BBCWatch
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bbcwatch is an organisation set up to pressurise the BBC into producing news coverage more favourable to Israel. It is owned and run by Trevor Asserson, [1] 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. [2] Other named individuals who have been involved in the operation include Elisheva Mironi, [3] Lee Kern, [4] Michael Paluch, [5] Deena Pinson, [6] Ariella Kalms and Robin Stamler. [7]
According to its own account bbcwatch was established in 2000, [8] but it did not produce its first report until March 2002. [9] 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. [10] 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'. [11]
References
- ↑ Companies House, BBCWatch Ltd Annual Returns made up to 19 February 2005
- ↑ Tom Phillips, 'Firm Profile: Asserson Law', The Lawyer, 23 March 2009
- ↑ bbcwatch, 'The BBC and the Middle East - a Critical Study', March 2002
- ↑ bbcwatch, 'The BBC and the War on Iraq - An Analysis', June 2003
- ↑ bbcwatch, 'Pictures of Prejudice', 2005
- ↑ bbcwatch, 'The BBC Goes Native - An Analysis of BBC Arabic', March 2008
- ↑ bbcwatch, 'Jeremy Bowen and teh Gaza Conflict', December 2009
- ↑ PDF of <http://www.bbcwatch.com> created 19 March 2010
- ↑ bbcwatch, 'The BBC and the Middle East - a Critical Study', March 2002
- ↑ Companies House, BBCWatch Accounts made up to 28 February 2005
- ↑ bbcwatch, 'The BBC and the Middle East - a Critical Study', March 2002
