Eretz Israel is our unforgettable historic homeland...The Jews who will it shall achieve their State...And whatever we attempt there for our own benefit will redound mightily and beneficially to the good of all mankind. (Theodor Herzl, DerJudenstaat, 1896)

We offer peace and amity to all the neighbouring states and their peoples, and invite them to cooperate with the independent Jewish nation for the common good of all. The State of Israel is ready to contribute its full share to the peaceful progress and development of the Middle East.
(From Proclamation of the State of Israel, 5 Iyar 5708; 14 May 1948)

With a liberal democratic political system operating under the rule of law, a flourishing market economy producing technological innovation to the benefit of the wider world, and a population as educated and cultured as anywhere in Europe or North America, Israel is a normal Western country with a right to be treated as such in the community of nations.... For the global jihad, Israel may be the first objective. But it will not be the last. (Friends of Israel Initiative)

Monday 11 September 2017

David Singer: ABC "Media Watch" Program Continues to Wipe Israel off the Map

Here's the latest article by Sydney lawyer and international affairs analyst David Singer.

(It should resonate in particular with non-Aussie readers familiar with BBC bias against Israel, for as I've explained many times over the years, the ABC is the BBC's counterpart Down Under.)

Writes David Singer:

The Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) – taxpayer funded to the tune of $1 billion annually – still continues to feature a map which falsely identifies “Israel” as “Palestine”.

This bizarre conduct came to light after the ABC had initially removed the segment “Misplaced Map Outrage” from its Media Watch website containing the offending map with the following headline:
 Daily Mail accuses the ABC of wiping Israel off the map but misses the point of the story”
When I wrote to Media Watch approving of their decision to delete the segment and seeking an explanation for the segment’s removal – I was shocked to receive this response from Gabrielle Clark at Media Watch: 
“This hasn’t been purposely removed. Just looks like a back end publishing error. It is back online now.”
Shortly thereafter I received a further reply from Jason Whittaker, Story Editor, Media Watch:
"The story has not been removed from our website. It remains here: http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s4729053.htm
We have issued no apology, retraction, correction or amendment to this item."
When I clicked on the link supplied by Whittaker, I noticed that 20 or more posted comments – including mine – had all been removed.

This prompted me to write to Whittaker asking him to:
“Immediately reinstate all the posted comments that have been removed in the course of someone in the ABC reinstating the segment to the website.”
I found Whittaker’s reply quite disturbing:
“You’re welcome to re-post the comment. We apologise if a technical error removed it.
As for the story itself, like I said, we stand by it and have nothing more to add. But if you’d like to take the matter further you can do so through the ABC complaints process (http://www.abc.net.au/contact/complain.htm) or through Free TV Australia (http://www.freetv.com.au/content_common/pg-viewer-feedback-and-complaints.seo).”
I then sent Whittaker the following detailed response:
'Thanks for your response and the suggestion I can re-post my comment.
What about reposting the more than 20 other comments that were removed by "technical error"? Are they too irretrievable?
Reposting my comment does not answer my complaint about the following false statement made by [the presenter] Paul [Barry] in the story:
"But two days is obviously an age in the Mail’s hectic newsroom. And clearly no one bothered to watch the ABC report.
Because if they had they would have known that the nations in blue are where this law has been abolished. And the nations in yellow are those that still have it on their books.
And Israel was not on the map because it never had the offending statute."
This statement was patently false because:
1. Israel was shown on the map
2. Israel was coloured yellow
3. Israel was mislabelled "Palestine"
Paul was clearly in error in making the above statement.
 Where he got the information to make this statement needs to be explained by Paul.
The segment was clearly tainted by this statement.
I am surprised that in these circumstances your response is:
"As for the story itself, like I said, we stand by it and have nothing more to add"
With the greatest respect – I think you do – especially as the segment involved an ABC program – The World – where an incorrect map bearing an ABC logo was used  indicating someone in the ABC had prepared it for specifically for The World program.
Your website proudly proclaims: "Media Watch has built an unrivalled record of exposing media shenanigans since it first went to air in 1989."
On the face of it Media Watch and Paul Barry appear to have become unwitting victims of shenanigans within the ABC – having been fed false information which was relied on by Paul to make the offending statement which – if true – would have certainly debunked the Daily Mail story.
However the statement was false.
I initially expressed my approval that the segment had been removed – which was the right thing to do in the circumstances – only to now be told it was due to a "back end publishing error" and incredibly find it is back on the website again.
That is shocking.
Paul needs to pursue the person in the ABC who fed him the information that formed the basis of the offending statement and also find out the person in the ABC who authorised the preparation of the map and allowed it to go on air in the misleading and deceptive form it did.
The segment also needs to be removed from the website.”'
Whittaker’s pathetic response was:
“David, I won’t be entering into further correspondence about this. As I’ve said, we believe our report was fair and we have no intention of correcting it. And I’ve given you avenues to take your complaint further if you’d like to do that.
Appreciate your engagement with the program. All the best”
For Media Watch to act in this high handed and dismissive manner is a national disgrace.

