HR UK’s international sister site HonestReporting.com addressed the ridiculous and self-defeating vote by the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) to boycott Israel. Indeed, many people, including journalists, have protested the NUJ’s actions. However, even we were shocked by the NUJ’s justification for the boycott. General Secretary Jeremy Dear, in an e-mail forwarded to us by a number of HR subscribers, states:
The call for the boycott in part related it to the kidnap of Alan Johnston. The Palestinian journalists union has given huge support to the campaign for his release – holding demonstrations and strikes against the Palestinian authority to demand more action from them. We work closely with the Palestinian union through the International Federation of Journalists and the boycott call was a gesture of support for the Palestinian people – notably those suffering in the siege of Gaza, the community Alan Johnston has been so keen to help through his reporting.
So, Palestinians kidnap a British journalist and the response of the NUJ is to instigate a boycott of Israel to reward Palestinian journalists for doing the right thing? Dear also claims that “The boycott call has nothing to do with reporting. The NUJ is not telling members how to report Israel.” We find it difficult to believe that this boycott is compatible with the duty of NUJ members to report fairly and objectively about Israel.
Chairman of the Foreign Press Association in Israel, Simon McGregor-Wood agrees: “The resolutions seem to go against some of the core ethics of journalism that we are here to protect, such as balance and objectivity. I don’t think any representative body of journalists should be taking a side.”
Other Israel-based journalists have also commented. Speaking to the Jerusalem Post, Donald Macintyre of the Independent said: “The job of the NUJ is to protect journalists and not adopt political postures, Right or Left. It certainly won’t affect my job or my professional outlook.”
Sky News Jerusalem bureau chief, Yael Lavie said: “I can speak for everyone working for Sky News [here] and none of us will be boycotting any time in the near future.”
Guardian Editor Alan Rusbridger, speaking to Ha’aretz, criticized the NUJ vote: “The Guardian disapproves of these kinds of boycotts and does not think they serve a useful purpose. It was a misguided motion.”
We recognize that this boycott was voted on by a very small number of people and potentially against the wishes of many ordinary NUJ members. The most effective way of overturning this motion and boycott is from within the NUJ itself. We therefore urge those members of the union who possess a conscience to take action and register their protests to the NUJ.
(See HonestReporting’s communique for more details on the NUJ’s boycott vote.)
to media bias.
