Afghan war logs, war crimes and proportionality

Just Journalism
27 July '10


The British media’s handling of the release of over 90,000 classified military records from the war in Afghanistan is an important test for consistency in the reporting of ‘war crimes’ and ‘proportionality’ in the theatre of war.

These concepts are regularly invoked by journalists in the discussion of Israel's military actions, most recently following the Gaza flotilla raid in May 2010, and most commonly in relation to the Gaza war of 2008/9. Israel is routinely accused of 'war crimes' and use of excessive - or 'disproportionate' - force against the Palestinians and their supporters.

However, despite the fact that the leaked Afghan reports contain details of previously unreported Nato killings of hundreds of Afghan civilians, this research shows that virtually none of the reporting of this story in the UK has raised the spectre of ‘war crimes’ and the ‘disproportionate use of force’.


KEY FINDINGS:

• Of 52 articles published on the websites of BBC News, The Guardian, The Independent, The Times, The Daily Telegraph and Financial Times on 25/26 July, not one cited the international legal concept of ‘proportionality’

(Read full report)

If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.
.