Monday, February 8, 2010
Just Journalism has a new report out, quantifying the way in which BBC coverage of Gaza has shifted from giving responsibility for Gaza purely to Israel, to noting that the area has a border with a second country -- Egypt: BBC on the Gaza blockade: the roles of Israel and Egypt
Just Journalism has today published a study suggesting a shift in editorial policy at the BBC News website regarding the blockade of Gaza. 'BBC on the Gaza blockade: the roles of Israel and Egypt' shows that for most of 2009, the Gaza blockade was associated solely with Israel, rather than with Israel and Egypt. However, more recently, the Corporation's website has reflected more consistently the role of Egypt in enforcing the blockade at its shared border with Gaza.
A likely outcome of this development is that the BBC News website makes plainer to users that the Gaza blockade is upheld by two countries and not one. This would be an important step towards creating a more accurate picture of the factors currently impacting on the Gaza strip...
This is a good (though much-delayed) beginning, although the current situation is not truly a 'blockade'. Food, clothing, medical supplies, and other necessary and even luxury goods are allowed in; take a look at Gazan newspaper photos and even photos taken by 'activists' (an especially telling one shows Lauren Booth buying candy and soda in a fully stocked Gaza grocery after claiming that Gazans were "starving"). The only thing excluded are materials to make missiles and bombs. They're not exactly suffering as they would be if Egypt and Israel decided to truly blockade essential goods.