BBC Watch

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New BBC Watch logo BBCwatch.org, downloaded 3 February 2014.
Logo from the original BBC Watch website at BBCwatch.co.uk, downloaded 3 February 2014.

bbcwatch is an organisation set up to pressurise the BBC into producing news coverage more favourable to Israel. It was originally set up by English lawyer Trevor Asserson but ceased functioning after he moved to Israel. A new incarnation of the organisation was set up by the US based Israel lobby media monitor group CAMERA in 2012. The new version was hosted on a new URL (BBCwatch.org instead of BBCwatch.co.uk) and run by new staff. According to the new website:

It was ... decided to re-launch BBC Watch as a sister project to CiF Watch (established in 2009 to monitor the Guardian newspaper’s ‘Comment is Free’ website) and with the independent support of CAMERA – the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America. The site is run by Managing Editor Hadar Sela and Adam Levick – Managing Editor of CiF Watch.[1]

Original BBC Watch - 2000-2009

The original BBC Watch was owned and run by Trevor Asserson, [2] an English solicitor now based in Israel. According to The Lawyer his Jerusalam based law firm Asserson Law is the first UK law firm based in another country. [3] Other named individuals who have been involved in the operation include Elisheva Mironi, [4] Lee Kern, [5] Michael Paluch, [6] Deena Pinson, [7] Ariella Kalms and Robin Stamler. [8]

According to its own account bbcwatch was established in 2000, [9] but it did not produce its first report until March 2002. [10] It was incorporated as a UK limited company in February 2004 and dissolved in November 2007. According to its only accounts filed the issue of shares to Trevor Asserson was the company's only transaction. [11] Whilst the company BBCWatch Ltd has been dissolved, the organisation continues to produce reports attacking BBC reporting.

bbcwatch produced a number of reports detailing BBC output and incidents or trends evidencing a perceived bias. For example the organisation's first report, entitled 'The BBC and the Middle East - a Critical Study', argued amongst other things that the BBC should use the pejorative term 'terrorism' to describe Hamas; that the West Bank and Gaza should not be described as ‘occupied Palestinian Land’ or ‘occupied Palestinian territories’ since it suggests that there previously existed an 'autonomous sovereign Palestinian territory'; that Yasser Arafat should not be described as 'President' or 'Presidential'; and that the illegal settlements in the West Bank and Gaza should not be described as being 'illegal' but instead referred to as settlements in 'disputed territories'. [12]

Publications

See also

Mediawatch-UK | National Viewers' and Listeners' Association | Just Journalism | Zionist Federation

Notes

  1. ↑ BBC Watch About Us. Accessed 3 February 2014.
  2. ↑ Companies House, BBCWatch Ltd Annual Returns made up to 19 February 2005
  3. ↑ Tom Phillips, 'Firm Profile: Asserson Law', The Lawyer, 23 March 2009
  4. ↑ bbcwatch, 'The BBC and the Middle East - a Critical Study', March 2002
  5. ↑ bbcwatch, 'The BBC and the War on Iraq - An Analysis', June 2003
  6. ↑ bbcwatch, 'Pictures of Prejudice', 2005
  7. ↑ bbcwatch, 'The BBC Goes Native - An Analysis of BBC Arabic', March 2008
  8. ↑ bbcwatch, 'Jeremy Bowen and teh Gaza Conflict', December 2009
  9. ↑ PDF of <http://www.bbcwatch.com> created 19 March 2010
  10. ↑ bbcwatch, 'The BBC and the Middle East - a Critical Study', March 2002
  11. ↑ Companies House, BBCWatch Accounts made up to 28 February 2005
  12. ↑ bbcwatch, 'The BBC and the Middle East - a Critical Study', March 2002
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