| Author | Message | | Guest | | Posted: Mon Sep 23, 2002 8:58 pm Post subject: JOHN PILGER: WHY MY FILM IS UNDER FIRE |
| WHY MY FILM IS UNDER FIRE
John Pilger, Guardian, 9/23/02
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,797084,00.html
Why my film is under fire
The pro-Israel lobby intimidates journalists to ensure that most coverage remains biased in its favour
John Pilger
Monday September 23, 2002
The Guardian
An unforeseen threat to freedom of speech in British broadcasting emerged last week. It was triggered by the showing of my documentary, Palestine is Still the Issue, on ITV. The film told a basic truth that is routinely relegated, even suppressed - that a historic injustice has been done to the Palestinian people, and until Israel's illegal and brutal occupation ends, there will be no peace for anyone, Israelis included. Most of the film allowed people to tell their eyewitness stories, both Palestinians and Israelis. What was unusual was that it disclosed in detail the daily humiliation and cultural denigration of the Palestinians, including a sequence showing excrement smeared by Israeli soldiers in a room of children's paintings. The film was accurate, restrained and fair; the longest interview was with an Israeli government spokesman. Every word and frame was subjected to a legal examination for accuracy and to ensure it complied with the fairness regulations in the Broadcasting Act. Our historical adviser, Professor Ilan Pappé, the distinguished Israeli historian. He wrote to Carlton Television that "the film is faultless in its historical description and poignant in its message". None of this deterred the chairman of Carlton, Michael Green, a supporter of Israel's policies, from abusing the programme makers in the Jewish Chronicle, calling the film "inaccurate", "historically incorrect" and "a tragedy for Israel". Not one of his accusations was, or can be, substantiated. Professor Pappé called the attack "an attempt to delegitimise any criticism of Israel". This was followed by an unprecedented rebuke of its chairman by Carlton's Factual Department, which stood by the film's accuracy. What is disquieting is that Green had actually seen the film before it went to air, and had not alerted the programme makers to his concerns, waiting until the Jewish Board of Deputies, the Conservative Friends of Israel and the Israeli embassy expressed their "outrage" at a film transmitted after most people were in bed. A "pro-Israel" film is now being demanded by them and Green. What does this mean? My film was pro-Palestinian in as much as it was pro-justice. Most of those interviewed were patriotic Israelis, including the war veteran father of a teenage girl killed in a suicide bombing. He and others put the lie to the standard Zionist cry that any criticism of Israel is anti-semitic, a claim that insults all those Jewish people who reject the likes of Ariel Sharon acting in their name. So what does "balance" mean? A film approved by the Israel lobby? This lobby is currently orchestrating an email campaign against my film; curiously, many of the emails are coming from America, where it has not been shown. At the heart of this is a failure to acknowledge the overwhelming imbalance in the British media in favour of the Israeli point of view. ITV deserves great credit for funding and broadcasting my film, which sought to redress a little of this. The BBC would have never dared to incur the wrath of one of the most influential lobbies in this country, as Tim Llewellyn, the BBC's Middle East correspondent for many years, says in a letter in today's Guardian. He accuses the BBC of "continuing to duck" its public service duty to explain "the true nature of the disaster [of the occupation] and Israel's overwhelming responsibility for it". This general bias is verified by a remarkable study of the television coverage of the Middle East, conducted last May by the Glasgow University Media Group. The conclusions ought to shame broadcasters. The research shows that the public's lack of understanding of the conflicts and its origins is actually compounded by the "coverage". Viewers are rarely told that the Palestinians are victims of an illegal military occupation. The term "occupied territories" is rarely explained. Only 9% of young people interviewed know that the Israelis are both the occupiers and the illegal "settlers". The selective use of language is striking, says the study. Words such as "murder", "atrocity" and "terrorism" are used almost exclusively in relation to Israeli deaths. The extent to which broadcasters assume the Israeli perspective, says Professor Greg Philo, "can be seen if the statements are reversed ... We did not find any [news] reports stating that 'The Palestinian attacks were in retaliation for the murder of those resisting the illegal Israeli occupation.'" For years, journalists have complained about Zionist hate mail and the pressure of the "regular call from the Israeli embassy" to current affairs editors. This can take a subtle form: pressure is applied to correspondents in Jerusalem, who then shape their reports accordingly in the interests of what they tell themselves is "balance", but is, in effect, censorship by omission. The system gets the Israelis off their backs and "makes life bearable". If Michael Green and his vociferous friends succeed in intimidating ITV and the Independent Television Commission, the freedom of broadcasters to be more than mere channellers of "official truth" and to offer viewers suppressed facts and a true diversity of perspective, will be destroyed. No matter how big and powerful the corporate media, journalists and broadcasters have a duty to resist on behalf of the public we are meant to serve. | |  | | Anglo Thug | | Posted: Mon Sep 23, 2002 9:24 pm Post subject: |
| Carlton swamped with calls over Pilger film
Jason Deans
Friday September 20, 2002
Carlton, the producer of John Pilger's controversial ITV1 documentary that offended the TV station's chairman Michael Green, has been inundated with hundreds of calls about the show.
