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Missing
the story Missing the story: an example of how the Associated Press’s shabby journalism
contaminates coverage
of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in US media February
14, 2003 A
Palestine Media Watch report http://www.pmwatch.org/reports/AP/021503.html To
send a letter to AP, please go to: http://www.pmwatch.org/pmw/mediocrity/sendemail.asp?toEmail=intdesk@ap.org&callID=81 Introduction
No other story has illustrated the timidity of the
US-based Associated Press towards covering Israeli crimes as has their
reluctance to cover adequately the war crimes lawsuits that were brought
against Ariel Sharon back in June 2001. The coverage of February 12, 2003,
ruling by the Belgian courts is a perfect example. If one reads the Israeli press, the story from Belgium
was that once he leaves office, Ariel Sharon can be tried for war crimes and
genocide. The Jerusalem Post, an Israeli newspaper that backs the Likud and
right-winger factions, opened its story with the following: "Belgium
could investigate war crimes charges against Prime Minister Ariel in
connection with a series of massacres perpetrated by Israeli-backed Christian
militiamen at the Sabra and Shatilla Palestinian refugee camps near Beirut,
Lebanon, in 1982, but only after he is no longer prime minister, and thus
stripped of diplomatic immunity, Belgium's Supreme Court of Appeals ruled on
Wednesday." The more progressive Ha'aretz on its part started the story
with: "Belgium's supreme appeals court ruled on Wednesday that a
genocide lawsuit against Ariel Sharon could go ahead once he no longer
enjoyed immunity as prime minister of Israel, the plaintiffs' lawyer
said." The Jerusalem Post headlined it with, "Belgian court rules
Sharon could be charged with war crimes after ends term", while Haarztez
headlined it with, "Belgian court says Sharon can be probed after
leaving office." (See below for full texts.) But the US-based Associated Press, under the byline of
CONSTANT BRAND, told an altogether different story -- one that is grossly
misleading and almost contradicts the one running in the Israeli press. When
originally published, the story was headlined, ""Belgian Court Bars
Sharon War-Crimes Case", and opened with: "The Belgian Supreme
Court threw out an appeal by a group of Palestinians on Wednesday to try
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for war crimes over a 1982 massacre in
Lebanese refugee camps." Then
in paragraph 8 we read, "The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday, however,
that investigations could proceed against former Israeli army commander Amos
Yaron, who was the only other one named in the original complaint filed with
Belgian prosecutors two years ago." Nowhere in the AP story, as originally published on
February 12, were we told about the crux of the ruling: that Ariel Sharon can
be tried for war crimes once he leaves office. In other words, the real news
was simply skipped! (The AP
later corrected the story, and added to the first opening paragraph, the
following: “but didn't rule out trying the Israeli prime minister after he
leaves office.” See end of this
document for the original AP story.) This gross distortion of the real news about the
February 12, 2003 ruling was replicated on February 13, across all the major
newspapers that rely on AP for their foreign coverage. The result was that most US papers ran the
story with misleading headlines, along the lines of “Belgian court rejects Sharon trial" (Chicago Tribune),
and a misleading focus on what was the news.
Only a small minority bothered to modify their headline to capture the
important fact that the ruling was temporary, as in, "Belgian court: No
war-crimes trial for Sharon, for now" (The Philadelphia Inquirer). By contrast, papers that did not rely on AP, such as the
New York Times or the Washington Post, or who used Reuters rather than AP,
covered the story correctly. The headline from the New York Times was,
“"Sharon Faces Belgian Trial After Term Ends"; from the Washington
Post, “"Court Approves Suit Against Sharon"”; and from CNN.com,
"Belgium: Sharon war crimes suit can go ahead". Please ask the AP why they are running a story that
missed the real story! You can call or fax them at: New York Headquarters:
Tel 212-621-1500 -- Fax 212-621-7523 Washington
Bureau: Tel 202-776-9400 -- Fax 202-776-9570 You can also send them an email via the interface below.