Removing the segment that contained the false map was certainly the right action for Media Watch to take. Reinstating it was contemptible.

Those responsible for this total fiasco should be reprimanded – perhaps dismissed.

Jason Whittaker’s title should be changed to “Fake Story Editor”.

Paul Barry remains silent.

Media Watch’s credibility has hit rock bottom.

Media Watch boasts to viewers:
“Everyone loves it till they’re on it”
Media Watch itself is now centre-stage on Media Watch and clearly does not like being targeted for false reporting.

2 comments:

  1. Can someone please explain to me how the USA State Department has remained consistently anti-Israel for several consecutive decades, regardless of who was President?

    And also explain why there seems to be nothing that can be done to change it?
    ___________________________________

    New York Times Erases Israel from Map:

    https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/11/guest-post-nyt-erases-israel-from-map.html

    http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/03/guest-postnyt-vs-israel.html
    ___________________________________

    Forgotten Oppression against Jews:

    https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/03/guest-post-forgotten-anti-semitism.html

    https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/06/guest-post-kiddush-hashem-1498.html

    http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/09/jews-in-year-1933-ce-by-mr-cohen.html

    https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/01/guest-post-moynihan-1982.html
    ___________________________________

    American anti-Semitism:

    https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/01/guest-post-seven-times-stronger.html

    https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/01/guest-post-jewish-nyc-mayor.html
    ___________________________________

    How to Convict the New York Times
    of Unfair Bias Against Israel:


    https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/11/guest-post-how-to-convict-new-york-times.html
    ___________________________________

    Why Israel’s 1967 Borders are Undefendable:

    https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/03/guest-post-why-1967-borders-are-suicide.html
    ___________________________________

    ReplyDelete
  2. Since today is September 11,
    the day that the World Trade Center
    was destroyed by Arab Muslim terrorists:
    ___________________________________

    QUOTE 1:

    “Public opinion in the Arab world is split about 50 50, between those who appalled by the bombing [of the World Trade Center] and those who applaud it.”

    SOURCE: Longitudes and Attitudes: Exploring the World after September 11 (page 52) by Thomas L. Friedman, year 2002 CE, Farrar Straus Giroux Publishers, New York, ISBN-10: 0374190666 ISBN-13: 978-0374190668
    ___________________________________

    QUOTE 2:

    “Yasir Arafat is only with us after 10 PM on weekdays, when Palestinians who have been dancing in the streets over the World Trade Center attack have gone to bed.”

    SOURCE: Longitudes and Attitudes: Exploring the World after September 11 (page 85) by Thomas L. Friedman, year 2002 CE, Farrar Straus Giroux Publishers, New York, ISBN-10: 0374190666 ISBN-13: 978-0374190668
    ___________________________________

    QUOTE 3:

    “Why did a U.S. hospital worker here [Saudi Arabia] tell me he was appalled to see Saudi doctors and nurses around him celebrating 9/11 [the destruction of the World Trade Center]?”

    SOURCE: Longitudes and Attitudes: Exploring the World after September 11 (page 188) by Thomas L. Friedman, year 2002 CE, Farrar Straus Giroux Publishers, New York, ISBN-10: 0374190666 ISBN-13: 978-0374190668
    ___________________________________

    QUOTE 4:

    “This is not to say that U.S. policy is blameless. We do bad things sometimes. But why is it that only Muslims react to our bad policies with suicidal terrorism, not Mexicans or Chinese?”

    SOURCE: Longitudes and Attitudes: Exploring the World after September 11 (page 197) by Thomas L. Friedman, year 2002 CE, Farrar Straus Giroux Publishers, New York, ISBN-10: 0374190666 ISBN-13: 978-0374190668
    ___________________________________

    Classic pro-Israel short article by non-Jewish philosopher:

    http://factsandlogic.org/archive/outstanding_hoffer.html
    ___________________________________

    Can Jews learn something from Captain Kirk?

    http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/08/can-jews-learn-from-captain-kirk.html
    ___________________________________

    Why Israel’s 1967 Borders are Undefendable:

    https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/03/guest-post-why-1967-borders-are-suicide.html
    ___________________________________

    ReplyDelete

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