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The Middle East Media Research Institute, or MEMRI for short, is a Middle Eastern press monitoring organization founded by former Israeli intelligence officers. Its headquarter is located in Washington, DC, with branch offices in Jerusalem, Berlin, London, Rome, Shanghai and Tokyo. MEMRI was co-founded in 1998 by Yigal Carmon, a former colonel in Israeli military intelligence, and another Israeli Meyrav Wurmser. It provides a free source of English language translations of material published in Arabic and Persian script, and publishes its analyses and in-depth reports on its website. The organization's translations are regularly quoted by major international newspapers, and its work has generated strong criticism and praise. Several critics have accused MEMRI of selectivity stating that it consistently picks for translation and dissemination the most extreme views from Arabic and Farsi media, which portray the Arab and Muslim world in a negative light, while ignoring moderate views that are often found in the same media outlets.[1][2][2][3][4]
[edit] Objectives and projectsMEMRI's current mission statement states the organization "explores the Middle East through the region's media. MEMRI bridges the language gap which exists between the West and the Middle East, providing timely translations of Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Urdu-Pashtu media, as well as original analysis of political, ideological, intellectual, social, cultural, and religious trends in the Middle East."[5] Until 2001, its Mission Statement stated that the institute also emphasizes "the continuing relevance of Zionism to the Jewish people and to the state of Israel."[6] Concerning this change in their ‘mission statement,’ Political Research Associates (PRA) notes that it occurred three weeks after the September 11 attacks, and considers MEMRI "was previously more forthcoming about its political orientation in its self-description and in staff profiles on its website."[7] MEMRI's goals and emphasis have evolved over the years; it originally translated articles in both Arabic and Hebrew. PRA, which studies the US political right, considers that “MEMRI's slogan, ‘Bridging the Language Gap Between the Middle East and the West,’ does not convey the institute's stridently pro-Israel and anti-Arab political bias.” It further notes, that MEMRI's founders, Wurmser and Carmon, “are both hardline pro-Israel ideologues aligned with Israel's Likud party.”[7] The organization became more prominent after the September 11, 2001 attacks, due to increased Western public interest in the Arab world and Iran.[citation needed] At that time, it expanded its staff considerably, setting up new branches outside the United States in early 2002.[citation needed] It has maintained longstanding relations with law enforcement agencies.[8] MEMRI's translated articles and media analysis focus on the following areas:
Starting in October 2006, they added The Islamist Websites Monitor Project focusing on the translated news, videos, and analysis of "major jihadi websites".[9] [edit] StaffWhen founded in 1998, MEMRI's staff of seven included three who had formerly served in military intelligence in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).[10][1] MEMRI president and founder Yigal Carmon states that MEMRI's current staff includes "people of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths [who] hold a range of political views."[11] [edit] Prominent staff
[edit] Financial supportMEMRI is registered in the US with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.[5] They have a policy of not accepting money from governments, relying instead on around 250 private donors, including other organizations and foundations.[18] MediaTransparency, an organization[19] that monitors the financial ties of conservative think tanks to conservative foundations in the United States, reported that for the years 1999 to 2004, MEMRI received $100,000 from The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, Inc., $100,000 from The Randolph Foundation, and $5,000 from the John M. Olin Foundation[20]. MEMRI's U.S. income statement of June 2004 stated that its total U.S. revenue was US$2,571,899, its total U.S. functional expenses were $2,254,990, and that it possessed net assets of $700,784. Charity Navigator, an organization[21] that evaluates the financial health of America's largest charities, has given MEMRI a four-star (exceptional) rating, meaning that it "... exceeds industry standards and outperforms most charities in its Cause" when rated on its financial health.[22][23] [edit] ControversyMEMRI's work has been attacked on three grounds: that their work is biased; that they choose articles to translate selectively so as to give an unrepresentative view of the media they are reporting on; and that their translations are sometimes inaccurate.[11] MEMRI has responded to the attacks of critics, stating that their work is not biased; that they in fact choose representative articles from the Arab media that accurately reflect the opinions expressed, and that their translations are highly accurate.[11] Its work has generated strong criticism[24] and praise.[25] [edit] Claims of biasBrian Whitaker, the Middle East editor for the Guardian newspaper in the United Kingdom, has been one of the most outspoken critics of MEMRI, writing: "My problem with Memri is that it poses as a research institute when it's basically a propaganda operation,"[11] to "further the political agenda of Israel."[1] Whitaker has also complained that "MEMRI's website does not mention you [Carmon] or your work for Israeli intelligence. Nor does it mention MEMRI's co-founder, Meyrav Wurmser, and her extreme brand of Zionism.... Given your political background, it's legitimate to ask whether MEMRI is a trustworthy vehicle."[11] In response, MEMRI President Yigal Carmon, states: "You are right: we do have an agenda. As an institute of research, we want MEMRI to present translations to people who wish to be informed on the ideas circulating in the Middle East. We aim to reflect reality. If knowledge of this reality should benefit one side or another, then so be it."[11] [edit] Claims of selectivitySeveral critics have accused MEMRI of selectivity. They state that MEMRI consistently picks for translation and dissemination the most extreme views, which portray the Arab and Muslim world in a negative light, while ignoring moderate views that are often found in the same media outlets.[1][2][2][26][27] According to Juan Cole, Professor of Modern Middle East History at the University of Michigan, MEMRI has a tendency to "cleverly cherry-pick the vast Arabic press, which serves 300 million people, for the most extreme and objectionable articles and editorials" [28] Laila Lalami, writing in The Nation, states that MEMRI "consistently picks the most violent, hateful rubbish it can find, translates it and distributes it in e-mail newsletters to media and members of Congress in Washington".[2] As a result, critics such as Ken Livingstone state, MEMRI's analyses are "distortion."[29][30][31] MEMRI responds to the criticism by saying that the media had a tendency to whitewash statements of Arab leaders,[12] and that its translations are accurate representations: "Memri has never claimed to 'represent the view of the Arabic media', but rather to reflect, through our translations, general trends which are widespread and topical."[11] John Lloyd has defended MEMRI in the New Statesmen, stating that "Memri and Carmon have been accused of selecting the worst of a diverse media: however, the sheer range of what is available weakens that criticism, as does support for the initiative by Arab liberals."[32] Thomas L. Friedman, a political opinion columnist for the New York Times, credits MEMRI with helping to "shine a spotlight on hate speech wherever it appears."[33] Jay Nordlinger, the managing editor of National Review, similarly writes: "Wading or clicking through MEMRI's materials can be a depressing act, but it is also illusion-dispelling, and therefore constructive. This one institute is worth a hundred reality-twisting Middle Eastern Studies departments in the U.S."[25] [edit] Claims of translation inaccuracyThe accuracy of MEMRI's translations is sometimes disputed,[34] as in the case of MEMRI's translation of a 2004 Osama bin Laden video, which MEMRI defended.[11][30][35][36][37] Norman Finkelstein, in an interview with the Muslim newspaper In Focus said MEMRI "uses the same sort of propaganda techniques as the Nazis... [I]t’s a reliable assumption that anything MEMRI translates from the Middle East is going to be unreliable."[24] In 2007, CNN correspondent Atika Shubert and Arabic translators accused MEMRI of mistranslating portions of a Palestinian children's television programme.
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Categories: Arab media | Iranian media | Turkish media | Antisemitism | Middle East | American Middle Eastern studies | Non-profit organizations based in the United States | International non-profit organizations | Organizations established in 1998 | Media analysis organizations | Zionism in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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