HonestReporting Forces Guardian to Retract Claim That Tel Aviv is Capital of Israel
August 8, 2012 11:33 by Simon Plosker
While we were asking the residents of Tel Aviv where they considered Israel’s capital to be, there has been much activity behind the scenes. In a significant achievement for HonestReporting, The Guardian has retracted its claim that Tel Aviv is the capital of Israel, writing unequivocally on Wednesday:
we accept that it is wrong to state that Tel Aviv – the country’s financial and diplomatic centre – is the capital.
Back in May, The Guardian posted a photo of passengers on Jerusalem’s light rail observing a minute’s silence for Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day. The caption, however, prompted a “correction” from The Guardian, which had originally (and correctly) referred to Jerusalem as Israel’s capital:
The caption on a photograph featuring passengers on a tram in Jerusalem observing a two-minute silence for Yom HaShoah, a day of remembrance for the 6 million Jews who died in the Holocaust, wrongly referred to the city as the Israeli capital. The Guardian style guide states: “Jerusalem is not the capital of Israel; Tel Aviv is” (Eyewitness, 20 April, page 24).
Believing The Guardian to be in clear breach of the UK Press Complaints Commission clause on accuracy, HonestReporting submitted an official complaint. To our and every sensible person’s astonishment, the PCC ruled in favor of The Guardian, stating that the newspaper was entitled to refer to Tel Aviv as Israel’s capital and was not in breach of accuracy clauses.
Despite the fact that there is no recourse for appealing a PCC ruling, HonestReporting was not prepared to let this stand. Advised by UK solicitors Asserson Law Offices, for the first time in HonestReporting’s history, we launched legal proceedings against the PCC with the threat of a judicial review of the PCC’s decision.
In response to HonestReporting’s pressure on the PCC, The Guardian backed down from its claim, issuing a correction. It also changed its style guide, which had stated that Tel Aviv is the capital of Israel, to reflect the correction.
Although The Guardian has been forced to withdraw its absurd suggestion regarding the status of Tel Aviv, the wording of The Guardian’s correction has not been agreed after the newspaper unilaterally terminated its negotiations with HonestReporting.
HonestReporting still awaits a new ruling from the PCC to replace the faulty decision it issued in May and agreed to reconsider in July.
HonestReporting’s CEO Joe Hyams said in response:
This correction is a significant achievement against a newspaper that has been a major contributor to the broader delegitimization of Israel in the UK and beyond.
It is shocking that it has taken the threat of legal action to reverse a decision that was not based on reality. Nonetheless, it was vital that HonestReporting took on The Guardian and the PCC as a matter of principle, particularly at a time when Jerusalem’s status as Israel’s capital is increasingly being called into question by the media.
Now that The Guardian has admitted that it was wrong, we call on the PCC to issue a new ruling categorically stating that Tel Aviv is not Israel’s capital so that it is clear to the British media that it will not be allowed to repeat this error.
In April 2011, MediaWeek reported that The Guardian is the fifth most popular newspaper site in the world drawing a daily average of nearly 3 million browsers. In addition, The Guardian’s print edition is widely read by many of the left and liberal elites in Britain, which makes it vital that the newspaper is held to account for its anti-Israel bias.
Image: CC BY-SA HonestReporting.com, flickr/shordzi.
Esther
11:27 pm
Aug 08, 2012
So, the capital of the UK is Belfast, right? ; )
Let’s just make stuff up as we go along, shall we?
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Nigel
7:55 am
Aug 09, 2012
BUT, what IS the capital according to the Guardian? They acknowledge that it isn’t TA, but they don’t appear to have said that it is Jerusalem or even western Jerusalem. What have they amended their style guide to? They are surely not going to write a paragraph every time to clarify a one word city name.
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Sylvie Schapira
10:28 am
Aug 09, 2012
Maybe the Guardian journalists and their editors are confused? Or maybe don’t have a very broad understanding of Geography? Or very little awareness of the Middle East? Whatever this puzzle is, and it is a puzzle, then surely we should help educate them? I am writing a short article to do just that. Don’t expect for one minute that they will publish it. After all, they would not want to be shamed and named in public….But their standards are shocking, and this is probably the kindest thing I can think to say.
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aaron levy
5:32 pm
Aug 09, 2012
The Guardian is neither confused nor do they have limited geographical knowledge. They are Pro Arab, Pro PLO and knowingly anti-semitic. This is not The Guardian’s first time that they disavow the legitimacy of Israel or have written negatively about Israel, it is their de rigueur to do so.. Let’s call a spade a spade and call the Guardian what it is,. It is not fair minded but continues to deal in attacks on Israel. They honestly know that Jerusalem, both East and West is the entire Capitol of Israel and will remain so for ever, non-negotiable and not divided!
