All governments lie, as I.F. Stone pointed out, including Israel and Hamas. But Israel engages in the kinds of jaw-dropping lies that characterize despotic and totalitarian regimes. It does not deform the truth; it inverts it. It routinely paints a picture for the outside world that is diametrically opposed to reality. And all of us reporters who have covered the occupied territories have run into Israel’s Alice-in-Wonderland narratives, which we dutifully insert into our stories—required under the rules of American journalism—although we know they are untrue.
Always Question Authority
One of the beginnings of human emancipation is the ability to laugh at authority. ~ Hitchens
Always Question Authority 
The fact that our press is complicit is promoting government and social narratives is nothing new; we’ve seen it since the inception of the nation. As Hedges says, lying is just what states do. What has been striking to me during the most recent coverage of Israel in Gaza is how our national press and government have capitulated so completely to the Israeli propaganda machine. Nary is to be heard a discouraging word.