HonestReporting UK called on The Independent to retract a cover story by Robert Fisk accusing Israel of firing depleted uranium shells at Lebanon during last year’s war. Despite the fact that a UN team and, later, Lebanese experts themselves put the canard to rest, The Independent never retracted its coverage.
HR UK subscriber Gavin Gross lodged a formal complaint against The Independent with the Press Complaints Commission, which issued a woeful response (click here for full text in pdf format):
The Commission therefore considered that the article had clearly presented the allegation that Israel had used uranium-based weapons in Lebanon as such. Readers generally would – in the Commission’s view – be aware that the article represented the speculative views of the journalist and experts quoted, and would not be misled into believing that the allegations had been proved, or that Israel definitely used uranium weapons.
That said, the Commission was pleased to note that the newspaper had published a follow up article reporting that the UN Environment Programme had “failed to find any evidence that Israel used depleted uranium, enriched uranium, or any other radioactive material in bombs dropped on Lebanon?”
Notwithstanding the complainant’s concern that the newspaper had failed to afford this article sufficient prominence, or indeed report the expert panel?s subsequent unanimous rejection of the allegations, the Commission was satisfied that the publication of the follow up piece was sufficient remedial action?.
The remedial “follow up” the PCC found pleasing to note is based on a mere two sentences buried in a November 2006 report about phosphorous shells. It hardly balances out The Independent’s sensationalised front page.
A surprising decision? Not necessarily. According to another PCC ruling, journalists may call Israel an apartheid state, while the same organisation saw nothing wrong with The Independent’s infamous cartoon depitcting Ariel Sharon biting off the head of a baby.
40 YEARS SINCE THE SIX-DAY WAR: A NEW RESOURCE
The beginning of June sees the 40th anniversary of the Six-Day War, an event that has had wide-ranging percussions up until the present day in the Middle East and beyond. Israel’s enemies will undoubtedly seek to distort history, aided by those in the media who have failed to fully understand the historical context behind today’s news from the region.
A group of historians, academics and writers have created an excellent site that attempts to capture primary evidence and firsthand experience to enable a better understanding of how it felt as the tensions rose around the world towards June 1967.
We are pleased to recommend www.sixdaywar.co.uk to our subscribers who should find this resource to be useful as a starting point for further research and media response.
WIN A FREE TRIP TO ISRAEL WITH HONESTREPORTING!
Our international sister site, HonestReporting.com is offering a prize draw to win a free trip for 2 to Israel, including a roundtrip airfare and 7 nights at a luxury Jerusalem hotel. 2nd Prize is Judaica worth up to $2000 and 3rd Prize is a Video iPod. All you have to do is invite a friend to share in HonestReporting’s work. HR UK subscribers are welcome to enter for the chance to win!
to media bias.
