Plucking the Eagle's Wings

Spiritual Wickedness in High Places

Tribune, The Charlotte Observer, The Orlando Sentinel, and papers in smaller cities like Augusta, Georgia. Those conducting the interviews were generally fair, although sometimes a biased slant was apparent. It is Time for Discernment No one should believe everything that is reported by the liberal media. Information is not always true, and in many instances, facts are twisted into half-truths. An investigative journalist employed by America's largest cable news network followed another prominent television evangelist for two years. The journalist attempted to find scandalous information in the minister's past and even interviewed former girlfriends from before he was married. In one case, the media reported that a minister had his first child out of wedlock. The minister explained on national television that this took place before his conversion to Christ. He also married the mother and has been happily married to her for many years. Of course, this revelation by the liberal media was designed to hurt the minister's credibility. Reporting the news is a very important service to all of us. However, staging events so that slanted news reports can boost ratings is unethical and can be destructive. Reports about Israel are a good example of this tactic. Conflict between Muslims and Jews is an interesting topic in America. Footage of protests, political upheavals, and bombings brings good network ratings, and ratings drive the price of television advertising. I have seen reporters arrange Palestinian protests in order to tape them and sell them to American networks. Typically, the frenzy escalates when the cameras roll and afterward, the protest dies down. In the process, Americans are given misleading information about the Israelis. In fact, in the disputed territories, radical Palestinian groups often contact the news centers in Jerusalem to inform them of the date, time, and location of their protests. I was once in Bethlehem shopping and was told to wrap up our transactions in 30 minutes because a protest was planned. That night on CNN International, the violent rioting was aired for the world to see, implying that all of Bethlehem was under siege. Later that evening, I went back into Bethlehem and the stores and restaurants were open and everything was normal. In one area of about 200 square feet, the road was covered with stones thrown in the staged protest. Money exchanged hands and the protesters succeeded in sending a distorted political picture of Bethlehem around the globe.

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