The eminently sensible Stephen Pollard of the Jewish Chronicle published a powerful piece a few days ago about the BBC and its attitude to Israel.
Please read it for yourselves and see what you think. I think it raises a serious question mark over the BBC's reporting.
To summarise Stephen's case: You may have heard reports this past week of a potentially transformative treatment for prostate cancer. It was widely reported. Radio 4's Today reported it, but what Today didn't mention was that much of the research was carried out in Israel. The BBC News website reported it, but only mentioned that the treatment was developed in Israel in what Stephen Pollard, understandably, calls "a throwaway line right at the end". (Paragraph 31 out of 31).
Stephen writes:
I wish I could believe this is just an honest mistake – that, purely by chance, the Israeli origins of a medical breakthrough had been left out. But I’m afraid I don’t think that – and I don’t think you will, either. It happens too often and too regularly for it to be pure chance. It’s what I call the soft-boycott strategy.
Can you think of a good reason why as to why Today didn't mention it (as SP says they didn't) or why the BBC News website relegated the fact to the very end of its main report (as can be seen from the report itself)?
Is the BBC engaged in a 'soft boycott' of good news about Israel?
