Robin Shepherd is one of the most articulate of Israel’s supporters. As he’s not Jewish, a single word from him counts, in the eyes of the world, as twice that of a Jew, so the BBC should sit up and take notice.
He understands only too well the way the BBC misrepresents the complexities of the I/P conflict, leaving out essential information while maintaining a semblence of the impartiality it is obliged to display.
Here is his analysis of Barbara Plett’s BBC article about anti Israel campaigner Richard Falk’s report to the UN General Assembly.
In one corner, in apocalypse terms, is the white horse, representing evil, in the form of Barbara Plett, famous for her emotional outburst at Yassir Arafat’s departure, in a helicopter, to die. On the red horse (war) is Richard Falk, well known for associating Israel’s “treatment of Palestinians with [the] criminalized Nazi record of collective atrocity”, not to mention some odd views on 9/11.
Number three, black, representing famine, is the UN – always ready willing and able to condemn Israel for anything and everything while ignoring terrible misdemeanours of other countries. In the final corner astride the pale horse which stands for ‘death’, is the BBC, which is obsessed with denigrating Israel, whilst praising the Palestinians and showering Islam and the Muslim world with admiration.
What a formidable quartet.
Robin Shepherd understands how it works. Barbara Plett’s article ignores Falk’s biased political agenda. Basic good journalistic practice obliges the BBC to provide context and sufficient information to “ help the reader understand precisely why Israel and the rest of us should treat his words with something less than the reverence they are accorded by the BBC.” Barbara Plett sees no need for that. The travesty of ‘balance’ consists of:
“Israel said (Falk’s) report was utterly biased and served a political agenda, criticising its author for making no mention of what it called Palestinian terrorist attacks”.
So, now they do mention Falk’s political agenda, belatedly, in such a way as to dismiss it as Israel’s fabrication, and they also imply that Palestinian terrorist attacks are a fantasy, an exaggeration and a matter of opinion.
Do read Robin Shepherd’s article to get the full picture. He concludes:
“You can bet your house that Barbara Plett and the editorial team that helped produce this story have no inkling at all that they have violated what should be considered basic journalistic standards and practices. In their world, their behaviour is reasonable and normal. And so, they would argue, is Richard Falk.”