ABC urged to rewrite its Middle East guidance
AIJAC calls for a review after finding the ABC’s Israel reporting guide could produce one-sided coverage.
The ABC has been urged to hand its internal guide for reporting on Israel to independent reviewers, after a new report found it leads journalists away from the impartiality the broadcaster is required by law to deliver.
An Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) report, Biased Guidance: How the ABC‘s Middle East framework undermines its own standards, analyses the ABC‘s Middle East Conflict Guidance document which was obtained by the activist group ABC Watch.
It concludes a journalist could follow the guidance faithfully and still produce reporting that is predictably one-sided.
AIJAC executive director Colin Rubenstein said the problem went well beyond individual journalists.
“The ABC assures Australians that its reporting is governed by accuracy, impartiality, diversity and fair treatment.
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