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Sylvie Schapira
5:53 pm
Aug 09, 2012
Yes, Aaron, I am aware of their leftist views – and their strong influence on liberal left wing people in Britain, There is a tide of Marxist-Islamic (the strangest of bed-fellows, but it obviously suits both groups) voices within some of the British major institutions that prohibit any balanced views or opposite views from their ideological stance. We know that the BBC (I prefer to call it PBC) and the trades unions, many church societies, some M.Ps, the Quakers, Amnesty, etc., fall into this list of groups who do everything they can to delegitimize Israel, with the aim of bringing about its annihilation. My comments before were tongue in cheek, but the intended article will not be.
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Ronnie
6:05 pm
Aug 09, 2012
Britain should be watched, as it steadily declines. The infamous White Paper is blood on their hands. Their complete islamization shall be their demise unless honest and brave folks stand up. The bottom line: They fear the Muslim less than they hate the Jew. The Far Left and all fringe groups have the Jew to hate as a unifying factor. But they are blinded to the outcome: Sha’aria law throughout their land; the end of Great Britain.
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Sylvie Schapira
12:07 pm
Aug 10, 2012
Ronnie, sadly not just Britain, but Europe – South America, then…..the global caliphate is the aim of the Jihadists who will never tolerate an infidel power to dominate them. Muhammed taught in the Sunnah that Islam is superior and all infidels (Jews, Christians and pagans) are inferior. Sounds familiar doesn’t it? Think that there is a lot of swapping between Nazis and Jihadists. The Guardian and the BBC and many other institutes are already taking a ‘dhimmi’ attitude (deferring to Islam). Unless they convert to Islam they are doomed to be dhimmis like the Jews have bee in Muslim countries.
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Zvi
1:53 pm
Aug 10, 2012
kindly make the neccesary correctin:its not the BBC enymore,its now the PBC,its been so for many years,
Zvi Avidror
FAA/RN veteran
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HonestReporting Forces Guardian to Retract Claim That Tel Aviv is Capital of Israel « Olive Press
6:44 pm
Aug 09, 2012
[...] http://honestreporting.com/breaking-news-honestreporting-forces-guardian-to-retract-claim-that-tel-a... Share this:ShareLike this:LikeBe the first to like this. [...]
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Elliot
6:45 pm
Aug 09, 2012
This delegitimisation of Israel is just the most hilarious pathetic JEWHATE Nazi-like waste of space. A complete and utter failurfraud total fraud
What’s also ridiculous is the ultra left wing hating free speech free and fair elections free judiciary women’s rights gay rights equality for all etc. well they must do cos the left just adore the Palestinians Arabs and most Arab Muslim counties who exemplify all of the above cf Iraq Iran Saudi Arabia Kuwait Jordan Syria Lebanon etc
It’s called cognitive dissonance
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Robert Shore
7:13 pm
Aug 09, 2012
Just showes how well terror works. We in the west claim not to give in to terror but we do and they know it. We may not give in to a specific terror demand but it effects the political climet so not to make their country a tarket. We are so frieghtened of Islamists we will give them our countries, England will be one of the first to fall, perhaps without a shot bing fired. Islamists will use our freedoms and liberal veiws to take over and then remove these freedoms to protect their view of the world. So Gardian be aware of the tool you have become.
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Paul Hoffman
7:58 pm
Aug 09, 2012
Honest Reporting has broken new ground on this story (Guardian claim that Jerusalem is not the capital of Israel).
We must recognize that organizations have an implicit self-interest in protecting their own reputation, and/or the reputation of one of their employees. As a result, when Honest Reporting seeks to confront an organization over a story that contains distortions of the truth, whether willful or accidental, the organization’s first impulse is to ignore your request to set it right. I am sure Honest has found this to be true in so many instances.
Persistency, including the threat of legal action is the one recourse that will succeed in getting their attention.
Congratulations!
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Egypt Demands Extradition of Three Hamas Terrorists | Blogs about Israel aggregation
8:10 pm
Aug 09, 2012
[...] Media interest in The Guardian’s mea culpa continues. After the paper admitted it was wrong to call Tel Aviv Israel’s capital, the [...]
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Mr. Light-Bright
7:09 am
Aug 10, 2012
“It is shocking that it has taken the threat of legal action to reverse a decision that was not based on reality.”
Couldn’t Honest reporting just have legal action without warning to the PCC? Why is it that the country allows criminals to attack and then retreat? This does not stop future bad behaviour.
