Coverage of Israel terror attack ‘misleading’
Covering the recent terror attack in Tel Aviv, the ABC's headline read, "Palestinian man killed in Tel Aviv shooting that leaves another critically injured."
Jewish roof bodies have written to the ABC over its coverage of the terrorist attack that killed 42-year-old patrolman Chen Amir in Tel Aviv over the weekend.
Amir, a 42-year-old married father of three was shot by a Palestinian terrorist on Saturday night. His colleague shot the gunman, who was declared dead in hospital. Critically wounded, Amir later passed away from his wounds.
Yet the ABC’s headline on Sunday morning read, “Palestinian man killed in Tel Aviv shooting that leaves another critically injured.”
Zionism Victoria alerted the taxpayer-funded broadcaster to what it called the “shamefully skewed” headline at around 1pm on Sunday. It had not been changed on the ABC’s website as of press time on Wednesday.
“A more accurate link would read, ‘Israeli killed by Palestinian gunman while preventing terror attack’ or ‘Palestinian terrorist killed after fatally shooting Israeli patrolman’,” Zionism Victoria president Yossi Goldfarb and executive director Zeddy Lawrence said.
“All too often, sadly, when it comes to reporting on Israel, the story is inverted to make the perpetrator the victim and vice versa. It is fallacious coverage such as this that fuels the all-too prevalent public perception that Israel is the villain of the piece and deserves to be demonised.
“The fact that the headline remained unchanged more than 24 hours after the ABC was notified does little to reassure us about the ABC’s commitment to objective journalism.”
Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA) director of public affairs Bren Carlill said it was one of the more egregious headlines he’s seen.
“The ABC might argue that the headline was factually correct, but there is no doubt it would have misled people as to the nature of the incident,” he said.
“That being the case, it’s completely against the ABC’s Code of Practice. The ZFA has submitted a formal complaint.”
Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council executive director Colin Rubenstein called the headline “simply a disgraceful and outrageous distortion of the facts”.
“It is staggering that no one in the ABC newsroom questioned the appropriateness of a headline turning a terrorist who carried out a heinous and cold-blooded murder into the victim,” he said.
He said he expects the ABC to investigate how this gross lapse of journalistic standards occurred, to counsel the newsroom on what is expected of it, and to provide the general public with assurances that something like this will not happen again.
The ABC says its Ombudsman’s Office has six content complaints on hand and is investigating the concerns raised.
Abramovich mourns loss of cousin
The shockwaves of the terror attack in Israel have hit close to home as Melbourne Jewish communal figure and chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission, Dvir Abramovich mourns his first cousin Chen Amir, who shot and killed in the attack.
Abramovich said Amir, 42, was a “true hero, a devoted father to three beautiful girls aged seven, five and two, and a loving husband to Vered who dedicated his life to defending Israel and its people”.
“I have spoken to my family in Israel who are shattered and cannot come to terms with this catastrophe,” Abramovich shared.
A statement from Abramovich and his siblings said, “Our family here in Australia, weighed down by inconsolable grief and sadness, is grateful for the tremendous outpouring of concern and thousands of moving notes of condolences from the community.
“Chen always put the people of Israel and his country first as a fearless warrior, but we knew him as the beautiful, compassionate man and the best cousin anyone could ask for,” they added.
“Chen would light up any room he walked into with his big, joyous smile and was an inspiration to everyone who met him and while we mourn his passing and carry him in our hearts, we also celebrate the precious moments we shared with him and his remarkable service to Israel. It’s hard to imagine our lives without him.
“Although he is no longer here, his legacy will live on.”
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