This essay was written by Simon Plosker (managing editor of HonestReporting) and published in the Jerusalem Post on August 12.
When HonestReporting filed a complaint with the UK’s Press Complaints Commission in response to The Guardian’s labeling of Tel Aviv as Israel’s capital, we did so expecting accuracy and common sense to prevail.
Outrageously, the PCC not only ruled in favor of The Guardian but actually went as far as to unilaterally declare that Tel Aviv was Israel’s legitimate capital, based mainly on the fact that many foreign embassies are located there.
Institutions not located in Tel Aviv include the Knesset, the Supreme Court, Bank of Israel and most government ministries.
The ruling even ignored Israel’s own declaration of Jerusalem as its eternal capital.
While the Guardian’s original “capital offense” could be viewed as yet another example of the newspaper’s animosity towards Israel, the PCC ruling demonstrated just how far beyond rational discourse any discussion on Israel appears to have gone in the UK.
The PCC offered no recourse for appeal.
On principle, however, we couldn’t let the PCC’s bizarre ruling stand. Risking potentially high legal costs but motivated by our desire to see truth prevail, HonestReporting initiated legal proceedings using some of the best legal professionals with the aim of taking the PCC all the way to a judicial review.
The Guardian has become the world’s third most read newspaper website, with 30.4 million readers in June 2012, according to industry analyst ComScore. The newspaper’s print edition may not be particularly large by UK media standards, but its readers are typically influential liberal and left-leaning elites in politics, academia and other media such as the BBC.
Put simply, the Guardian’s anti-Israel bias has a hugely significant reach and influence that cannot be ignored.
Read the rest of the essay, here.
Like this:
Like Loading...
COMMITTEE FOR ACCURACY IN MIDDLE EAST REPORTING AND ANALYSIS
Righting the Guardian’s capital offense, and standing up for Israel
This essay was written by Simon Plosker (managing editor of HonestReporting) and published in the Jerusalem Post on August 12.
Outrageously, the PCC not only ruled in favor of The Guardian but actually went as far as to unilaterally declare that Tel Aviv was Israel’s legitimate capital, based mainly on the fact that many foreign embassies are located there.
Institutions not located in Tel Aviv include the Knesset, the Supreme Court, Bank of Israel and most government ministries.
The ruling even ignored Israel’s own declaration of Jerusalem as its eternal capital.
While the Guardian’s original “capital offense” could be viewed as yet another example of the newspaper’s animosity towards Israel, the PCC ruling demonstrated just how far beyond rational discourse any discussion on Israel appears to have gone in the UK.
The PCC offered no recourse for appeal.
On principle, however, we couldn’t let the PCC’s bizarre ruling stand. Risking potentially high legal costs but motivated by our desire to see truth prevail, HonestReporting initiated legal proceedings using some of the best legal professionals with the aim of taking the PCC all the way to a judicial review.
The Guardian has become the world’s third most read newspaper website, with 30.4 million readers in June 2012, according to industry analyst ComScore. The newspaper’s print edition may not be particularly large by UK media standards, but its readers are typically influential liberal and left-leaning elites in politics, academia and other media such as the BBC.
Put simply, the Guardian’s anti-Israel bias has a hugely significant reach and influence that cannot be ignored.
Read the rest of the essay, here.
Related articles
Like this:
Andy Newman’s socialism of fools: The remarkable staying power of leftist antisemitism
You may also like
Anti-Zionists Plumb New Depths: Cliona Campbell’s Story
Guardian’s Middle East Editor, Ian Black, equates Gilad Shalit with Palestinian terrorists
Why was this deleted?