Through our BackSpin weblog, HonestReporting encouraged subscribers to notify the BBC that 1) Arab-Israelis are not 'conscripted' into the IDF (though some volunteer to serve), and 2) the claim that the IDF orders officers to 'shoot unarmed schoolchildren' ― under penalty of imprisonment ― is outrageous, libelous, and completely unsubstantiated.
In response to letters of protest, BBC removed Bell's sound clip and transcript from
its online archives ― but not before HonestReporting captured the transcript on our weblog (as publicized through the popular COP 'Daily Alert').
BBC has since issued an official apology for not 'fact-checking' that Israeli-Arabs are not conscripted.
However, neither Bell nor the BBC has retracted the libelous claim ― broadcast to millions worldwide ― that the IDF would order an officer 'to shoot unarmed schoolchildren.'
Comments to BBC Radio:
click
here
AFP'S MISSING CONTEXT
On Feb. 14, a Palestinian in Hebron tried to stab an IDF soldier, but was shot and killed before he could do so.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) released this photo (at left) of the scene, with the following caption:
An Israeli soldier walks next to the body of a Palestinian who was shot dead by Israeli troops close to the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron. Israel handed over the remains of 15 militants shot dead by the army during attempted attacks in the Gaza Strip as part of a series of goodwill gestures towards the Palestinians.
The AFP caption omits the essential context of this scene ― the pictured man had attempted to stab the IDF soldier, who then shot in self-defense. The effect is to suggest that the IDF killed the Palestinian man for no reason.
Comments to AFP:
contact@afp.com
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