Five

Five, 1 year ago (edited 1 year ago)

To their credit, the g20 video they streamed alongside their false commentary is enough to discredit their interpretation of events.

All journalism should be subject to verification, especially news from capitalist or authoritarian regimes. It should be noted that the BBC did not say they were wrong that Israel struck the Al-Ahli Hospital, only that they were wrong to report that Israel struck the Al-Ahli Hospital.

Responsible journalism holds itself to particular standards, such as having reliable sources, or multiple independent indications of evidence. The BBC journalist was speaking live on air, off the cuff, and had no way to reliably verify the source of the explosion besides his gut instincts. Meanwhile Al Jazeera has done significantly more work reporting on this issue, including digital forensics and interviews with military specialists. They won’t retract their statement because it holds up to the highest of journalistic standards. While Jon Donnison was wrong to report what he did, his intuitions appear to have been ultimately correct.

It should be noted that Israel’s internal reporting does not appear to follow these journalism norms. Arab and Muslim reporters are outraged by the lack of journalistic standards behind some of the reports that have been widely spread to incite public outrage in against Palestinians, when their reporting is held to comparatively impossible standards.

While Al Jazeera Arabic and the state of Qatar have a justifiably bad reputation, Al Jazeera English is staffed with veteran reporters from Britain, America, and Australia who have distinguished themselves in their field. They consistently outperform the BBC on most metrics of journalism when reporting on anything besides internal Qatari affairs. This is not to say they are flawless or do not make mistakes, only as you continue to hold them accountable, consider the context in which they are reporting and the norms they should be held to.

Five, 1 year ago

I’m disappointed that you’re replicating the flawed asymmetric standards of Israel in this conversation. I’ve linked to sources for my statements, but you’ve made controversial claims while putting the burden on me to find what sources you’re using to bolster your confidence. If your goal is to signify your ‘team,’ this conversation is over. If you would like to try and build a shared reality where we can agree on facts, your lack of respect for me is harming that goal.