Action Palestine

The media coverage is critical in shaping people’s understanding/opinions and therefore reaction to the Israeli oppression on the Palestine people.

Media portrayal of Israeli aggression and occupation routinely perpetuates the status quo; with lack of coverage of human rights abuses, excessive platforming of Israeli diplomats, and unquestioning use of the narrative of a ‘conflict’ perpetuated by extremists and terrorists.

Media outlets must be challenged on this inaccurate reporting. In particular the BBC, as the national news service meant to be accountable only to its viewers, should be more receptive to feedback and complaints from the public.

Write to the Media and request good coverage, contact details are below.

Also, make sure you keep up to date and informed with a more reliable news service.

For more detailed reporting watch Al-Jazeera. and see websites like:

The Electronic Intifada
http://electronicintifada.net

International Middle East Media Center
http://www.imemc.org

AL-Dameer Association For Human Rights
http://www.aldameer.org/index.php?language=2

Al-Jazeera News
http://english.aljazeera.net

Ma’an News Agency
http://www.maannews.net/en/

Contact details for the most important news outlets in the UK:

BBC
Tel: – 020 8743 8000 / 0870 0100 222
BBC News E: news24.comments@bbc.co.uk
http://news.bbc.co.uk/newswatch/ukfs/hi/newsid_4030000/newsid_4032600/4032695.stm
- takes you straight to BBC news feedback
Or leave a comment on the news forum:
http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?forumID=5857&edition=1&ttl=20081229173148#5707870

ITN
Email: editor@itn.co.uk tel: 020 7833 3000

Channel 4
www.channel4.com/contact 0845 076 0191 (lo-call number)

Sky News – 020 7705 3000 / 08702 403000

The BBC is probably the most important media in source that shapes people’s understanding of the situation therefore we are asking people to focus most of their work on the BBC, below is a list of issues serious the BBC coverage:

1) BBC Q&A regarding Gaza. The BBC produced a dangerously inaccurate and misleading Q&A page on their website which they are promoting very strongly with a link to it from each Gaza related story. It is very important that this bias from the BBC is challenged by as many complaints as possible. Here is a great compliant to the BBC the Q&A by Lena Al-Malak from the SOAS PalSoc. Very well detailed and informative and shows the degree of BBC’s complicity in providing propaganda material.
http://www.actionpalestine.org/home/complaint-about-bbcs-qa-page-on-the-gaza-conflic/

2) Challenging Israeli Spokespeople. BBC’s main reporter from the Gaza border, Lyse Doucet, consistently fails to challenge Israeli interviewees and spokespersons even when they repeat lies that were previously challenged by reports on BBC itself.

3) Inadequate focus on Israel’s Media Blackout. Israel has long barred journalists entry to Gaza and continues to do so despite its own supreme court order. This is not a minor fact. It is worth remembering that when Mugabi didn’t allow media into Zimbabwe, he was slammed by BBC reporters each night, and at the beginning of every report BBC journalists began with an explanation why they were reporting from South Africa and not Zimbabwe. In contrast, while the BBC mentioned few times that media was blocked from Gaza, it was without relative prominence (which surely colours all subsequent reporting).

4) Ceasefire - The BBC in its coverage fails to mention the that Israel broke the ceasefire.
In fact, Israel broke the ceasefire 195 times during the 6 months. Until December 18th, Israel killed 22 Palestinians including Hamas fighters assasinated in targeted killings and injured 62, including 9 fishermen. James Robins also said that even before Israel broke the CF by assassinating 6 Hamas members, there were still some rockets fired by Hamas. In fact the rockets fired toward Israel were fired by Islamic Jihad and not Hamas, so basically Hamas didn’t break the CF. Moreover, Hamas had meetings with Islamic Jihad and managed to stop them from launching rockets towards Israel.

5) Gaza is still occupied – Also, the BBC tends to omit a major fact in all this coverage, which is that Gaza is still occupied. True, Israel ‘disengaged’ in 2005, but it still controls all of Gaza’s borders, including air and water. Gaza is still occupied according to international law and Israel is an occupying power. This is recognised by the UN as well as all the major human rights organisations operating in the area.

6) Humanitarian crisis: BBC doesn’t spell out that:
• 250,000 Gazans are without water (according to Oxfam).
• One Million of Gazans is without power (according to UN)
• Most Gazans are without phone and electricity (UN)
These facts are consigned to running subtitles, which undermines their importance and relevance to all affected. These are further examples of collective punishment, a war crime.
Save the Children spokesperson Dominic Nutt is quoted by AP: “We now have no supplies or very few supplies left. We can’t replenish our stocks – the pipeline has been cut. You’re looking at a catastrophe. It is hard to know how you would define a humanitarian disaster if this is not considered to be one.”(The Press Association).
All Israeli spokespersons insist that they are working to provide for humanitarian aid for Gazans and BBC reporters/presenters dont challenge these claims at all.

7) The use of white phosphorus shells by Israel: There are reports, supported by Gazan hospitals, that Israel has been using white phosphorus shells to screen its assault on the heavily populated Gaza Strip. This doesn’t seem to attract BBC’s attention.

Write letters to the editor
•Length: the shorter the better—300 words absolute maximum; may be shortened anyway
•Decide what point you want to make & stick to it
•Structure:
introduction
main section
conclusion
•You are persuading: marshal your information logically
•Facts & quotes must be correct
•Qualifications: in a complex situation like Israel/Palestine there is a difficult balance between
simplistic statements that are only partially correct
too many qualification clauses which make the letter wordy & too long
•Be as reasonable as you can consistent with making your point
•Anticipate objections—try & place yourself in readers’ minds
•If you have special experience, use judiciously if relevant, eg you are Jewish or Palestinian, you’ve just visited the West Bank, etc