Flotilla Report: BBC Plumbs the Depths

Simon Plosker
Honest Reporting
24 January '11


The Turkel Commisssion of inquiry into the events surrounding the May 31, 2010 Gaza flotilla has published its findings. Some of the main points include:

-The maritime blockade of Gaza complies with international law.

- Israel’s policies towards the Gaza Strip comply with international and humanitarian law.

- The takeover of the Mavi Marmara was carried out in compliance with international law.

- Israeli soldiers only took action in self-defense after being violently attacked by the ship’s passengers and their actions complied with international law.

The BBC’s coverage of the Turkel Report, however, graphically illustrates all that is wrong with its reporting of Israel.

Rather than address the actual findings of the report, which vindicated Israeli actions, the BBC immediately begins by attempting to discredit the report by focusing on Turkish criticisms. The screenshot above is indicative of the BBC’s anti-Israel bias:

The headline, which sets the tone for the story, is about Turkish criticism and not the findings of the report itself.

This focus continues in the opening paragraphs of the story, which also highlights a negative quote against Israel from the UN.

The choice of photo and the accompanying caption – the photo fails to demonstrate any direct link to the story contents while the caption highlights that “one activist was shot four times in the head”.

The article continues by extensively quoting Turkish PM Erdogan who states: “To my judgment there is no value, nor credibility to this report.”

As if to drive the point home, the BBC article continues with a well-placed and visible sub-heading ‘Banditry and piracy’

(Read full "Flotilla Report: BBC Plumbs the Depths")

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