lebanon with Gebran Bassil, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants. Photo courtesy of Joumana Kayrouz Youth Hub Center to open in Lebanon with support from Joumana Kayrouz American Arabs
Ethics Corrects Mistakes to End 50 yr. USA Govt. Cover-Up USS Liberty Incident Arab World
Al Jazeera protests Egyptian death sentences Arab World

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

  • OPINION COLUMNS
  • Palestinian refugees forced to flee their homes at gunpoint by Jewish terrorist groups operating in Palestine in the 1930s, 1940s and after Israel was created on May 14, 1948. Photo courtesy of the United Nations
    Unresolved status of Palestinian rights makes UNRWA essential
    May 7, 2022
  • The Ray Hanania Radio Show Live Wed 5 PM EST in Detroit, Washington DC, Ontario and on Thursday in Chicago. Watch the program live at Facebook.com/ArabNews
    Second Season of “The Ray Hanania Show” Arab American radio launches April 6
    April 4, 2022
  • Hollywood Sign
    Will Smith violence takes Oscar protests to dangerous level
    March 31, 2022
  • Chicago's racist Mayor Lori Lightfoot ordered more than 150 Arab owned stores closed in 2021 in a racist effort o fight street gang crimes
    Arab Daily News launches Arab American Network to fight racism
    March 12, 2022
  • NEWS
  • AHRC Logo new Feb 2021
    AHRC hosts an open meeting with TSA & community
    May 19, 2022
  • Former City Hall reporter Ray Hanania, ShawnTe Raines-Welch and Nick Kantas, candidates for Judge in the 4th SubCircuit, and Cook County Commissioner Frank Aguilar.
    Nearly 100 candidates, officials address Arab Democratic Club forum Sunday
    May 15, 2022
  • Citgo Gas Station and Quik Mart at 3759 W. Chicago Ave in Chicago ordered closed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot because a street gang member with an AK-47 killed someone in front of the store. Only Arab and Muslim stores are being closed by the Mayor
    Arabs and Muslim blast Mayor lightfoot for racist store closings
    May 7, 2022
  • Closure notice posted on the doors and windows of Arab American businesses during Mayor Lori Lightfoot's closure of Arab owned stores in June - Sept. 2021. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
    Chicago aldermen to host “forum” to explore Mayor Lightfoot’s racist crackdown on Arab stores
    May 3, 2022
  • NEWSWIRE
  • AHRC Logo new Feb 2021
    AHRC hosts an open meeting with TSA & community
    May 19, 2022
  • Closure notice posted on the doors and windows of Arab American businesses during Mayor Lori Lightfoot's closure of Arab owned stores in June - Sept. 2021. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania
    Chicago aldermen to host forum on Arab businesses closed by Mayor Lightfoot
    April 15, 2022
  • On March 28, 2022, the American Human Rights Council (AHRC-USA) visited the Consulate General of Mexico in Michigan and presented its AHRC Exemplary Diplomat Leadership Award to His Excellency Fernando Gonzalez Saiffe, outgoing Consul General of Mexico.
    AHRC Presents Exemplary Diplomat Leadership Award to Outgoing Mexican Consul Fernando Gonzalez Saiffe:
    March 30, 2022
  • 03-30-22 Arab Chamber Heritage Month Flyer
    Arab Chamber to host Arab Heritage Month dinner March 30
    March 14, 2022

The Tabboun Column

The Political Grapevine Political Tabboun. Original photo by tim-mossholder-KX1BBNY69Ao-unsplash
  • Tabboun
  • The Political Grapevine Political Tabboun. Original photo by tim-mossholder-KX1BBNY69Ao-unsplash
    The Political Grapevine/The Tabboun, Friday Dec. 16, 2021
    December 16, 2021
  • The Political Grapevine Political Tabboun. Original photo by tim-mossholder-KX1BBNY69Ao-unsplash
    Tabboun: Chicago remains strongest Palestine voice
    September 7, 2016
  • The Tabboun: Israeli human rights violations hit
    June 30, 2016
  • The Political Grapevine Political Tabboun. Original photo by tim-mossholder-KX1BBNY69Ao-unsplash
    Tabboun: Himes questions troop deployment to Syria
    November 3, 2015
  • The Political Grapevine Political Tabboun. Original photo by tim-mossholder-KX1BBNY69Ao-unsplash
    The Tabboun: Dearborn removes statue of racist former mayor
    September 29, 2015

Creative Commons License
All work on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Do not edit original work. Give credit to the original source.

  • 08-09-21-Ziyad-Sices-Ad.jpg
  • ZiyadBrandLogo-2016BlackRedBackgrnd.jpg
  • 08-09-21-Ziyad-Ad-Pantry-essentials.jpg
  • HANANIA Arab News Op-Eds
  • Ukraine conflict gives Palestinians chance to redefine their conflict
    March 9, 2022
  • Mishmeshan PHC medical center destroyed in Syrian Government assaults. Photo courtesy of UOSSM Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations
    President Biden’s dyslexic policy in Syria is a mess
    October 20, 2021
  • Annissa Essaibi George and family
    Annissa Essaibi George faces “race hypocrisy” in campaign to be Boston Mayor
    October 20, 2021
  • Jerusalem image of Jews and Arabs walking together. Shutterstock. Courtesy of Arab News Newspaper
    Jewish Michigan lawmaker leads push for Two State Solution
    October 7, 2021
  • BOOK REVIEWS
  • Stories My Father Told Me by author and artist Helen Zughaib, book cover. Photo courtesy of Cune Press
    Stories My Father Told Me by author and artist Helen Zughaib
    November 1, 2021
  • Girl Fighters, new book on Yemen Book Cune Press
    New Book: Girl Fighters: Break Tradition in Yemen 
    October 25, 2021
  • ENTERTAINMENT
  • The Ray Hanania Radio Show Live Wed 5 PM EST in Detroit, Washington DC, Ontario and on Thursday in Chicago. Watch the program live at Facebook.com/ArabNews
    Second Season of “The Ray Hanania Show” Arab American radio launches April 6
    April 4, 2022
  • American Arab CHamber President HassanNijem accepts the Proclamation from Chicago Ald. Roderick Sawyer at the Chamber dinner March 30, 2022
    Chicagoland celebrates Arab American Heritage Month
    March 31, 2022
  • Hollywood Sign
    Will Smith violence takes Oscar protests to dangerous level
    March 31, 2022
  • 03-30-22 Arab Chamber Heritage Month Flyer
    Arab Chamber to host Arab Heritage Month dinner March 30
    March 14, 2022
  • “Rupture”, the psychological thriller produced by MBC STUDIOS, has won Best Saudi Film at the 2021 Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF).
    MBC GROUP’s Rupture wins Best Saudi Film at the inaugural Red Sea International Film Festival
    December 15, 2021
  • New-iTunes-1400-x-1400-The-Ray-Hanania-Show-Podcast-Icon-300-x-300.jpg
  • powerpr300x300ad.jpg
  • The-Kings-Pawn-Book-300-x-300.png
  • Podcast-iTunes-Logo-Chi-City-Hall-1985.jpg
  • terroristbookcover-300-x-300.jpg
Arab News Newspaper Logo
Read the Arab News, the leading English language newspaper in the MIddle East

Follow Ray Hanania at Gab.com, MeWe.com and IDobbinate.com, the alternatives to Facebook and Twitter Censorship.

Click here to get information on The Ray Hanania Radio Show and its podcasts

Copyright © 2022 The Arab Daily News.

Powered by PressBook Premium theme