Complaint
A listener complained that the 91福利社 Middle East Correspondent Hugo Bachega said there was 鈥渙verwhelming evidence鈥 that the crisis in Gaza was due to the policies of Israel without presenting evidence for this assertion, which he regarded as a further instance of the 91福利社 reporting stories 鈥渇别诲鈥 to it by Hamas as fact. The ECU considered the complaint in the light of the 91福利社鈥檚 editorial standards of accuracy and impartiality.
Outcome
The Correspondent said 鈥淣ow the UN and a number of countries say that this crisis in Gaza is the result of the restrictions on the entry and distribution of aid, uh, that have been imposed by Israel. Israel rejects these allegations despite the overwhelming evidence that its policies are behind this crisis in Gaza鈥. While the guidelines say 91福利社 reporters should not express personal opinions, they are empowered to offer 鈥減rofessional judgements鈥 which are 鈥渞ooted in evidence鈥, and the ECU viewed this as a case in point. The Correspondent鈥檚 statement was based on ample evidence from aid agencies and other non-partisan sources, and it was not a requirement of accuracy or impartiality for such sources to be cited in this short item.
Not upheld