Your email will be sent to: *
intdesk@ap.org *
info@ap.org Or use the interface at: http://www.pmwatch.org/pmw/mediocrity/displayCall.asp?essayID=80 Ahmed Bouzid Palestine Media Watch http://www.pmwatch.org (610) 993 - 0608 Summary
of headlines
INTERNATIONAL PRESS: NON-AP
BASED COVERAGE
AP-BASED
COVERAGE
US/CANADIAN PRESS: NON-AP
BASED COVERAGE
AP-BASED
COVERAGE
Details
ISRAELI PAPERS: The Jerusalem Post "Belgian court rules Sharon could be charged with
war crimes after ends term" Feb. 12, 2003 http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/A/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1045024690778 Belgium could investigate war crimes charges against
Prime Minister Ariel in connection with a series of massacres perpetrated by Israeli-backed
Christian militiamen at the Sabra and Shatilla Palestinian refugee camps near Beirut, Lebanon,
in 1982, but only after he is no longer prime minister, and thus stripped of diplomatic
immunity, Belgium's Supreme Court of Appeals ruled on Wednesday." == Ha'aretz "FM Netanyahu recalls ambassador in Belgium for
consultations" Feb. 12, 2003 http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/262346.html By Yossi Melman, Haaretz Correspondent, Haaretz Service
and Agencies Belgium's supreme appeals court ruled on Wednesday that a
genocide lawsuit against Ariel Sharon could go ahead once he no longer
enjoyed immunity as prime minister of Israel, the plaintiffs' lawyer said. EUROPEAN
PAPERS:
The Guardian - UK "Belgium asserts right to try Sharon" 02/13/03 http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,894523,00.html "Ariel Sharon, the Israeli prime minister, can be
tried for genocide in Belgium once he has left office, the Belgian appeal
court ruled last night." == The London Telegraph "Israel recalls Brussels envoy" 13/02/2003 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/02/13/wshar13.xml&sSheet=/news/2003/02/13/ixworld.html&secureRefresh=true&_requestid=5173 "Israel recalled its ambassador to Brussels last
night after Belgium's highest court ruled that the Israeli prime minister,
Ariel Sharon, could be tried for war crimes after he leaves office." == THe BBC - UK "Belgium rules Sharon can be tried" 02/12/03 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2754877.stm "Belgium's highest appeals court has ruled that
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon could face war crimes charges, but only
after he leaves office." == Reuters - UK "Belgian Court: Sharon Can Be Probed After
Office" 02/12/03 http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=2216328 "BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgium's supreme appeals
court ruled on Wednesday that a genocide lawsuit against Ariel Sharon could
go ahead once he no longer enjoyed immunity as prime minister of Israel, the
plaintiffs' lawyer said." == The Financial Times - UK "Sharon faces war crimes charge" 02/13/03 http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1042491865371&p=1012571727172 "Belgium on Wednesday cleared the way for a war
crimes prosecution against Ariel Sharon, Israeli prime minister, once he
leaves office, prompting a furious Israel to recall its ambassador for
consultation." == Le Monde - France 13/02/2003 "La Cour de cassation belge permet la relance des
poursuites en justice contre Ariel Sharon" http://www.lemonde.fr/article/0,5987,3210--309093-,00.html "Israël rappelle son ambassadeur à Bruxelles et
promet une riposte "sévère" après une décision qui rend recevables
les plaintes pour crime de guerre à l'encontre de personnalités
étrangères" == AFP newswire Feb 12, 2003 "La Justice belge rouvre la voie aux poursuites
contre Sharon" (Belgian Court reopens the way for hearings
against Sharon") "La plus haute instance judiciaire belge a créé la
surprise mercredi, en rouvrant la voie à des poursuites en Belgique pour
crimes contre l'humanité contre Ariel Sharon lorsque le Premier ministre
israélien ne sera plus protégé par l'immunité liée à sa fonction." ("The highest court in Belgium issued
a surprising decision Tuesday by reopening the way for proceedings in
Belgium against Ariel Sharon for Crimes Against Humanity to commence when the
Israeli PM's immunity expires at the end of his term of office.") == La Libre Belgique (Belgium) "Ariel Sharon pourra être poursuivi" (Ariel Sharon could be tried") February 12, 2003 "Cette décision a suscité la colère d?Israël qui a
immédiatement rappelé son ambassadeur en Belgique, Yehoudi Kenar, «pour
consultations », laissant présager une crise grave entre Bruxelles et l?Etat
hébreu." ("This decision
has sparked the anger of Israel, who immediately recaleld its Belgian
ambassador, Yehudi Kenar, with warnings of a grave crisis between Bruxelles and
the Hebrew State." == Le Soir (Belgium) "Sharon sauvé par son immunité" (Sharon saved
by his immunity) Feb 13, 2003 http://www.lesoir.be/articles/n_01.asp "La Cour de cassation confirme la competence
universelle de la Belgique"
(High Court confirms Belgian precent of universal jurisdiction) (has a