The documentary, Palestine is Still the Issue, which was broadcast late on Monday night, has also been the subject of 95 complaints to broadcasting regulator the independent television commission.
"We've had hundreds of calls, pretty evenly balanced for and against the programme," a Carlton spokesman said.
But there is evidence that there is an orchestrated campaign behind the complaints.
more...
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Please sign the petition to prosecute War Criminal Tony Blair | | | | Guest | | | | Guest | | Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2002 7:06 am Post subject: Iran full of nutjobs too |
| Thursday, 3 October, 2002, 20:59 GMT 21:59 UK
Iranian artists in trouble over kiss
Iranian women
BBC
Physical contact between unrelated men and women is banned
A well-known Iranian actress has landed herself and an award-winning young film director in court, for kissing him on the forehead and shaking his hand in public.
Etemad newspaper reported that Gohar Kheirandish made her display of affection last week after Ali Zamani was chosen as best film maker at a film festival in the central city of Yazd.
Iranian actress Gohar Kheirandish
Director Zamani was a student of Ms Kheirandish's late husband
The incident triggered protests in the Islamic republic, where any physical contact between unmarried and unrelated men and women is strictly forbidden.
The two have since apologised for their behaviour, insisting it was a spontaneous gesture.
"She kissed me like a mother kisses her child," Mr Zamani said.
But this did not prevent the head of the local justice department ordering their arrest for disturbing public morality.
Condemnation
Mr Zamani appeared in court on Wednesday but was released on bail of 20 million rials ($2,500).
"She kissed me like a mother kisses her child"-Ali Zamani
Ms Kheirandish is reportedly returning to Yazd to face the charges.
Etemad said Mr Zamani, who is in his 20s, was a student of the middle-aged Ms Kheirandish's late husband.
Mohsen Talebpour, the local representative of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, organised protests against the pair and called for legal action.
Conservative newspapers also condemned them.
"Our enemies are trying to harm Islam through our culture and this event is an example of that fact," said an editorial in Ya Lessarat weekly.
Iranian cinema has received high acclaim in recent years at international festivals, but remains subject to restrictions and oppressive laws at home.
Film-maker Tahmineh Milani - known for her liberal, feminist views - was arrested last year for allegedly supporting counter-revolutionary groups.
Better to fight then kiss....can't have that. | | | | Anglo Thug | | Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2003 12:46 am Post subject: |
| Pilger cleared of bias in Palestine documentary
13.01.2003 11.20 am
British television regulators have cleared journalist John Pilger of breaking broadcasting rules in his documentary on the Middle East which attracted more than 100 complaints from viewers.
Palestine is still the issue: A special report by John Pilger, shown in the United Kingdom in September and in New Zealand one month later, incurred the wrath of Michael Green, the Jewish chairman of Carlton television which made the programme, and provoked 116 complaints about bias and inaccuracy to the Independent Television Commission (ITC). The ITC also received 553 letters supporting the documentary.
In an adjudication published today the ITC says that, despite orchestrated campaigning for and against the programme, Carlton had provided "persuasive evidence of the care and thoroughness with which it was researched".
The programme, which was watched by about one million viewers, saw the journalist revisiting a subject on which he had made a film under the same title in 1974. It aimed to explain the Palestinian conflict, starting from the view that few people understood the roots of the conflict despite widespread news coverage.
He examined issues that he claimed the media rarely tried to get to grips with, such as what exactly drove a Palestinian suicide bomber to commit what he acknowledged were acts of terrorism. He condemned Israeli injustices towards Palestinians and blamed the conflict primarily on the 35-year occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip by Israel, despite UN resolutions calling for withdrawal.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews and Conservative Friends of Israel immediately registered their anger at what they saw as a one-sided argument. A decision by ITV to broadcast on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, caused added offence.
Mr Green told the Jewish Chronicle newspaper: "It was one-sided, it was totally unrealistic ... it was factually incorrect, historically incorrect."
But the ITC ruled that in numerous cases where critics had alleged inaccuracy, Carlton was able to produce a range of historical texts to defend Mr Pilger's argument.
The ITC noted that Israeli spokesmen were allowed to put a pro-Israeli perspective. Although they did not receive the same amount of time, they were given an "adequate opportunity" to respond.
A spokesman for Carlton said they were pleased the ITC had praised the programme for its thoroughness.
