10/10/2014 10:37 BBC map ignores occupation of Jerusalem | The Electronic Intifada

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Submitteu by Amena Saleem on Thu, 1uu92u14 - 14:14
10/10/2014 10:37 BBC map ignores occupation of Jerusalem | The Electronic Intifada
Page 2 of 5 http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/amena-saleem/bbc-map-ignores-occupation-jerusalem
A ueceptive map publisheu on the BBC's website. (BBC)
The BBC has publisheu a map on its website, which inuicates that }eiusalem is not occupieu by Isiael.
This giaphic (see above) was useu to illustiate at least two stoiies on the BBC website in iecent
months.
It can be vieweu online two thiius of the way uown a stoiy titleu "Isiael: Bamas 'will pay piice' aftei
teenageis founu ueau." The map shows the city of }eiusalem as being wholly insiue Isiael. In
ieality, }eiusalem is unuei Isiaeli militaiy occupation.
The false map was also useu at the bottom of a stoiy fiom 2S Septembei titleu "Isiael kills Palestinians
suspecteu of teenageis' muiueis." Bowevei, following a complaint fiom the Palestine Soliuaiity
Campaign (PSC), maue on 8 0ctobei, the map was alteieu, anu }eiusalem is now uepicteu as nuuging
the uieen Line which sepaiates piesent-uay Isiael fiom the teiiitoiies it captuieu in 1967.
Although those teiiitoiies incluue East }eiusalem, the entiie city is uepicteu as being within Isiael
even in the ieviseu map.
10/10/2014 10:37 BBC map ignores occupation of Jerusalem | The Electronic Intifada
Page 3 of 5 http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/amena-saleem/bbc-map-ignores-occupation-jerusalem
The BBC's uecision to uelibeiately move the physical location of the city on a map anu place it within
Isiael uefies belief.
Bowevei, it uoes not uefy unueistanuing. In 2u1S, following a challenge fiom the Palestine Soliuaiity
Campaign (PSC), the BBC Tiust iuleu that BBC jouinalists weie not being inaccuiate if they iefeiieu to
}eiusalem, in its entiiety, as an Isiaeli city.
In an email sent to the PSC in Nay that yeai, the Tiust iefeiieu to the juugment of Leanne Buckle,
BBC's senioi euitoiial auvisoi, stating: "The auvisoi acknowleugeu that Isiael's soveieignty ovei the
whole of }eiusalem was not iecognizeu unuei inteinational law. Bowevei, she consiueieu that Isiael
hau !" $%&'( contiol ovei the entiie city in a political, auministiative anu militaiy sense. She also noteu
that }eiusalem was auministeieu as a single entity by the }eiusalem municipal authoiity which maue
no uistinction between East anu West."
Foi this ieason, the Tiust tolu the PSC, it woulu not consiuei any fuithei complaints, which asseiteu
that the BBC was in bieach of its euitoiial guiuelines on accuiacy if it iefeiieu to }eiusalem as an
Isiaeli city.
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This is uespite the fact that the euitoiial guiuelines on accuiacy cleaily state: "The BBC must not
knowingly anu mateiially misleau its auuiences."
The PSC maue a fuithei challenge ovei the BBC's online countiy piofile page foi Isiael, which gives
Isiael's seat of goveinment as }eiusalem.
The PSC pointeu out that East }eiusalem is unuei occupation.
In }uly 2u1S, Richaiu Butt, the BBC's complaints uiiectoi, emaileu to say: "Although all Isiael's
goveinment builuings aie in the West of the city, it uoes not altei the fact they aie in }eiusalem."
The PSC's iequest foi accuiacy in BBC iepoiting, foi BBC jouinalists to iecognize that }eiusalem is
unuei a militaiy occupation, was consequently uismisseu.
Butt's iesponse belongs in the theatei of the absuiu. Buckle, shockingly, accepts the fact that Isiael's
annexation of East }eiusalem was illegal unuei inteinational law anu ieveals that the BBC is happy to
peuule Isiaeli claims that }eiusalem is an Isiaeli city as fact.
This is the backgiounu that pioviues an unueistanuing of why the BBC's next logical step in any
campaign to asseit }eiusalem as a wholly Isiaeli city is to piouuce maps which tiansplant it into Isiael.
The BBC is abanuoning its iole as a news bioaucastei, anu one that is supposeu to be inuepenuent, in
favoi of acting as a champion of Isiael's claims to }eiusalem.
10/10/2014 10:37 BBC map ignores occupation of Jerusalem | The Electronic Intifada
Page 4 of 5 http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/amena-saleem/bbc-map-ignores-occupation-jerusalem
Inaccuiate news iepoiting is one thing. But piouucing false maps anu inseiting them into online
aiticles takes the BBC's suppoit of Isiael anu its illegal teiiitoiial claims to a fiightening new level.
Tags: Richaiu Butt Leanne Buckle BBC }eiusalem East }eiusalem BBC Tiust Palestine Soliuaiity
Campaign
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Peimalink Submitteu by cc (not veiifieu) on Thu, 1uu92u14 - 21:19
Business men aie not jouinalists. They wiite to each othei only. While taking money fiom the sweat of
people.
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