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Local Opinion Favorable
Toward Peter Jennings

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I

f there is any question
regarding Peter Jenn-
ings' bias for or against
Israel, the regulars at the
Plaza Deli in Southfield
don't know about it. When it
comes to world affairs over
coffee and a bagel, not much
goes unnoticed here.
"I think he's knowl-
edgeable and does an
excellent job of reporting the
news," said Dr. Allan Bram-
son of West Bloomfield. "If
anything, he might create a
lot of his own interest by
perhaps blowing things out
of proportion. But that's
nothing uncommon in the
media."
Les Kaplan of Southfield
said he didn't see any slant
or bias to Peter Jennings
and just like Dr. Bramson,
he called the ABC anchor-
man "excellent" at what he
does.
Don Schlossberg of
Southfield also agreed with
his two breakfast compa-
nions, adding that Mr. Jenn-
ings seems to have an in-
sight that his network com-
petition might not have.
Most local Detroiters
interviewed agreed that
Peter Jennings does present
a professional level of repor-
ting the news, even the news
of the Middle East. Any
dissenters usually deferred
talking specifically about
Mr. Jennings, instead choos-
ing to criticize the TV news
industry as a whole for bias.
Bob Rowe, program direc-
tor of ABC-affiliate WXZY
TV-7, said he had not heard
of a single charge of bias
about the network anchor-
man.
"I've never heard about
anyone who has called to
complain," he said. "I've
always heard favorable
things. Peter Jennings cer-
tainly was considered the
nation's most credible news
anchor during the Persian
Gulf war."
Charlotte Dubin, com-
munications director for the
Jewish Welfare Federation
of Detroit and a person who
works one-on-one with the
local media, does see Mr.
Jennings as sometimes be-
ing less than fair to Israel.
"Based on what I hear,
there are people out there
who are sometimes puzzled
by this fellow and have not
been happy on Middle East
issues," said Ms. Dubin.

"My feelings as a media per-
son is that I'm sometimes
disappointed that his reports
are less than balanced when
it comes to Middle East
coverage. I can't attribute it
to any mean motives. I just
feel his coverage is not bal-
anced."
Sharona Shapiro of the
American Jewish Com-
mittee did not want to com-
ment specifically about Mr.
Jennings. She, instead,
called for a more balanced
approach to Middle East
news from all of the major
networks.
"Yes, I'd like to see a more
balanced approach," she
said. "But one of the major
weaknesses I see is that
news people are not inform-
ed enough to put their news
in a historical context. For
example, I get concerned
when I hear the term
`occupied territories'
whenever mentioned on an
issue concerning Israel. The
implications are negative

"I do think he is
more likely to take
on the role of
journalist and
question, and I
think he does this
with Israel."

Jessica Daher

and I think they are pur-
posely done that way."
Outgoing Jewish Com-
munity Council President
Paul D. Borman agreed with
Ms. Shapiro. Though not
taking aim at Mr. Jennings,
he said that all of the major
networks need to improve
when it comes to even-
handed reporting on Israel.
"There is a dramatic
under-reportage of incidents
in which hundreds of Pales-
tinians have been killed by
fellow Palestinians, while
there is an over-emphasis on
staged demonstrations
designed to provoke the
Israel Defense Forces," Mr.
Borman said.
Jessica Daher, the re-
gional coordinator for the
Arab-American Anti-
Discrimination Committee,
doesn't see Mr. Jennings as
pro-Arab or anti-Israel at all.
She did say, however, that
the anchorman will ask
more questions when it
comes to Middle East issues,
often challenging the an-
swers.