The Iraq war, Israel, Mugabe

I set myself up for some scathing criticism through several articles I had published in the Herald, Port Elizabeth, in 2003. One dealt with the SA television coverage of the Iraq war, another was on Israel, and, finally, there was a letter to the editor about Zimbabwe.

This is my piece on the TV coverage of the Iraq war. (Please click on the text to see it larger.)

Retired Rhodes political science professor Terence Beard attempted to tear my argument to pieces. His article continues below.

The last part of Prof Beard's article.

I responded to Prof Beard in the letters column, where I found both support and opposition.

When you work as a sub-editor on a newspaper and you read articles and see pictures of horrendous things, such as the suicide bombings which plagued Israel at this time, it gets you thinking. I believe Prof Beard would have supported my views on Israel, although I was in a sense only playing devil's advocate.

The concluding part of my article on Israel.

The turmoil in Zimbabwe continued to haunt me. In response to yet another chapter, I had this letter published in the Herald on May 23, 2003.

The response to my article on Israel, meanwhile, was swift. These letters were published on May 27, 2003.

Then, on May 30, my views on Mugabe took a roasting.

The big guns were brought out in defence of Israel. The article by David Saks concludes below.

The last part of David Saks's article.

I couldn't resist replying to a pro-ANC letter on Mugabe, although it is not the one shown above. This appeared on May 31, 2003.