BBC Olympic Country Info Omits Israel Capital

[Teddy Bear]

Honest Reporting is running this article and complaint to the BBC which apparently has resulted in the BBC modifying its original coverage.

BBC Olympic Coverage Declares East Jerusalem as Palestinian Capital
July 19, 2012 13:34 by Simon Plosker

The BBC Sport website’s coverage of the forthcoming London Olympic games features country profiles of all of the competing nations. Every other country profile includes a listed capital city. All except for Israel. This even includes “Palestine” where the BBC takes enormous liberties with its list of facts.

UPDATE ON PAGE 2: BBC RESPONDS AND AMENDS ITS WEBSITE

According to the BBC, “East Jerusalem” is the capital of Palestine.



So if the BBC were to be consistent, it would presumably state (also inaccurately) that Israel’s capital is “West Jerusalem”. Wrong.

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The BBC’s Olympic country profile for Israel simply fails at all to include a listed capital city. This despite the inclusion of Jerusalem on the map of Israel. While the only partially-recognized entity of “Palestine” has a listed capital that isn’t even under its sovereign control, the very real and recognized state of Israel has no capital despite being sovereign over the entire city of Jerusalem.

“Palestine” has been recognized as a member of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) since 1986, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since 1995. That the BBC features Palestine is therefore legitimate within this context. However, while the BBC could argue that Jerusalem is not recognized as Israel’s capital by many in the international community, there is simply no excuse for distorting reality and appointing part of Jerusalem as a Palestinian capital city. Or is this just further evidence that the BBC shares the dreams of the Palestinians?

The omission of Israel’s capital has irked the Israeli government, prompting Mark Regev, the Prime Minister’s Spokesman, to write the following letter to the BBC’s Jerusalem bureau:



The Olympic Games are the world’s greatest sporting event with a global audience of millions. London will be the venue to showcase the multitude of competing nations. As the host broadcaster, the BBC should stick to the Olympic’s ideals and refrain from introducing its usual politically tainted bias into the proceedings.

UPDATE

The BBC has now amended the country profiles.

The Palestine profile includes the following: “Palestine is recognised as a competing country by the IOC but is not recognised as a modern state.”

In place of a Capital, Palestine, according to the BBC has an “Intended seat of government,” which states: “East Jerusalem. Ramallah serves as administrative capital.”

As for the Israel profile, it still has no capital city. Instead, the BBC has fudged the issue by including a “Seat of government,” which states: “Jerusalem, though most foreign embassies are in Tel Aviv.”

Has the BBC taken a leaf out of The Guardian and the PCC’s book by implying that Tel Aviv could conceivably be Israel’s capital?

Sorry BBC, while it’s certainly an improvement, it’s still just not good enough.

[Teddy Bear]

The case against the BBC continues as Honest Reporting comments on in this follow up.

BBC’s Disgusting Response to Olympic Complaints
July 24, 2012 13:51 by Simon Plosker

At HonestReporting, we recognize and credit our readership for taking action against the media when they are sufficiently motivated to do so. While it is our job to encourage activism, we know that our readers are not automatons who will write letters to editors or complain to the media at our say so.

While we can alert the public to the issues, it is ultimately an exercise in free choice and independent and informed thought as to whether or not someone will take action. Unfortunately the BBC evidently believes the opposite.

Many people who complained to the BBC about its failure to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital on its Olympic country website profile were answered with the following included in a canned response:

We have received a range of feedback about the errors on the BBC Sport Olympics page and we feel it is worth explaining that a considerable number of those have been generated by online lobby activity.

What exactly is the inference of referring to “online lobby activity?”

Does the BBC consider your individual complaints less worthy simply because the information was passed on to the complainant by way of HonestReporting or any number of other organizations?

Not to mention the particularly insidious connotation behind referring to a “lobby” when it comes to an issue associated with Jews or Israel. Is the BBC insinuating that the issue is being driven by dark forces behind the scenes and that the complaints are insincere?

This is simply a cheap and nasty way of diverting attention from the real issue.

When people take the time and effort to complain, it is irrelevant how they came to be notified or encouraged to do so. Every individual complaint deserves the full attention of the BBC without prejudice as to whether or not the complainant happens to be a reader of HonestReporting or any other organization.

For the BBC to say otherwise is disrespectful and the accusation of some form of deceitful lobbying is utterly disgusting.