ABC complaint: Australian Jewish Association accuses public service broadcaster of bias in coverage of Israel-Palestine conflict
A Jewish organization has filed a complaint against the ABC, accusing the national broadcaster of bias in reporting on the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
The Australian Jewish Association (AJA) filed a complaint on Monday over a story about a 27-year-old Palestinian gunman who shot dead a Tel Aviv city patrol inspector before being killed on Saturday.
“Palestinian man killed in Tel Aviv shooting leaves another seriously injured,” ABC’s headline read.
The AJA accused the ABC of misleading the public by omitting the context of the incident as a terrorist attack.
It is the latest example of the ABC coming under fire for its coverage of world events after the national broadcaster sparked outrage over coverage of King Charles III’s coronation earlier this year.
A Jewish organization has filed a complaint against the ABC, accusing the national broadcaster of bias in its coverage of the Israel-Palestine conflict
The Australian Jewish Association (AJA) filed a complaint on Monday over a story about a 27-year-old Palestinian gunman who shot dead a Tel Aviv city patrol inspector before being killed on Saturday
Reuters news agency reported the same story in Tel Aviv with the headline, “Palestinian attack leaves one Israeli dead in Tel Aviv, gunman killed.”
The ABC is now running the story with the headline, “Tel Aviv Shooting Leaves One Man Critically Wounded, One Dead.”
The AJA has previously filed complaints with the ABC about their coverage of the conflict, which have been upheld by the ABC ombudsman’s office.
AJA director of public affairs Robert Gregory told Daily Mail Australia that the agency is “frustrated with how often the ABC makes mistakes when reporting major international news stories, particularly about the Middle East”.
“In this case, ABC distorted coverage of a Palestinian Islamic terrorist attack against Israelis to make it appear that the terrorist was the victim,” he said.
AJA president Dr. David Adler said the ABC has an “exceedingly long and disgraceful record of anti-Israel bias.”
“The ABC will do everything it can to remove the terrorism aspect from the story,” he said.
The AJA previously filed a complaint against the ABC for a story published May 27 entitled, “Three Palestinians Killed by Israeli Forces in West Bank, Ministry Says.”
The story featured the term “freedom fighter,” which was changed next to the headline after the complaint was filed by the AJA.
“Several complaints against ABC have been upheld lately, but it’s not our job to fix their mistakes,” Gregory said.
“The repeated errors of this nature are systemic and we are beginning to think that they may be deliberately malicious.
“Australian taxpayers fund ABC and they deserve better.”
An ABC spokesperson said: “The ABC Ombudsman’s Office is reviewing six substantive complaints and is investigating the concerns raised.”
The Australian Jewish Agency claims the national broadcaster published a headline with errors on Sunday showing an ‘anti-Israel bias’ (stock image)
The broadcaster’s coverage was presented by The Drum’s Julia Baird and Jeremy Fernandez with a discussion panel consisting of former Q&A presenter Stan Grant, Australian Republic Movement co-chair Craig Foster, Liberal MP and monarchist Julian Leeser, and Wiradjuri and Wailwan wife Teela Reid
The public broadcaster had previously been chastised by the public for their coverage of King Charles III’s coronation in May.
The broadcaster’s coverage was presented by The Drum’s Julia Baird and Jeremy Fernandez with a discussion panel consisting of former Q&A presenter Stan Grant, Australian Republic Movement co-chair Craig Foster, Liberal MP and monarchist Julian Leeser, and Wiradjuri and Wailwan wife Teela Reid.
The two-hour program focused heavily on the impact colonization has had on Indigenous Australians and people of color, focusing on the monarchy.
“There is no Indigenous foundation, no Indigenous heritage in Australia, Australia was trying to erase Indigenous heritage,” Grant said on the program.
While some viewers praised the national broadcaster’s approach, others decided to change channels.
“Okay, I’m about to switch channels outside of ABC. Who can tell me what is the best coverage of the actual coronation?’ a viewer tweeted.
“I had to turn off the boring ABC coverage of the coronation,” said another, comparing it to a “history lecture.”