JustASC

I changed my mind over whether Ethan Bronner’s son’s service in the IDF creates an untenable conflict of interest for the Times’ Israel burea chief:

And for about five minutes there I agreed with Hoyt that perhaps, given the passions of the Mideast, Bronner should be reassigned for the duration of his son’s IDF service. But two writers whom I respect, Ron Kampeas of the JTA and Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic, turned me around.

Goldberg, a Jew who has covered Israel and is friendly with Arabs who have done the same, fiercely defends the idea that reporters can separate their personal attachments from their reporting. Kampeas, meanwhile, has defended Palestinian colleagues, knowing that attempts to discredit them on ethnic or religious grounds would backfire on Jewish reporters.

Hoyt raised a fair question. Keller provides a reasonable response: Note the biography, but judge the writer on his or her work. Insist on full disclosure, and insist that the writer do his or her job professionally.