Recently, the ECAJ lodged a complaint with SBS concerning a TV news report of the fatal stabbing of Israeli police officer Hadas Malka and its aftermath. The complaint alleged that SBS had breached its code of practice requiring it to make a reasonable effort to ensure that factual content in news reports is accurate. The SBS Ombudsman has upheld the complaint and issued an apology.
While the report detailed that three Palestinians “accused of carrying out shooting and stabbing attacks in Jerusalem” were killed by Israeli officers, and that “[t]wo Israeli officers were injured in the attacks,” there was no mention of the fact that the shooting of those three Palestinians occurred not simply after the “stabbing” of a 23 year old female police officer, Hadas Malka, but after she was fatally stabbed.
The ECAJ does not issue complaints about the media lightly, but will not hesitate to act when serious lapses occur in news and current affairs reporting.
The ECAJ’s original complaint can be accessed here: ECAJ Complaint to SBS re News report on Jerusalem stabbing 26.6.2017
SBS’ response and apology can be accessed via the following link or by clicking the image below: SBS Response