This is sorta ok but ONLY if Honestreporting is getting enough funding and money to be satisfied with taking the time to pursue such vile contemptuous peoples!
…here take some money for a job well done (because you know I do not wish to hold the burden).
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Julius
5:58 pm
Aug 11, 2012
I am sorry to say so (in case some wont’ like) but Britain since I dont’ know when was and is on any but Israel’s side. And why that? Because of the way they left the Palestine: clandestinely, despite the agreements, choosing in the battle the Jordan’s side? Or is it because British traditionally are antisemitic in their attitude? I don’t know and am in not position to question. But the fact is, British are brazen to decide against us what is our capital and stick to it. Give me a good reason why they do so?
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steve mann
6:12 pm
Aug 11, 2012
Dare I say that there is now in the UK around 5% of the population being Muslim-
Most and I say this with confidence are anti-Israeli and for the obvious reason that anything other than Islam in the M.E should not be there.
So if the assumption is correct then we are looking at around 3250000 Muslims- Jews in the UK now number around 220000-
As the currency of politicians is votes- see where I am coming from- Then draw your own conclusions!
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Sylvie Schapira
6:23 pm
Aug 11, 2012
It is interesting, Steve, that you say ‘dare I say that there is now in the UK etc’ It hightlights how people are afraid to say anything that might be construed as anti-Muslim. We have to be able to address and confront the terrible problem that Jewish people and Israel now faces. You have put your finger on a very telling demographic fact. There is, and there will continue to be, many more Muslims than Jews. And the percentage is growing throughout Europe and the other Western countries. The hatred by Islamic Jihadists for Jews and Israel – because they cannot tolerate infidels in Arab countries – let alone an entire state that is not Islamic, is being expressed in Europe, and the UK.
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Mike lampard
7:44 pm
Aug 11, 2012
God for Honest Reporting! The guardian is an intellectually gutter newspaper representing all that is filthy in the Uk so-called ‘intelligent’ set. They are basically stupid, biassed and the PCC is equally absurd regardin their rulling. They all want throwing into the sewerage dump!
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BREAKING NEWS: HonestReporting Forces Guardian to Retract Claim That Tel Aviv is Capital of Israel | HonestReporting « igatherum
10:04 pm
Aug 11, 2012
[...] BREAKING NEWS: HonestReporting Forces Guardian to Retract Claim That Tel Aviv is Capital of Israel | HonestReporting BREAKING NEWS: HonestReporting Forces Guardian to Retract Claim That Tel Aviv is Capital of Israel |…. [...]
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Peter
5:00 pm
Aug 12, 2012
The Guardian is not read by ‘left liberal elites’. It’s read by lazy, ignorant, pretentious assholes who don’t like Joos very much.
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Tony Jacobs
11:06 am
Aug 13, 2012
Succinct and spot-on.
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SUCCESS! HonestReporting Forces Guardian to Retract Claim That Tel Aviv is Capital of Israel | Honest Reporting
8:40 am
Aug 13, 2012
[...] Read the story here: Honestreporting.com [...]
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G4A
1:14 pm
Aug 13, 2012
I have said it many times: follow the Singapore example. Any unfair reporting on a Singaporean issue is responded to immediately by the Sing CONSULATE. If that reply is not printed promptly among the Letters to the Editor, the publication is suspended form sales in Sing.
Israel shoud SUSPEND the sale of the Guardian in the country. Sure, The G’an will attack us for censorship. We can then reply in the broader media (which will pick up the issue) that (1) Sing , a democracy, has the same policy and (2) WHY we did it… showing the litany of biased reports from The G’an over the years.
Why won’t anyone LISTEN !!!
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Tony Jacobs
2:23 am
Aug 14, 2012
I listen and I agree.
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Sylvie Schapira
2:05 pm
Aug 13, 2012
G4A That would only be part of the solution. The Guardian has a following in this country. Their newspaper sales I believe are declining, but they are big online. Then there’s the BBC or the PBC with an enormously influential outreach. What might be effective is if each one of us who complains here, on this site, writes a letter of complaint to the Guardian, and a letter to the letter page (which will probably not be published, but it would not matter), to let such blatant prejudice not go without challenge. I try to send letters as often as I can. We have to stand up to bullying media tactics, now!
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Morsi Ousts Egyptian Military Leaders | Blogs about Israel aggregation
2:21 pm
Aug 13, 2012
[...] Simon Plosker got op-ed space in the Jerusalem Post to expand on HonestReporting’s legal victory over The [...]
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