‘Iran Not a Threat to Israel’: BBC Upholds Complaint

In July, HonestReporting asked readers to take action following an interview on BBC World Service with then Israeli Minister of Science, Technology and Space, Danny Danon.

Referring to the announcement of an Iranian nuclear deal, Danon stated that Israel was “keeping all options on the table.” The presenter, Razia Iqbal, asked Danon to explain. Her reaction was both shocking and disturbing:

But you’re not under threat by Iran. Nobody in Iran has threatened you for a very long time. You’re harking back to a time when President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad threatened Israel directly.

We provided plenty of evidence of Iranian threats against Israel to demonstrate just how ignorant the interview was and encouraged readers to sign our petition on this issue.

Finally, the BBC Editorial Complaints Unit has ruled on the issue and the outcome is favorable:

Outcome
Although the question was intended only to draw out the interviewee’s views on the nature of the threats faced by Israel, its phrasing gave the impression of stating an uncontested fact. The statements from Iranian sources cited by the complainant sufficed to call the matter into question.
Upheld

Further action
The Editor has discussed the finding with the presenter and team, and emphasised the need for care in framing questions clearly.

While this may be only a drop in the bucket when it comes to the BBC, it is nonetheless a welcome result. We thank all of our readers who took the time to file complaints and over 13,000 people who signed our petition.

Featured image: CC BY-SA HonestReporting.com and freestock.ca