Letter to the Editor
War Coverage Complaint
I am reaching out in regards to your coverage of the Israel-Hamas war and the decision to spotlight a quote from a non-resident of Preston Hollow in the December issue of Preston Hollow People.
While I do appreciate the journalistic effort to inform that the reported information about civilian deaths in Gaza is not verified and is provided by Hamas, I am disappointed with the layout of the article, which chose to spotlight a very one-sided quote from an individual who is not a resident of Preston Hollow. If any reader is skimming through the paper, you have put a stake in the ground that this quote is the one thing you’d like them to take away from this article.
Your publication is supposed to be about Preston Hollow people and should focus on the events happening in the neighborhood and sharing quotes from residents in the neighborhood. A quick Google search highlighted that not only is Faizan Syed not a resident of Preston Hollow (or even of Dallas), but he is also a lead member of CAIR which has faced many allegations in the U.S. of being associated with terrorist organizations and is on the official terrorist organization list for the UAE (United Arab Emirates).
Beyond the quote, the imagery that was selected for the article is also questionable. The Israel solidarity event that was highlighted is one of several Israel solidarity events that have taken place in the neighborhood since Oct. 7. It was so widely attended that the event was at capacity and people were turned away. That was not highlighted and instead a photo of a small crowd, not even waving flags, is what appeared. This is in contrast to images shown from an event that did not even happen in the neighborhood, and the selected imagery shown make the crowd feel much larger and more lively, which is not necessarily fact. The coverage in the article also does not highlight the breadth of support from the community at the Israel solidarity event, which was also attended by our local City Council woman, our mayor, and our U.S. senator.
Thank you,
Jennifer Weiss, Dallas
