You both do a good job of questioning where news comes from and how it's produced. Like Mr.Porter, I am happy to hear that there will be more news channels opening up especially in televised news. I think the more views, the better. Everyone still has to grapple with semantics, like whether to use the word "martyr" and how you can be expressive and honest about your background while remaining objective. Also on the subject, Tom Segev from Hareetz has a great essay in Foreign Affairs (http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20060501fareviewessay85312/tom-segev/a-bitter-prize.html) and his new book on Israel is to come out next spring. This organization has studied and documented how various media channels have covered the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: http://www.ifamericansonlyknew.org/media/ I think as a Westerner, it's hard to picture how things are where you are -what the adrenaline feels like after an explosion, how long or how hard it is to get through check points depending on who you are, what language you speak etc. We get only a glimpse of it through the media.