An unfortunate outcome for a professional journal that offers a forum for the expression of views is that the opportunity can arise for the presentation of mere opinion as fact, no matter how biased or erroneous. Furthermore endorsement is implied by the magazine when the editorial review focuses on such an article.

With the minimum of due diligence, for example, it is possible to reveal that the quotes attributed to Dr Marton are a repetition of those espoused by her as far back as 2003 when, according to the World Health Organisation, Israel was placed at a lowly 63rd out of 73 nations in terms of violent youth crime - thirty-three places below the United Kingdom. More recent statistics revealed in 2008 that reported crime in Israel had reduced by 6%. This is hardly consistent with a nation in the throes of a uniquely violent free-fall but is evidence of an article flawed by inadequate background research.

I am therefore left wondering who is responsible for veracity in our magazine. Editorial policy defers it; authors, it seems, are at liberty to completely ignore it; which leaves only the reader to separate fact from fiction, political expression from propaganda, opinion from truth and, in this particular instance to be alert for prejudice, inaccuracy and conclusions that naively belie the reality on the ground ... but then, that's just my opinion!

 A Bard