Bill Maher: Pro-Palestinian Media

On the June 11 web portion of HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" called "Overtime", there was a lively discussion between guests - Queen Noor of Jordan, Rachel Maddow, Jon Meacham, Oliver Stone and Bill Frist.  A discussion of Israel and Palestine and the definition of "occupied" quickly turned towards a debate of whether there is a pro-Israel bias in the media.  The following is a portion of that debate:

Jon Meacham: "The idea that there is a pro-Israeli bias in the broad media - whatever 'the media' means at this point, I strongly disagree with.  I think if anything, you run into a very strong feeling on the Palestinian side."

Bill Maher: "I agree."

Rachel Maddow: "Who speaks out publicly in a pro-Palestinian, anti-Israeli way in mainstream American politics, or media?"

Bill Maher: "I think everybody.  I think most of them do because I think the media, to take up your point, mostly, is way too stupid to understand the issues.  So what they do is they go toward, oh, who's a victim.  And yes, their situation in Gaza is tragic, but partly it's tragic of their own making."

It's comes as no surprise that Jon Meacham would make the assertion that there's a pro-Palestinian slant in the media.  But it knocked me out of my chair to hear such a claim coming from Bill Maher.  Apparently, I wasn't the only one stunned by this revelation.  Maher's studio audience, who is generally sitting on the edge of their seats waiting to cheer and applaud whatever he says, sat in a stunned silence.

Watch the clip here:

  http://www.hbo.com/real-time-with-bill-maher/index.html