Patrick B. Pexton, the Washington Post's ombudsman, criticizes the paper -- and the U.S. press generally -- for not devoting more coverage to Israel's reputed nuclear arsenal.  In his weekly column in the Sunday, Sept. 2, edition, Pexton expresses agreement with readers who ask "Why does the press follow every jot and tittle of Iran's nuclear program, but we never see any stories about Israel's nuclear weapons capability?"  ("Media silence on Israel's nukes" page A15). Pexton enumerates various reasons for paucity of stories about Israel's alleged nuclear weapons -- Israel's refusal to acknowledge their existence, U.S. support of Israel's deliberate ambiguity of whether it possesses atomic weapons, Israel's decision not to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty which requires transparency, Israel's military censorship and a notable absence of leaks. But Pexton also adduces what he terms a not-so-benign reason for lack of coverage of Israel's nuclear capacity.  He...(Read Full Post)