By David Singer ——Bio and Archives--May 8, 2016
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"As soon as we learned about the concerns with it, we placed sales of the book on hold and immediately initiated an academic review. The review determined that the map did not meet our academic standards. We have informed the authors and we are no longer selling the book. All existing inventory will be destroyed. We apologize and will refund payment to anyone who returns the book."McGraw-Hill's action follows similar criticism of MSNBC which aired the same series of maps last year on "MSNBC Live". Host Kate Snow and her then guest Middle East expert Martin Fletcher made a return appearance to acknowledge that they realized after they went off the air that the maps were not factually accurate and they regretted using them. Now Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) has published a letter signed by 35 "prominent academics" attacking McGraw Hill's "shocking and outrageous act of censorship of the Palestinian narrative from US schoolbooks".
"I know it would be very difficult to withdraw your letter signed by so many distinguished people but it needs to be qualified if their integrity and yours is to be maintained. McGraw Publishing had the intellectual strength to remove the offending text book from sale when inaccuracies in the maps were brought to its attention. I believe you now need to issue an appropriately worded supplementary letter that:
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No response has been received to this and two subsequent e mails. Misleading maps -- like misleading statements - allowed to go unchallenged - soon become accepted as gospel truth if repeated often enough in text books and in the media. Anti-Israel websites peddling the "Palestinian narrative" and refusing to publish comments seeking to correct unsubstantiated and untrue statements are increasing. Jewish Voice For Peace does itself no credit in aligning with these insidious web sites by maintaining its deafening silence and knowingly propagating these totally discredited maps.Please give this letter your serious consideration and let me know what you intend doing."
- errors appearing in the published maps drawn to your attention after your letter was published were regrettably incapable of being corrected thereby necessitating their withdrawal and the textbook from sale.
- McGraw Hill's decision to do so was justified.
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David Singer is an Australian Lawyer, a Foundation Member of the International Analyst Network and Convenor of Jordan is Palestine International—an organization calling for sovereignty of the West Bank and Gaza to be allocated between Israel and Jordan as the two successor States to the Mandate for Palestine. Previous articles written by him can be found at: jordanispalestine.blogspot.com