great picture of people holding signs saying "Sharon Assassin") == La Derniere Heure (Belgium) "L'ambassadeur rappelé après la décision de la
justice belge ouvrant la voie à des poursuites contre Ariel Sharon"
(Ambassador recalled after Belgian court ruling opens the way for hearings
against Sharon) Feb 13, 2003 http://www.dhnet.be/index.phtml?content=http://www.dhnet.be/dhinfos/article=.phtml?id=62023 == Liberation (France) / Le Matin (Switzerland) AFP Feb 13, 2002 http://www.lematin.ch/nwmatinhome/nwmatinnewsdetail.html "Israël se prépare à une guerre en Irak, crise avec
la Belgique" ("Israel braces for war on Iraq, crisis with
Belgium") "Israël se prépare méthodiquement à un eventual
conflit en Irak, alors qu'une crise s'installe entre l'Etat hébreu et la
Belgique après la décision de la justice belge autorisant des poursuites
contre le Premier ministre israélien Ariel Sharon." ("Israel is taking all the steps
necessary to ready itself for an eventual conflict in Iraq, even as a crisis
erupts between the Hebrew State and Belgium after a Belgian legal ruling
authorizes hearings against Israeli PM Ariel Sharon") US
AND CANADIAN PAPERS:
The Toronto Globe and Mail -- Canada "Belgium rejects Sharon war-crimes trial — for
now" 02/13/03 http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/front/RTGAM/20030213/wshar0213/Front/homeBN/breakingnews Associated Press -- Brussels — The Belgian Supreme Court
rejected an attempt Wednesday by Palestinians to bring Ariel Sharon to trial
for war crimes for massacres in two refugee camps in 1982, but didn't rule
out trying the Israeli prime minister after he leaves office." == The Detroit News "Court bars Palestinian bid to try Sharon" 02/13/03 http://www.detnews.com/2003/nation/0302/13/a04-84206.htm "BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The Belgian Supreme Court
threw out an appeal by a group of
Palestinians on Wednesday to try Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for war
crimes over a 1982 massacre in Lebanese refugee camps. The final court of
appeal backed a ruling of a lower appeals court that dismissed the case on
technical grounds last June. The lower court argued Sharon did not
live in Belgium and could not be tried for war crimes and also enjoyed
diplomatic immunity as the head of the Israeli government." == The Seattle Post Intelligencer "Belgian Court Bars Sharon War-Crimes Case" 02/12/03 http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apeurope_story.asp?category=1103&slug=War%20Crimes%20Sharon "AP - BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The Belgian Supreme
Court threw out an attempt by a group of Palestinians to bring Israeli Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon to trial for war crimes, but left the door open for the plaintiffs to try again
after Sharon leaves office." == The Atlanta Journal Constitution "Court blocks attempt to prosecute Sharon" 02/13/03 http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/epaper/editions/today/news_e3b47419c60b80fd10e0.html "Belgium's Supreme Court rejected an attempt
Wednesday by Palestinians to bring Ariel Sharon to trial on war crimes
charges in massacres in two refugee camps in Lebanon in 1982. The court did not rule
out trying the Israeli prime minister after he leaves office. The
Palestinians were seeking to try Sharon and retired Gen. Amos Yaron for their alleged
roles in the massacres at the Sabra and Shatila camps south of Beirut, using
a Belgian law that allows the country's courts to hear cases of
war crimes committed anywhere in the world." == The Baltimore Sun "Belgian court rejects bid to try Israeli premier
on war crimes" 02/13/03 http://www.sunspot.net/bal-te.sharon13feb13.story "AP - BRUSSELS, Belgium - The Belgian Supreme Court
rejected an attempt yesterday by Palestinians to bring Ariel Sharon to trial
on war crimes in the massacres at two refugee camps in 1982 but didn't
rule out trying the Israeli prime minister after he leaves office." == The Philadelphia Inquirer "Belgian court: No war-crimes trial for Sharon, for
now" 02/13/03 http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/nation/5168261.htm "AP - BRUSSELS, Belgium - The Belgian Supreme Court
yesterday threw out an attempt by a group of Palestinians to bring Israeli
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to trial for alleged war crimes, but it left the
door open for the plaintiffs to try again after Sharon leaves office." == The Chicago Tribune "Belgian court rejects Sharon trial" 02/13/03 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0302130334feb13,1,5064541.story BRUSSELS -- The Belgian Supreme Court rejected an
attempt Wednesday by Palestinians to bring Ariel Sharon to trial for war
crimes for massacres at two refugee camps in 1982 but did not rule out trying
the Israeli prime minister after he leaves office. == The Los Angeles Times "Belgian court won't try Sharon" 02/13/03 http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-sharon13feb13,1,4578626.story "BRUSSELS -- Belgium's supreme court threw out an
