The Shoddy Israeli Media

Usually, the flimsiness of mainstream reporting in Israel is centered around its Leftist bias. In this case, however, it is simple incompetence combined with possibly slander.

Yediot Acharonot published a hit piece today on a relatively unknown Knesset member who will likely be henceforth known primarily as a suspected sexual harasser. Of course, it is possible that the allegation is completely true; the question is the journalistic standard used when the truth is unknown.

The story asserted two times:

A lie detector test, however, showed that the political activist was telling the truth

Apparently, Yediot is unaware that:

-The conventional wisdom on polygraphs is that they are anything but conclusive, as the article reported as objective fact.

-Many serious opinions conclude that polygraphs are "bunk".

-They are not acceptable as evidence in many courts (including the US) because of their unreliability.

-The least reliable use of a polygraph is quite possibly what occurred here, i.e. when a private individual orders an independent test. Obviously, this raises the possibility of reporting the result only if favorable.

-The term "lie detector" itself is a common misnomer.

-The most notable recent book on the subject notes an interesting use of polygraphs. Because of the widespread misimpression that they are effective, their only actual benefit is as a bluff to elicit criminal confessions.

As an aside, fathers need to explain the facts of life to their daughters. The average man does not view private bedroom tours from an architectural perspective. When a young woman enters a politician's bedroom alone (as this article asserts), most people would interpret that as a green light for some kind of advance. Obviously, the story, if true, does constitute criminal behavior.