Donnison 'Bias & Discrepancies' on BBC Child Death

[Teddy Bear]

When I first heard this story I found it suspect, especially in light of other 'child deaths' that were being attributed to Israel, and commented on it at the time.

Now Jon Donnison is revisiting this story as an epilogue to the ceasefire, and besides a massive bias, which we have observed throughout his reporting on events there, together with the rest of the BBC journalists involved, but also detect discrepancies on what he is saying now, on what was reported at the time. Almost to try and make it fit.

BBC Watch has analysed it. Since it is quite a lengthy article with numerous pictures and tweets - I suggest viewing it on their site.

BBC’s Jon Donnison displays a professional and ethical conflict of interests

On Saturday, November 24th 2012, BBC Radio 4 broadcast an edition of ‘From Our Own Correspondent’ (also scheduled to be broadcast on the BBC World Service), which included a piece by Jon Donnison. The broadcast can be heard here or here, or downloaded here.

[Teddy Bear]

Joy of joys, perhaps Donnison and Danahar will get their justice. As we've seen there's much they've reported which completely abandons any attempt to be fair and balanced.

BBC’s Jon Donnison summoned to Government Press Office hearing

BBC Watch can now confirm that a report (Hebrew) which appeared on the Israeli website ‘Walla!’ on November 25th2012 is correct.

An article on the same subject in English also appeared at The Algemeiner.

The BBC’s Jon Donnison, together with the head of the BBC Jerusalem Bureau and head of the Foreign Press Association, Paul Danahar, has been summoned by the Government Press Office in Israel to a hearing this coming Wednesday (November 28th) on the subject of Donnison’s Tweet of a picture of a child casualty from Syria as though it were from Gaza – as first publicised by BBC Watch on November 19th 2012.

Potentially, this exceptional and unusual step on the part of the GPO could lead to Donnison’s Press Credentials being revoked, which would make it very difficult indeed for him to work in the region.

BBC Watch’s Managing Editor Hadar Sela said:

“It is unfortunate that Donnison has jeopardised his career in such a manner, through his failure to adhere to the BBC’s own Editorial Guidelines on accuracy and impartiality and its existing guidance on the use of social media.

The BBC’s funding British public, as well as millions of people around the world who rely on the BBC for trustworthy information, no doubt also await the results of a BBC investigation into Donnison’s breach of his organisation’s Editorial Guidelines.”

[Teddy Bear]

From BBC Watch

The BBC photo editor, whose child is supposed to have been killed in an Israeli strike, reveals more than a little bit of an agenda, and certainly makes his employment at the BBC somewhat suspect.

(Links available on website)

BBC employee: “What was done by the Jews is a shame for the entire Umma”

Last weekend the BBC went to great lengths to publicise the tragic story of Omar, the baby son of BBC Arabic Service employee Jihad Masharawi, who died on November 14th during the hostilities between Hamas and Israel.

Jon Donnison told the story on BBC Radio 4′s ‘From Our Own Correspondent’, it was also broadcast on the BBC World Service and in addition appeared on the BBC News website under the title “Gaza baby ‘only knew how to smile‘“.

On November 26th, Jihad Masharawi’s brother Ahmed, who was injured in the same incident, died.

A report from November 26th by the BBC’s Aleem Maqbool showed footage of Ahmed Masharawi wrapped in a Hamas flag at his funeral.

The English language website of Hamas’ Al Qassam Brigades featured a report on Ahmed Masharawi’s death on November 27th.

BBC Watch contacted the IDF Spokesperson for the Gaza Division who was able to confirm that a terror site in the vicinity of the Mashrawi house had been targeted on November 14th and that the known terrorist Ahmed Masharawi was injured.

The footage below was also filmed at the funeral of Ahmed Masharawi, who is described as a “shahid”, by Hamas’ Al Quds TV.



At 1:34 BBC employee Jihad Masharawi says (as translated from Arabic):

“Thanks to Allah, the Lord of the Universe, who chose him [i.e. Ahmed] to be a martyr, from all the people. What was done by the Jews is a shame for the entire Umma [Islamic nation], a shame for the West, a shame for the Arabs, who are silent. The entire war struck only the children and the innocent. They didn’t hit a single muqawim [resistance fighter], nor anyone who works for the government, or whatever.”

Clearly, Jihad Masharawi is not only lying about the facts of the conflict, but he also makes no distinction between Israel and Jews as a whole, blaming the latter for having “struck only children and the innocent”. The EUMC Working Definition of Antisemitism states that one of its manifestations is:

”Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel.”

It is implausible that the BBC – having filmed and broadcast Ahmed Masharawi at his funeral wrapped in a Hamas flag – is unaware of the Masharawi family’s connections to Hamas – a terror organization proscribed by the British government and many others.

The BBC’s funding public will naturally find it unacceptable on all levels that a BBC employee should engage in propagating lies and antisemitic vitriol on a television station owned and run by a terror organization.

[Teddy Bear]

According to BBC Watch, Donnison and Danahar have been given a warning by the Israel Press Office for their conduct detailed above.
Note the clarification in the artilce which tells us that Danahar found it necessary to confirm that the BBC had not issued an apology for it.

My comments on this after:

BBC’s Jon Donnison gets yellow card

BBC Watch can report that at the hearing held on Wednesday, November 28th 2012 at the Government Press Office, Jon Donnison and the head of the BBC’s Jerusalem Bureau, Paul Danahar stated that an apology had already been made – as required – to BBC readers for Donnison’s retweet of unverified and misleading material and that the incident was a mistake.

Jon Donnison received a formal warning and was informed that any future transgression may result in the GPO exercising its right to confiscate his Press Card.

Clarification:

The wording of this post was amended shortly after its original publication in order to correct an error of comprehension whereby BBC Watch had understood that Jon Donnison and Paul Danahar had apologised for the former’s retweet of a falsely-captioned photograph, during the hearing at the GPO.

However, it transpires that no such apology was made – a point which, for reasons best known to themselves, the BBC apparently feels extremely compelled to make perfectly clear.



Some, of course, may find it odd that whilst the BBC can make mistakes, others “lie”.

If it’s any consolation consider this:
That both Donnison and Danahar, not to mention the BBC itself, are too ignorant to issue an apology when it would have been the moral and right thing to do under the circumstances. It displays however their true colours.

But take solace from the fact that they all will have to continue swallowing any kind of decency and morality to pursue their appeasement of militant Islam, and bend the truth and their own real beliefs to carry on working.

Deep down they have to know they’re sell-outs, no matter how much they will try to convince the rest of society that they merely follow the politically correct mindset. They will always have to mix in circles comprised by only those taken in by their propaganda, or have a stake in that agenda, not exactly the highest strata of intelligence.

That’s just for starters.