A 60-minute video tape documentary which was previewed here and in New York Tuesday night sharply critical of NBC News’ coverage of the war in Lebanon last summer, accused the network “of violating all principles of responsible journalism,” according to the film’s director and writer, Peter Goldman.
Goldman, who is director of the Americans for a Safe Israel, a New York-based organization that believes Israel is essential to Western security and interests, and supports retention of the territories occupied since the 1967 war, accused NBC of indulging in the “practice of advocacy journalism.”
“NBC held a point of view, shaped the news to fit this viewpoint while omitting or minimizing news which did not fit its bias,” the documentary charged, “The network ceased being an observer or an effective source of information, but became a protagonist for one side – the PLO.”
The documentary, titled, “NBC in Lebanon: A Study in Media Misrepresentation,” examined the NBC Nightly News programs between June 4 and August 31, 1982. According to the documentary, nearly 600 minutes of news coverage was dedicated to the war in Lebanon during this period with less than 30 minutes of this time given to the Israeli view or the factual background of the war.
INTERVIEWEES MAINLY PRO-PLO
“Pro-PLO Lebanese leaders were interviewed 14 times while anti-PLO Lebanese leaders were interviewed only twice, while Lebanese opinion was strongly against the PLO. Ten non-official Americans were interviewed on the NBC Nightly News, all of them anti-Israel, while the views of the many impartial Americans (including military officials, Congressmen and clergymen) who visited Lebanon during the fighting and discovered that Israel’s interpretation of events was essentially correct, were censored by the network,” the documentary charged.
A spokesperson for NBC said the network would have no comment at this time since it has not had an opportunity to view the documentary.
The documentary used film clips of reports from Lebanon as well as comments by the anchormen and commentators for NBC News to demonstrate “that Yasir Arafat and the PLO were consistently presented in a favorable light and glorified by NBC while Israel and its leaders were denegrated. Israel was accused of being the agressor in the Middle East conflict and the Arab version of events was presented as fact. Grossly exaggerated civilian casualty figures based on PLO sources were broadcast and not corrected when they were shown to be patently false. Pertinent information was withheld by the network and falsehoods were commonplace,” the documentary charged.
PLO TERROR NOT DEPICTED
Furthermore, the documentary said, “NBC did not inform its viewers that its reporters were not free to tell the truth because of the PLO’s reign of terror against journalists, ” The documentary said NBC provided “only cursory” mention of the background of the war “preferring instead to portray the conflict as a relentless and deliberate Israeli attack on the civilian population of Lebanon.”
The documentary charged NBC with having “misled and deceived” the viewers “by denying to the public the objective news it has the right and need to be shown. ” The documentary showed clips of the humane medical care of the Lebanese wounded by the Israelis and jubilent Lebanese returning to their homes under Israeli occupation in southern Lebanon as examples of pro-Israeli news clips which Goldman maintained could have been contained in the NBC News broadcasts to add to a more balanced presentation.
NBC ‘ONLY MARGINALLY WORSE’
While NBC was selected for the documentary, Goldman said. “NBC’s coverage of the war was only marginally worse than ABC or CBS. The three networks and PBS have all been guilty of misrepresenting the news about the Middle East and other issues.”
Goldman told a press conference after the Washington preview, which 100 persons attended, that “If NBC and the other networks continue to misrepresent issues and practice advocacy journalism, public reaction and legal action to prevent further abuse of the First Amendment will become necessary. We hope that this film will make the public opinion makers, journalists and government officials aware of this very serious problem.”
The film was financed by the Americans for a Safe Israel which lacks the funds to buy air time for it to be shown on television, Goldman said. He added that the tape will be distributed to journalism schools and may be purchased from his group for private screenings.
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