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| April 21, 2011 |
| A happy Easter and a happy Passover from Just Journalism |
| BBC Focus |
'Death in the Med': Findings of the BBC Trust On 16 August 2010 the BBC aired 'Death in the Med', a Panorama investigation into the events aboard the Mavi Marmara, a ship that had attempted to break Israel's naval blockade of Gaza. The half an hour documentary, presented by Jane Corbin, included a raft of new footage in an attempt to provide the most informed portrayal of what occurred on the night of May 31, during which 9 activists were killed during clashes with Israeli soldiers. According to the BBC, the programme resulted in over '2,000 audience contacts', with 72% of those getting in touch to express a view (as opposed to simply requesting further information) giving negative feedback on the programme. Significantly, much of this was the result of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which accused 'Death in the Med' of pro-Israel bias, and encouraged supporters to complain to the BBC. On Tuesday, the Editorial Standards Committee of the BBC Trust, the third and final stage of the BBC's complaints procedure, presented its rulings on the programme. The BBC Trust found that, overall, 'Death in the Med', was accurate and impartial. The editorial standards committee examined 51 different points of issue, and concluded that, although three did breach guidelines over impartiality and accuracy, it was 'unlikely that a current affairs programme such as this, covering such a contentious issue, would be found to be entirely flawless if it were subjected to the level of deconstruction and analysis that Death in the Med has undergone.' The committee nonetheless concluded that the documentary was an 'original, illuminating and well-researched piece of journalism.' Below, Just Journalism highlights key parts of the findings, as well as providing background on both 'Death in the Med', and the Mavi Marmara itself. |
| The Wire |
Media reports deaths and arrests in Arrigoni case Wed. 20 Apr. 2011 @ 13.03 - Media covers deaths and arrests in connection with murder of Italian activist Vittorio Arrigoni, but omits suggestions that key suspect was Hamas policeman. Today reports appear across the British media regarding the attempted arrest of three suspects in connection with the murder of Vittorio Arrigoni in Gaza last week, during which at least one fatality occurred. Articles appear in The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, the Financial Times, The Guardian and on the BBC News website. Although there are conflicting reports as to the number of suspects killed in the operation, which was conducted by Hamas security forces, it appears that one man threw a grenade at his fellow suspects, killing one, and then shot himself. The suspect who survived the grenade attack was arrested by Hamas, along with three of his associates. According to The Daily Telegraph, during the 'fierce firefight':
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| The Wire |
Guardian publishes op-ed promoting one-state solution instead of Palestinian statehood Tues. 19 Apr. 2011 @ 13.55 - Guardian comment piece argues against worth of Palestinian statehood, claiming public support for the project is waning despite polling data to the contrary. Amid a flurry of recent positive coverage in the British press of Salam Fayyad's Palestinian state-building efforts, and following endorsements of his work by the UN and the IMF, today The Guardian published a comment piece by Ahmad Samih Khalidi, arguing against the pursuit of a separate Palestinian state. In 'A West Bank anachronism' Khalidi, who has frequently written in The Guardian in favour of a one-state solution, argues:
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| The Wire |
Christians in the ME: further sectarian protests in Egypt; fears of mass Copt emigration Wed. 20 Apr. 2011 @ 17.30 - Egyptian daily Al Masry Al Youm reports extensively on sectarian tensions in Egypt, while increased fears of mass Christian emigration from the country receive coverage in the British media. Yesterday reports appeared in the Egyptian press that Governor Emad Mikhail, of the Qena Governorate in Egypt, was standing down following days of protest since his appointment on Friday. These protests were predominantly sectarian in nature, as Mikhail is a Christian and protesters objected to being ruled by a non-Muslim. A media round-up in today's Al Masry Al Youm, an Egyptian daily, suggests that he has indeed now resigned. Mass protests by Muslims in Qena threatened to paralyse the town, with demonstrators occupying government buildings and blocking railroads. Protesters had refused to end their demonstrations until the Christian governor was removed. An Associated Press article appearing in Haaretz yesterday described the motivation of the protesters, who were 'insisting the new governor won't properly implement Islamic law.' The article also quotes local resident Wafy Nasr on wider sectarian tensions in Qena:
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| The Wire |
Financial Times focuses on Salafi-Jihadists in Gaza Tues. 19 Apr. 2011 @ 15.12 - Examination of the complex relations between Hamas and smaller extremist groups in Gaza chimes with new report, as senior member of the Islamist government states support for an Islamic Caliphate across the Middle East. Following the murder of Vittorio Arrigoni, the pro-Palestinian activist who was killed in Gaza on Thursday 14 April, much of the coverage of his death has touched upon the radical groups that challenge Hamas' authority in the Palestinian territory. Several articles have noted that, while Hamas is regarded as an extremist group by the West, the Salafists apparently responsible for the hanging of Arrigoni view the group as too moderate. In one notable instance, The Guardian's Conal Urquhart suggested that, contrary to public perceptions, Hamas had indeed become 'more mainstream' since 2007. In the first version of 'Palestinians rally to mourn kidnapped Italian activist murdered by extremists', published Friday afternoon, he wrote:
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