The BBC apologized for major inaccuracies in two recent reports about Israel.
On March 7, the British broadcaster reported that Israel had bulldozed the home of the Mercaz HaRav yeshiva attacker while showing footage of a home being demolished. In reality, the home had not been demolished, as other news service footage showed, a fact revealed by CAMERA, a Boston-based media watchdog, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Last week the BBC apologized on its news program and admitted using footage from the demolition of another home, according to the Post.
In a March 14 report on its Web site, the BBC reported Israel was deliberately targeting Palestinian civilians in Gaza during an incursion to take out Kassam rocket launchers and that the United Nations secretary-general also called it an attack on civilians.
In actuality, the BBC had used a statement made two weeks earlier in the Security Council in which Ban Ki-moon had sai,d “While recognizing Israel’s right to defend itself, I condemn the disproportionate and excessive use of force that has killed and injured so many civilians, including children.” Ban said later, “I condemn Palestinian rocket attacks and call for the immediate cessation of such acts of terrorism.”
In its apology the BBC said, “We accept we should have made reference to what [Ban] said about Palestinian rocket attacks as well as to the ‘excessive use of force’ by Israel. We have amended the report, also removing the reference to Israeli ‘attacks on civilians.’ “
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