attempt by a group of Palestinians to bring Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
to trial for war crimes, but left the door open for the plaintiffs to try
again after he leaves office." == The Arizona Republic "Court rejects case against Sharon" 02/13/03 http://www.arizonarepublic.com/news/articles/0213sharon13.html "The Belgian Supreme Court rejected an attempt
Wednesday by Palestinians to bring Ariel Sharon to trial on war crimes
charges involving massacres in two refugee camps in 1982, but didn't rule out
trying the Israeli prime minister after he leaves office." == FOXNEWS.COM "Belgium's Top Court Nixes Palestinian Appeal to
Try Sharon for War Crimes" 02/12/03 http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,78386,00.html BRUSSELS, Belgium — The Belgian Supreme Court rejected
an attempt Wednesday by Palestinians to bring Ariel Sharon to trial for war
crimes for massacres in two refugee camps in 1982, but didn't rule out trying
the Israeli prime minister after he leaves office. == AP newswire, as distributed in French Feb 12, 2003 "La Cour suprême belge rejette la plainte contre
Ariel Sharon pour crimes contre l'humanité" ("Belgian Supreme Court rejects case against Ariel Sharon
for crimes against humanity") "La Cour suprême de Belgique a rejeté mercredi la
plainte déposée par plusieurs Palestiniens pour crimes contre l'humanité à
l'encontre du Premier ministre israélien Ariel Sharon pour son rôle dans le
massacre de Sabra et Chatila en 1982."
("The Belgian supreme court rejected tuesday a case made by
several Palestinians accusing Ariel Sharon of crimes aginst
humanity for his role int eh Sabra & Shatila massacres of 1982.") NON-AP-BASED
STORIES
== The New York Times "Sharon Faces Belgian Trial After Term Ends" 02/12/03 By MARLISE SIMONS http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/13/international/europe/13BELG.html "THE HAGUE, Feb. 12 — Belgium's highest court said
today in Brussels that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel could be tried
for war crimes under the nation's laws, but not as long as he enjoyed the
immunity of his office." == The Washington Post "Court Approves Suit Against Sharon" 02/12/03 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A427-2003Feb12.html BRUSSELS -- Belgium's supreme court ruled yesterday that
a war crimes lawsuit against Ariel Sharon could proceed once he no longer
enjoys immunity as prime minister of Israel. == CNN.COM "Belgium: Sharon war crimes suit can go ahead" 02/12/03 http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/02/12/belgium.sharon.reut/index.html BRUSSELS, Belgium (Reuters) -- Belgium's supreme appeals
court has ruled that a genocide lawsuit against Ariel Sharon can go ahead
once he no longer enjoys immunity as prime minister of Israel, the
plaintiffs' lawyer said." |
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ORIGINAL AP STORY – February 12, 2003 http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=535&ncid=535&e=5&u=/ap/20030212/ap_on_re_eu/war_crimes_sharon_4 Belgian Court Bars Sharon War-Crimes Case Wed Feb 12,12:41 PM ET By CONSTANT BRAND, Associated Press Writer BRUSSELS, Belgium - The Belgian Supreme Court threw out
an appeal by a group of Palestinians on Wednesday to try Israeli Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites) for war crimes over a 1982 massacre
in Lebanese refugee camps. The final court of appeal backed a ruling of a lower
appeals court that dismissed the case on technical grounds last June. The lower court argued Sharon did not live in Belgium
and could not be tried for war crimes and also enjoyed diplomatic immunity as
the head of the Israeli government. The group of Palestinians had sought to bring Sharon to
trial under a 10-year-old Belgian law that allows the country's courts to try
war crimes committed anywhere. Wednesday's ruling marks an end to any possible
investigation into allegations Sharon was responsible for the 1982 massacres
at two refugee camps outside Beirut. Belgian prosecutors opened an inquiry in July, 2001
following a complaint filed by 23 survivors of the massacres. That investigation was suspended in September while
Sharon's lawyers challenged Belgium's jurisdiction. The Supreme Court ruled Wednedsay, however, that
investigations could procede against former Israeli army commander Amos
Yaron, who was the only other one named in the original complaint filed with
Belgian prosecutors two years ago. It ordered that case to be sent back down to a lower
court to decide whether there was enough evidence to proceed with war crimes
charges against the general. Chibli Mallat, a lawyer for the group of victims, while
disappointed with the ruling on Sharon, was happy the case on Yaron could
proceed. "It is a landmark step for international law,"
he said. "Of course it is a disappointment we will not be able to bring
Sharon to trial," he said. Reaction from Sharon's lawyers were not immediately
available. |
