Steven Sugar’s fight to get the BBC to publicly release the Balen Report is going all the way to the top. The European Jewish Press reports that the High Court will hear arguments on whether the BBC is obligated to make the report public under the Freedom of Information Act.
In 2004, Malcolm Balen, for whom the report is named, exhaustively examined the BBC’s radio and TV coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. His report was never released to the public; however, Sugar, a London lawyer, filed a request under FOI. When the BBC refused, Sugar appealed to the Information Tribunal, which adjudicates FOI disputes. The tribunal ruled in Sugar’s favor, leading to a flood of FOI requests for the Balen Report (including one from HonestReporting).
The BBC is funded by a license fee and the public deserves to know what’s contained in the report.
High Court proceedings begin March 27.
