Our institutional bias on Israel is literally a vector for foreign intelligence. Myself, an IR grad who follows global politics closely, was unsure on Syria, because journos who were correct on Israel in 2007-2013, were incessantly calling the White Helmets Al Qaeda. I didn't know what to believe.

I'm embarrassed to admit, but for me, it wasn't Mate, it was Rhania Khalek. She earned a lot of cred from me for her reporting on Israel. It was hard to conceive she was 100% full of it on Syria. To blame victims of a gas attack as the perpetrators. She wouldn't do that? Now it seems so obvious.