Ismail, who specializes in media coverage of the Middle East, said Americans tend to be "surprisingly" unaware of the history of the region, given the prominent role the United State plays in shaping the politics of the area.

"In Europe, for example, the average citizen has much more awareness of world affairs than in the United States," Ismail said. "The same goes for the Far East and the Middle East. It is sad that [the history of the Middle East] is not as well known as it should be, especially in a country as powerful as the United States."

Ismail, who will be teaching classes in mass media this fall, said some of the blame for that ignorance falls on the shoulders of the American news media, which spend little time explaining the history of a region or the historical facts that may have led to the current conflicts, such as the current crisis between Lebanon and Israel.

"It's disappointing," she said, adding it is the responsibility of journalists to ensure their reporting is accurate and reflects the facts, not the politics, of the events they are covering.

This lapse, she said, "can shape citizens' views, their fundamental understanding of what is going on, whether in Lebanon or in other parts of the world."

She said many Americans are unaware that Israel invaded southern Lebanon in 1982, and occupied the area for nearly two decades until 2000. Even after 2000, a small part in the south of the country known as Shebaa Fields was still occupied. Ismail said Arabs, not just in Lebanon, credit Hizbullah with liberating southern Lebanon.

And while the United States government classifies Hizbullah as a terrorist organization, Ismail said that in Lebanon and other parts of the region it's members are considered "freedom fighters" and it a political party whose members hold elected seats in the Lebanese parliament.

"The United States and Lebanon have had relations for a very long time. People go back and forth between the two countries fairly regularly, at least until this recent conflict broke out," she said.

Ismail said its is incumbent upon those who cover news events around the world to find out the factual history of the region they are in, talk to a variety of sources and "think perceptively about information--not just receive information without reflection."

She said if reporters do their jobs right, then the American public that relies on them for information can make well-informed judgments about what is going on in the world and the role their government plays in the outcome.