Post by Teddy Bear on Sept 4, 2006 18:51:09 GMT
Bearing in mind that many people will only scan a particular headline to follow a news story, especially if they're not directly affected by this news, it obviously becomes an important tool in shaping opinion.
The BBC, with their usual commitment to balanced and fair reporting, report on an incident at the British Embassy in Tel-Aviv. Note the headline, which makes it appear that the commandos went in uninvited, and what's worse, nowhere in the article do they make this clear. Obviously another case of 'impressionist' reporting.
First here is the observation from Honest Reporting:
The BBC article concerned
The BBC, with their usual commitment to balanced and fair reporting, report on an incident at the British Embassy in Tel-Aviv. Note the headline, which makes it appear that the commandos went in uninvited, and what's worse, nowhere in the article do they make this clear. Obviously another case of 'impressionist' reporting.
First here is the observation from Honest Reporting:
STORM IN A TEACUP?
On 31 August, a Palestinian infiltrated the British Embassy in Tel Aviv, threatening to kill himself if he was not granted political asylum in the UK. According to the Jerusalem Post:
A tense six-hour standoff ended safely Thursday as police subdued the Palestinian. Police SWAT teams charged the man as he momentarily put down his pistol to eat food that had been brought to him. The pistol, police then discovered, was a toy....
British officials made an immediate decision to invite Israeli police to enter the embassy compound, which is considered sovereign British territory....
So, Israeli forces were invited into the compound, spent six hours trying to negotiate and then subdued the "gunman" with no shots fired or any injuries to police or the Palestinian. Yet, the Associated Press and the BBC published the story under the following headlines:
AP: Israeli Police Storm British Embassy
BBC: Commandos storm Tel Aviv embassy
A misleading headline can create a totally different perception, and in this case, presents another example of how Israel is portrayed as the active party or 'aggressor' irrespective of her role in the story. HonestReporting urges subscribers to be aware of this subtle yet insidious form of media bias.
The BBC article concerned
Commandos storm Tel Aviv embassy
Mr Injaz wanted asylum in the UK
Israeli police commandos have stormed a British embassy compound in Tel Aviv to capture a man who broke in and demanded asylum in the UK.
Nadim Injaz, 28, from Ramallah in the West Bank, had threatened to kill himself on live television if he did not get asylum.
Mr Injaz is a Palestinian and is reported to have been an informant.
He was chased down an alleyway by officers, held and taken off the compound, the BBC's Paul Adams said.
Our correspondent said there were no shots fired and no injuries. He said it was believed food given to Mr Injaz may have contained a sedative to slow down his reactions.
Someone should come and help me. No one wants to help me
Nadim Injaz
Mr Injaz was reported to have been armed with a pistol, but this was later found to have been a toy gun, police told Israel's Channel 10 TV, news agency Reuters reported.
The man, who entered the compound several hours earlier, had reportedly told another Israeli broadcaster, Channel 2: "Someone should come and help me. No one wants to help me."
Mr Injaz is said to have feared he may have been killed by Palestinian militants, and that Israeli authorities refused to help him.
It is thought he scaled a fence to enter the compound.
Embassy spokeswoman Karen Kaufman said: "As far as the embassy is concerned, the event is over."
BBC Jerusalem correspondent Nick Thorpe said the British embassy is a secure modern building near the seafront in Tel Aviv, with a high metal fence and security barriers.
Visitors to the embassy are normally screened by guards at the gate.