Truth or Fiction #288 By Hank Silverberg Commentary Truth vs Fiction There is no doubt, as a journalist or as a news consumer it is getting harder and harder these days to separate truth from fiction, especially when dealing with a war zone. (Courtesy Univ. of Texas) But sometimes you have to use common sense to figure things out. For example: I am a bit perplexed by most of the media around the world continues to use the civilian casualty figures in the Gaza war. There is no question that thousands of civilians have been killed, and that is a tragedy. The Palestinian Health Ministry CLAIMED that number at 36,700 this week. And most of the media will use that number. What irks me is that number is a "claim" by a terrorist group that cares little about the safety of its own people and puts out that number for propaganda purposes. I srael continues to point out that that "claimed" number does not distinguish between civilians a