Britannia Radio

Just Journalism Newsletter 13 February 2009

Analysis this week   GENERAL ELECTION FOCUS                  UK media downbeat about results BBC PANORAMA ON GAZA          The 'personalisation' debate continues BALEN REPORT PROGRESS         Lords uphold original decision  General election focus   · The inconclusive results of Israel's general election meant that much of the media coverage of the results was as speculative as coverage in the preceding days. Discussions centred round a perceived shift to the right by the Israeli electorate, embodied by the rise of Yisrael Beiteinu, and the complex process of coalition building which awaits the candidate selected by President Peres to form a government - either Tzipi Livni of Kadima or Binyamin Netanyahu of Likud.   The importance of the election  · Most of the coverage portrayed the election as important. However, some outlets did not shy away from overstating its significance. The Guardian was the most strident, claiming in its Thursday editorial, 'it is already clear that the election is a watershed in both Israeli and international politics.' The ITV News at Ten opened its report on Tuesday, the day of the election, with, 'Counting is going on right now in the election that will decide peace in the Middle East.'    The peace process · The general consensus across the media was that the outcome of Israel's election does not bode well for the peace process. This was for two main reasons: first, there was the perception that the sizeable right wing bloc which emerged would serve to stifle peace efforts; second, the fact that there was no clear winner was seen in and of itself as a barrier to progress with the Palestinians.  · On Wednesday's BBC Today programme, Middle East Editor Jeremy Bowen said in response to a question about implications for the peace process: 'You know, in a way I think the phrase 'peace process' should be banned because there isn't really a peace process.'   · David Blair of The Telegraph said a shift rightwards would make peace with the Palestinians 'extremely unlikely', while James Hider at The Times described hopes of a deal as being at 'a long-term low'.   · Thursday's editorial in The Independent asserted, 'the whole point of holding this election - to break the stalemate Ms Livni encountered when she tried to form a government late last year - has been negated' and called for a review of Israel's electoral system.   US-Israel relations · The Guardian paid the most attention to the potential effects of the election outcome on the relationship between Israel and the US. Ewen MacAskill wrote, 'Among questions up for discussion are the closeness of the US to Israel and whether that will undercut Obama's overtures to Iran and, potentially, Syria, and relations in general with Arab countries.' · Thursday's editorial in the same publication went much further, claiming, 'Internationally, it [the election result] sets Israel on a course almost certain to lead to a collision with the United States.' It also mused, 'It is hard now to see any government emerging in Israel that will not constitute an obstacle to Barack Obama's ambitions in that swath of territory from the eastern Mediterranean to Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, in which his most dangerous foreign problems are concentrated.'   · Most other media outlets limited their comments about the US to deducing that the Israeli election outcome constitutes an added complication to an already difficult situation. Donald Macintyre at The Independent noted that it, 'is likely to make it even more difficult for US President Barack Obama to realise stated hopes of progress towards peace in the Middle East.'   Iran and Syria · There has been limited discussion in the media about the implications of the results for the wider region, in particular Iran and Syria. This is mainly due to UK reporters focusing on the immediate issues facing Livni and Netanyahu, who are both vying to form workable coalitions to become Israel's next Prime Minister.   · There was some mention of the possibility that peace with Syria would go the same way as predicted with the Palestinians. The day after the results, Tobias Buck of the Financial Times wrote, 'Either way, the prospects for any breakthrough on the diplomatic front - either with the Palestinians or with Syria - look dim.'   TOP   BBC Panorama on Gaza    · On Monday, the BBC broadcast a Panorama report by Middle East Editor Jeremy Bowen. 'Gaza: Out of the Ruins' followed Bowen as he interviewed residents of the strip in the aftermath of the twenty-one day military operation. Several key findings of Just Journalism's recent report were highlighted by the programme:   · The documentary focused on the suffering of the Palestinians. Of five civilians interviewed, four had lost relatives in the conflict. Nobody on the Israeli side who had lost someone as a result of rocket attacks was interviewed. · Emotive, rather than neutral language ran through the documentary. The opening line was, 'Death kept Gaza company over New Year, and into January'. There were also graphic descriptions of the deaths of children in a family home.   · The lack of context for Israel's actions, prevalent in reporting during the conflict, was also an issue in this programme. For example, at no time was Israel's disengagement from Gaza in 2005 mentioned.   ·  Jeremy Vine said that Israel has been targeted by rockets for eight years in his introduction to the programme, but the Middle East Editor himself made no mention of this key fact during his report. He did, however, point out that, 'A million Israelis within range of Hamas rockets worried about their children too. During the war, Hamas killed four Israeli civilians; targeting civilians violates the laws of war'.    · The documentary did provide information about the nature of Hamas, something that had been lacking in most of the media coverage of Operation Cast Lead. However, when interviewing a Hamas militant, Jeremy Bowen only challenged his answers once, whereas he constantly challenged Knesset Member Meir Sheetrit during interview. TOP   Balen Report progress   · On Wednesday, the House of Lords ruled that the original decision by the Information Tribunal in the case of the Balen Report was correct. This means that the case will be referred back to the High Court and the report may be made public in the future. · Commissioned in 2005 by the BBC, the report was the result of an internal investigation by the former Nine O'Clock News Editor, Malcolm Balen, into how the broadcaster reported on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But the findings have never been made public because the BBC has consistently refused to publish them.   · Commercial lawyer Steven Sugar has tried to use the Freedom of Information Act to have details of the document disclosed, pursuing the case all the way to the House of Lords. On Wednesday, The House backed an earlier decision by the Information Tribunal that said that the Act did apply to the BBC, something the organisation has always contested. The BBC is once more appealing against the decision. TOP  Breaches in journalistic standards BBC News website 'Jeremy Bowen election diary' (10 February 2009) DISTORTION OF INFORMATION: The diary entry claims that Israelis are traditionally opposed to a two-state solution with the Palestinians. Dozens of opinion polls over recent years have consistently demonstrated that a firm majority of Israelis support the idea of a Palestinian state alongside Israel as a solution to the conflict. Read Just Journalism's analysis here. TOP