Channel Two Apologizes to the People of Rahat after I'lam Media Center's Condemnation
2013-06-16
Channel Two Apologizes to the People of Rahat after I'lam Media Center's Condemnation
The I'lam Media Center can report that the Channel 2 management have issued an apology to the people of Rahat and Arabs in general after the broadcast of an offensive report on May 20, 2013. In the report, the channel claimed that Arabs from Rahat perpetrated the robbery of a Hapoalim Bank.
I'lam had sent an urgent message on the same date to Avi Weiss, the General Manager of the news company Channel 2. I'lam stated in its message to Weiss:
Following the Channel 2 news broadcast that a pair of Arab Bedouin robbed a Hapoalim Bank and took hostages, it became clear that that information was false, as the police had not released any information revealing the suspect's identities. Therefore, we come to you demanding the following:
First: Ensure the accuracy of the information you receive and the trustworthiness of your sources, and refrain from assumptions that are not based on reliable sources.
Second: Prematurely reporting the identities of the perpetrators without verifying the accuracy of the information and whether it was from a reliable source indicates a lack of professionalism and denigrates the reputation of Arab citizens, something which constitutes a direct incitement against Arab citizens.
Third: We call on the Channel 2 News company to issue a public apology for this mistake, as it was based on prejudicial notions.
I'lam affirmed in this message that professional journalism requires fact-checking prior to publication, does not prejudice the view of the public, and that it is incumbent on the publisher to apologize at the earliest opportunity if any factual errors occurred, even if they were unintentional, through the same medium in which the error occurred.
