On June 24, 2019, HonestReporting ripped apart a particularly virulent opinion piece by the Foreign Editor of South Africa’s Independent Media, Shannon Ebrahim. The piece, which appeared not only online but in the print editions of a number of South African media outlets, attacked the Trump peace plan and Bahrain conference, not on the actual facts that were widely available, but on nothing more than Ebrahim’s own misguided and warped opinion.
SUCCESS: See update at the end of this post.
The story was covered by the South African Jewish Report with considerable input from HonestReporting.
Shannon Ebrahim responded with another vicious opinion piece that appeared in a number of South African printed editions belonging to the Independent Media stable of titles under the headline “Prosperity for Palestine in return for permanent occupation.”
Ebrahim used the opening paragraphs to attack HonestReporting and me personally:
This week an online site called “Honest Reporting” wrote an article alleging that my piece on the “Deal of the Century” last Sunday was not based on facts, which is absolutely untrue and a desperate attempt to smear my reputation.
The managing editor of “Honest Reporting” is Simon Plosker who has previously worked in the Israeli Defence Force’s Spokespersons Unit, and was also managing editor for NGO Monitor – which is dedicated to criticism of respected NGOs who criticise Israel.
Following an official complaint, inaccurate background details concerning my employment history (which is openly available for any journalist to find) were corrected as above.
A serious and entirely false charge was also made:
Plosker’s “Honest Reporting” were so desperate that they sent their article to all the contacts on my LinkedIn account, suggesting a rather sophisticated smear campaign.
HonestReporting is a transparent organization. When we critique media outlets or individual journalists, we do so publicly, including on our website, Facebook and Twitter. We have never, nor would we, engage in a “rather sophisticated smear campaign” on LinkedIn. Ebrahim has no evidence that we sent anything to all of her LinkedIn contacts because it simply never happened.
Independent Media issued the following ‘apology’:
Apology: Simon Plosker has taken the view that the following sentence in the original article is defamatory : “Honest Reporting” were so desperate that they sent their article to all the contacts on my LinkedIn account, suggesting a rather sophisticated smear campaign. This statement has been retracted and Independent Media apologises.
Apology not accepted.
By stating that it is my view that the sentence is defamatory, Independent Media has worded its ‘apology’ in such a way as to emphasize that the problem is mine and HonestReporting’s rather than the fact that their journalist has been caught in an outright lie. It leaves the reader believing that the apology has been made under duress rather than because it was the correct and professional action to acknowledge that there was no basis for the false accusation in the first place.
Independent Media should acknowledge that the claim was false and a clear breach of its own editorial guidelines. Period.
We’ve lodged a formal complaint with Independent Media’s ombudsman demanding that the apology be rewritten to reflect that the sentence was removed not because I consider it defamatory but because it is inaccurate and untrue.
Most journalists consider criticism of their work to be part and parcel of the job, particularly when it comes to writing about Israel and the Palestinians. Likewise, nobody, including journalists, should be immune from criticism. That Shannon Ebrahim chose to turn HonestReporting into part of the story, accused us of a “smear campaign” and then concocted one of her own, says much about her own lack of professionalism.
While Independent Media can defend its foreign editor, it also needs to properly accept responsibility. Its ‘apology’ fails to adequately do so.
UPDATE – JULY 28
Independent Media’s ombudsman eventually responded to the formal complaint and the following agreed upon apology appears in the print editions of July 28 and at the bottom of the online version of the offending article:
Apology: An opinion piece by Shannon Ebrahim, published in the Sunday Independent and iol.co.za, claimed that Mr Simon Plosker and his organisation Honest Reporting sent an article to all Ms Ebrahim’s contacts on LinkedIn. IOL apologises and retracts any inference or statement that Plosker sent an article to all Shannon Ebrahim’s contacts on LinkedIn.
