BBC Slams Own Presenter for ‘Misleading’ Claim that Israel Killed ‘Lots of Palestinian Kids’
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
BBC Slams Own Presenter for ‘Misleading’ Claim that Israel Killed ‘Lots of Palestinian Kids’
By: United with Israel Staff, United With Israel, June 24 2018
“In the absence of any evidence to support the reference to ‘lots’ of children being killed at the time of transmission, it seems to us to have risked misleading audiences on a material point,” the BBC said of Andrew Marr’s reporting.
The BBC's Andrew Marr (Screenshot)
The BBC has found its senior presenter Andrew Marr guilty of breaching editorial guidelines with a “misleading” claim that Israel had killed “lots of Palestinian kids” while it defended its southern border with Gaza from the onslaught of rioters.
The UK’s Daily Mail , which reported on the BBC’s ruling, underscored that the Corporation’s “extraordinary ruling against one of its most senior personalities is almost unprecedented.”
The ruling comes following a complaint submitted by journalist Jonathan Sacerdoti about comments Marr made on his program on April 8, during which he alleged at the conclusion of a discussion of the Syrian regime’s chemical weapons attack on civilians that “the Middle East is aflame again. I mean there’s lots of Palestinian kids being killed further south as well by Israeli forces.”
Sacerdoti, a founding trustee of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, explained, “When talking about a story on the use of chemical weapons in Syria, Andrew Marr for some reason decided to talk about Israel (which was unrelated anyway). He stated there’s a lot of Palestinian kids being killed further south by Israeli forces. This is completely incorrect and is made up. This was irrelevant to the conversation on Syria… and also actually completely false.”
BBC producers initially tried to defend Marr’s comments by pointing to the fact that five “younger people” had been killed between the beginning of the year and the date of the program.
They also said several Palestinian children and younger people were killed in the week following the broadcast, but Sacerdoti argued that later events could not be used to justify Marr’s comments.
His complaint has been upheld.
Fraser Steel, head of executive complaints at the BBC, wrote to Sacerdoti that the BBC’s guidelines require that output is “well sourced” and based “on sound evidence”.
“In the absence of any evidence to support the reference to ‘lots’ of children being killed at the time of transmission, it seems to us to have risked misleading audiences on a material point ,” he added, according to the Daily’s Mail’ s report.
The report did not say if any action would be taken against Marr or if he would issue an apology.
The BBC has been criticized in the past on multiple occasions for its anti-Israel agenda and even its false reporting on events in Israel.
In July 2017, former chairman of the BBC Lord Michael Grade blasted the network for its biased coverage of Palestinian terror attacks.
Specifically, Grade took the BBC to task for its outrageously misleading coverage of the murder of a 23-year-old Israeli policewoman by Palestinian terrorists, which the BBC reported under the headline, “Three Palestinians killed after deadly stabbing in Jerusalem.”
“If the BBC can get this wrong,” Grade said, “it is little wonder that Israel finds it so hard to put aside the idea that some critics are motivated by something more sinister than political commentary.”
While the media has denied its bias against the Jewish State, numerous documented incidents of media bias and unprofessional journalism demonstrate that there is indeed systemic bias on the part of the foreign press in Israel.
Tags
Who is online
60 visitors
Is it any wonder why anti-Semitism and Israel-bashing is increasing world-wide? As pointed out in the article, the mainstream media, and as I have pointed out previously, even the North American mainstream media is capable of influencing and promoting anti-Semitism and Israel-bashing by the wording of their headlines and the burial in their articles of what REALLY happened. Mr. Marr should perhaps have provided some balance to his commentary with THIS truth:
Now even the ultra-biased against Israel United Nations disagrees with him.
Removed.
Well, for someone who said he would never have anything to do with my comments again I'm somewhat surprised - I would have preferred you to be a man of your word. Didn't you post this a couple of days ago?
I have been to Israel a couple of times. Great people, very compassionate, warm, welcoming and the food....OMG...the food is amazing. So what is the problem with Israel? It's not the people....it's their leader. Bibi is the biggest terrorist in the ME. He wants to make sure that he has nukes, and no one else does. Get rid of Bibi and Israel will be just fine. Bibi's own wife is using some of the 8 billion dollars a year the US taxpayers give to Israel for........wait for it....fraud. "Miss-use of public funds".
Enough is enough. Israel needs to be cut off. I love the people of Israel... I really do, they are fantastic people, but they need a leader that is not a terrorist. Nuf said.
What's terrorist about him? Responding when Hamas, using human shields of old people, women, and kids, lobs rockets at his people? In case you haven't looked lately, the prime directive of most Arabs and Muslims is still and for always, the destruction of Israel.
There are a number of NT members who despise Netanyahu. I suppose they think a Mahatma Gandhi or a Jimmy Carter would be more effective in defending Israel from the surrounding people who have sworn to destroy Israel and annihilate its people.
I never knew much about Netanyahu .. other than his strong defense of and dedication to Israel, until I research him when the Obama administration was supportive of his opponent - you have probably seen this, but figured I would post it … perhaps some can gain a bit of insight into the man, outside of what the US media has to say about him..
Sorry, even the trailier doesn't open for me.
You didn't read my post at all did you?
You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.
So are you saying that even those Israelis, living in Israel, those who have been a part of its military, if they speak against what is happening, are anti-semitic?
If they hold Israel to a different standard, yes.
I think you are being coy. If the actions taken by Israel against genocidal terrorists are judged by a different standard, the judges are antisemitic by definition. Its pretty simple.
Then there is a fairly sizable number of former Israeli army who are antisemitic. Seems like an oxymoron to me.
Israeli Occupation Archive
Two way street....