[R-G] FAIR Challenges CBC's Report on Israel/Palestine Film

[Anthony Fenton]

>
> FAIR issued a press release today challenging the Canadian  
> Broadcasting Corporation over false and biased claims made by its  
> ombud after the CBC came under pressure from a campaign launched by  
> groups that advocate for uncritical coverage of the Israeli  
> government.
>
> The campaign was launched in response to CBC's October 23, 2008  
> airing of the 2003 educational documentary Peace, Propaganda and the  
> Promised Land (which can be viewed online here). The film cited a  
> FAIR report on U.S. media coverage of the Israel/Palestine conflict,  
> prompting the CBC's French-language radio ombud Julie Miville- 
> Dechêne (12/08) to question the independence of FAIR’s research,  
> referring to the organization as a "pro-Palestinian" and "militant  
> group."
>
> A peculiar finding, for as FAIR contributor Seth Ackerman, who  
> authored the study, noted today in a letter to the CBC president,  
> FAIR's spokespersons have appeared on several occasions on the CBC  
> to discuss issues ranging from media coverage of the Kosovo War to  
> radio host Rush Limbaugh.
>
> Faulting the film for "failure to account for the withdrawal from  
> the Gaza Strip,"  Miville-Dechêne also cited a 2001 FAIR study that  
> found only 4 percent of U.S. network news reports "concerning Gaza  
> or the West Bank mention that these are occupied territories" as an  
> example of an "anachronism" in the documentary, because Israel had  
> subsequently withdrawn military forces and settlements from Gaza.
>
> In a press release issued today, FAIR noted that
>
> Under international law, however, Gaza remains an occupied  
> territory, because Israel continues to control its borders. FAIR's  
> finding of a chronic failure by leading American media organizations  
> to mention the occupation is actually even more true today: A search  
> of the Lexis Nexis database during the most recent war  
> (12/2/08-1/18/09) reveals that the percentage of network news  
> programs about Gaza or the West Bank that mentioned the occupation  
> has fallen from 4 to only 2 percent.
>
> While the ombud characterized FAIR's finding that only 4 percent of  
> U.S. news reports surveyed in 2000 mentioned the occupation as  
> "shocking," FAIR noted that
>
> the coverage on CBC's own evening newscast, the National, from the  
> same period was roughly equivalent, with only 5 percent of reports  
> concerning Gaza or the West Bank referring to occupation.
>
> The mischaracterization of FAIR was far from the only problem with  
> the ombud's report. One of the "factual errors" listed by the ombud:  
> "Repeatedly, the documentary mentions the 'illegal' occupation of  
> Palestinian territories by Israel." As independent journalist Justin  
> Podur writes, "This merely suggests that the ombudsman lacks the  
> most cursory understanding of international law. And, possibly, an  
> understanding of what constitutes a factual error."
>
> Given that the role of an ombud is to uphold standards of factual  
> accuracy, this is an alarming state of affairs indeed. And one that  
> warrants action.
>
> Contact info for the CBC-Radio Canada ombud and president:
>
> Julie Miville-Dechêne
> Ombud, Services français
> Société Radio-Canada
> Email: ombudsman at radio-canada.ca
> 514-597-4757
>
> Vince Carlin
> CBC English Ombud
> P.O. Box 500, Station A
> Toronto, Ontario M5W 1E6
> Phone: 416-205-2978
> Email: ombudsman at cbc.ca
>
> Mr. Hubert T. Lacroix, President and CEO
> CBC/Radio-Canada
> P.O. Box 6000
> Montreal QC H3C 3A8
> ht.lacroix at cbc.ca
>
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>