Saturday, January 4, 2014

Zionists Tighten Screws on the ABC

The following report from The Australian Jewish News illustrates perfectly the arrogant disregard of Zionists for freedom of speech in this country.

In it you can see how their own narrow, ideological goal of transforming the ABC into a pro-Israel mouthpiece, along the lines of Murdoch's Australian, is spun as "perceptions in the Australian community that [the ABC] is biased," and a matter that "the public" need "reassurance" on:

"Jewish groups have hailed the ABC's announcement that it will conduct a series of external audits into allegations of systemic bias within the national broadcaster. ABC chair Jim Spigelman* announced earlier this month that the ABC will run a number of content reviews, conceding that the organisation needs to address perceptions in the Australian community that it is biased... Welcoming the audits, Zionist Federation of Australia president Philip Chester said 'It is important that steps are taken to reassure the public of its editorial impartiality'... Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council executive director Colin Rubenstein told The AJN, 'We are pleased that the ABC has now, at least to some extent, acknowledged that it has a problem with widespread perceptions of its current affairs and news bias. However, we are far from convinced that the ABC truly appreciates the breadth and tenacity of that problem and the further serious remedial steps it needs to take to abide by its charter in order to restore public confidence'."  (Cautious welcome for Aunty's spin reviews, 27/12/13)

The joke, of course, is that the already browbeaten ABC has screened bugger all critical documentary material on the Palestine/Israel problem for over 10 years now**, and when it does occasionally touch on the issue, either peddles pro-Israel propaganda (Geraldine Doogue, Robin Williams and Ben Knight spring to mind) or avoids the inconvenient truths of Israeli ethnic cleansing and apartheid altogether (Hello, Phillip Adams). (The only exception I can recall in the latter category is an episode of Q&A which featured Israeli historian Ilan Pappe.)

Lest you think I exaggerate here, please feel free to browse any of my 62 previous posts on the ABC.

[*A one-time freedom rider with Charles Perkins, Jim Spigelman has a nephew, Guy Spigelman, serving as an Israeli army spin doctor. See Serving here is part of our Australian heritage, Jonathan Pearlman, Sydney Morning Herald, 28/7/06; **It even pulled one excellent Australian doco (Hope in a Slingshot) as insufficiently "compelling" after first agreeing to screen it. See my 11/11/10 post Words Behind Words.]

6 comments:

Shirl in Oz said...

If you think that the ABC is pro-Israel, you really don't know what you are talking about. The Jewish Community is constantly complaining to the ABC about their bias against Israel.
Sorry to say it but you have blinkers on.

I personally took them to task and my complaint was upheld.

MERC said...

Baby steps:

1) Who in the JC is constantly complaining?
2) Do they speak for the entire JC?
3) Give me one example of what it is they're complaining about.
4) What was your complaint?

Or am I asking for too much here?

Syd Walker said...

In the aftermath of 9/11, I became interested in prior cases when the USA had come under attack in acts of terror.

Unsurprisingly, there was much media discussion about precedents for 9/11 or lack thereof.

One rather obvious case was the Israeli military's attack on the USS Liberty in June 1967.

In the context, I searched the ABC's website around 10 years ago for references to the attack on the USS Liberty. I have gone backed and checked again over the years - the most recent occasion being a few weeks ago.

I have never once found a reference online to that incident - except in comments by the public under articles about other topics.

I believe the same applies to the Lavon Affair - a completely blatant Israeli false flag attack in the 1950s, with obvious (potential) relevance to 9/11.

The Zionist bias in the ABC is subtle. Pro-Palestinian views are permitted - but only within clearly defined (although rarely articulated) boundaries.

Subtle bias is also evident in the use of language; in this respect, the ABC often copies BBC current practice; it is also under Zionist stranglehold.

How cute of Shirl in Oz to complain the bias is the other way. That, of course, is the function of low-level Zionist lobbyists. They try to create the impression that "both sides" are equally aggrieved, so the ABC can conclude its coverage is "balanced" and "about right".

One really big story that gets barely any coverage in the Australian media is the functioning, funding and influence of the Zionist Lobby within Australia. Only truly independent journalists - such as the editor of this blog - attempt to tackle that rather important issue.

Long may you prosper and continue to report truthfully on important topics - subjects that look like they'll be covered adequately by 4 Corners roughly around the time Hell freezes over.

I also recommend the work of Anthony Lawson, which I'm sure many MERC readers have already encountered. Here's one of his videos with quite a lot of Australian content: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UntixeRiEK8#t=73

Anonymous said...

FYI only! http://armenians-1915.blogspot.com/2014/01/3418-armenians-and-syria-1915-2013-by.html

Vacy said...

ABC- Z Australian Biased Commentary to Zionism. It is flagrantly biased to the point one assumes the rubbish is coming straight out of the Israeli PM's Hasbara department.

It is immensely immoral because it is cheating Australian viewers of the truth about the daily suffering of Palestinians perpetrated by Israel that the public could help change by pressuring the Oz government to fulfil its legal obligations under international law to protect Palestinian political and human rights.

Anonymous said...

Vacy makes a very important point.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

The Australian government is obliged to support international law. What's wrong with that?

As the bandit state flouts international law on a routine basis and the ABC fails to point out this obvious fact on almost every occasion or offers feeble excuses,like blaming the victim,
the bias is in favour of the bandit state.

If the boot was on the other foot the ABC would be outraged.