New Zealand Herald
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Please sign the petition to prosecute War Criminal Tony Blair | | | | Guest | | | | Anglo Thug | | Posted: Thu Jan 16, 2003 5:36 pm Post subject: |
| MEDIA LENS: Correcting for the distorted vision of the corporate media
January 16, 2003
MEDIA ALERT: PILGER FILM VINDICATED BY INDEPENDENT TELEVISION COMMISSION
In September the press eagerly covered the story of how Michael Green,
chairman of Carlton, had joined "a barrage of criticism" by attacking a
documentary produced by his own company. The film in question was John
Pilger's 'Palestine is Still the Issue,' shown at 11pm, "three hours after
the end of Yom Kippur", Leon Symons wrote significantly in the Guardian.
The problem, Symons reported, was Pilger's "passionately voiced contention
that Israeli injustices towards the Palestinians over a period of many
decades was at the heart of the Mideast conflict", which had brought
"scathing condemnation from the Israeli embassy, the Board of Deputies and
the Conservative Friends of Israel. All said they would be complaining to
ITV and would seek a programme to redress the balance". Symons added that
Carlton had received a large number of comments on the film roughly balanced
between those supporting and those criticising the film. (Leon Symons,
'Carlton chief slams Pilger's attack on Israel', The Guardian, September 20,
2002)
Carlton chairman, Michael Green, was bitter in his condemnation of the film:
"There's no doubt in my mind that this programme is a tragedy for Israel so
far as accuracy is concerned. What I am doing right now, what I am focused
on, is to make sure there is a programme that shows the Israeli point of
view. The [Carlton] network centre is looking at making a programme showing
another point of view." Green continued:
"It was factually incorrect, historically incorrect. Unfortunately, you
can't always agree with him. He has a huge reputation but consistently my
views are very much opposed to his views."
The Israeli embassy similarly claimed that the programme was a wilful
distortion and offered a "dehumanised portrayal of the Jewish people,
exemplified by regular insinuation and comparison to the holocaust (which)
was wholly offensive". (Stephen Bates, 'TV chief attacks 'one-sided'
Palestinian documentary', The Guardian, September 20, 2002)
Gillian Shepherd, the chair of the Conservative Friends of Israel, said:
"How this grossly unbalanced and biased programme can contribute to a
peaceful Middle East is beyond my understanding. We shall be taking this up
with Carlton at a most senior level." (Ibid)
Following a three-month enquiry, the Independent Television Commission (ITC)
has published (January 14, 2003) its adjudication, rejecting complaints
against Pilger's documentary. The report praises the film's journalistic
integrity and refers to the "care and thoroughness with which [the film] was
researched", adding:
"The ITC raised with Carlton all the significant areas of inaccuracy critics
of the programme alleged and the broadcaster answered them by reference to a
range of historical texts. The ITC is not a tribunal of fact and is
particularly aware of the difficulties of verifying 'historical fact' but
the comprehensiveness and authority of Carlton's sources were persuasive,
not least because many appeared to be of Israeli origin." (ITC Report:
Palestine is Still the Issue: a Special Report by John Pilger, Monday 16
September. 11.05pm. ITV, Carlton, January 14, 2003)
Pilger's documentary, the ITC adds, "was not in breach of the ITC Programme
Code... Adequate opportunity was given to a pro-Israeli government
perspective."
A Carlton spokesman said: "We are delighted that the ITC has recognised the
quality of our film-making process and particularly its praise for the
editorial and journalistic integrity of our production."
John Pilger comments:
"This is a complete vindication of a film that told the story of a people
long denied basic human rights, and international justice - the
Palestinians. The film was fair and restrained, and expressed the humanity
of both ordinary Palestinians and Israelis. Following an orchestrated
campaign by the pro-Israel lobby and Michael Green's remarks, I and my
Carlton colleagues received a stream of threats, including death threats.
The ITC's investigation, conducted over three months, was exhaustive. All
our historical sources, most of them Israeli, were submitted for scrutiny.
Following the Commission's unequivocal rejection of the complaints and
praise for the film's thoroughness and integrity, Michael Green should
withdraw his slur against the integrity of work done for his company, and
apologise." (John Pilger, email to Media Lens - January 13, 2003)
In the Guardian, Tim Llewellyn, formerly BBC Middle East correspondent,
writes:
"Pilger is known as an opinionated journalist with an appetite for upsetting
authority. But this programme was not 'campaigning' journalism. It was a
painstaking portrayal of the humiliation Israel's soldiers and politicians
visit daily on the Palestinians: not just the deaths, injuries and arrests,
but the intrusions of the military into every aspect of a Palestinian's
life." (Llewellyn, 'False witnesses - ITC approval of John Pilger's
documentary is a shot across the bows of mainstream Middle East coverage',
The Guardian, January 16, 2003)
We await Michael Green's response with interest.
Feel free to respond to Media Lens alerts: editor@medialens.org
Visit the Media Lens website: http://www.medialens.org
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