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SMH Digs in Heels Over Israeli Capital

In the past week, HonestReporting has achieved numerous corrections concerning stories that incorrectly implied that Tel Aviv is Israel’s capital city or center of power and government. Media outlets that changed their text include The…

Simon Plosker
January 18, 2017
12:00 am

Reading time: 2 minutes

In the past week, HonestReporting has achieved numerous corrections concerning stories that incorrectly implied that Tel Aviv is Israel’s capital city or center of power and government.

Media outlets that changed their text include The Guardian, Daily Mail, The Independent and Sky News.

When a request was sent to the Sydney Morning Herald, however, the response was a flat refusal to make any correction.

Currently, the story includes the following paragraphs:

If the SMH’s editors are prepared to question our determination, they should be reminded that back in 2012, HonestReporting fought a protracted legal battle against The Guardian for its policy of calling Tel Aviv Israel’s capital. HR ultimately won.

We are prepared to take this to Australia’s Press Council if necessary.

Help us to get the correction. Add your name to our petition.

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Tags: capital city, distorted facts, Jerusalem, Sydney Morning Herald, Tel Aviv

Simon Plosker

With over two decades of experience in various non-governmental organizations in the UK and Israel, Simon Plosker returned to HonestReporting in October 2022 as Editorial Director having previously been part of the organization’s management team from 2005 to 2020. Prior to his first spell at HonestReporting, Simon worked in Israel for NGO Monitor, BICOM, and served for a short period in the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit. He was Managing Editor of the Geneva-based NGO United Nations Watch for two years before moving back to the frontline defending Israel from media bias. Simon has a BSoc.Sc in International Studies and Political Science from the University of Birmingham and an MSc in History of International Relations from the London School of Economics. He immigrated to Israel in 2001 from London.

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