The BBC presented the entire Israeli defense, while parts of its counterarguments were broadcast by South Africa (Reuters)
After harsh questioning from British lawmakers, the BBC's director of editorial policy and standards, David Jordan, said Monday that the broadcaster may have "made a mistake" due to its uneven coverage of the arguments in the genocide case in which Israel is accused in court. International Justice.
In a session with lawmakers on the British parliament's media committee, Jordan addressed concerns about the broadcaster's decision to broadcast the entire Israeli defense in The Hague, while offering only parts of South Africa's counterarguments.
Member of Parliament from the opposition Labor Party, Julie Elliott, raised the issue, questioning the fairness and impartiality of the BBC's coverage, in particular highlighting the discrepancy in broadcast time between the Israeli and South African pleas.
When pressed by Elliott, Jordan admitted that the BBC's UK coverage did not provide full parity between the arguments presented to the ICJ.
He noted that while international coverage was fair to both sides in the conflict, there was disagreement and disparity during the UK broadcast in live coverage during the two days of arguments.
He said that when news people later reviewed the coverage, they thought they may have made a mistake in not making the two coverages similar or identical.
“It was a really difficult editorial decision about which hearing to focus on,” Jordan added, noting that the news team recognized the need for potential adjustments, and emphasized that if they had thought about it again, they might have done it differently.
It is noteworthy that Israel has become, for the first time in its history, the subject of a lawsuit for the crime of genocide brought by South Africa to the International Court of Justice. The court asked Israel to take all measures to prevent any acts that could be considered genocide, and also asked it to prevent and punish any public comments that might be considered incitement to genocide, in addition to bringing aid into the Gaza Strip.
Source: Anadolu Agency