The SBS Ombudsman rejected the complaints made by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry and others against The Promise.
The text of the SBS response and the lack of satisfaction it provides hard liners can be seen at Galusaustralis.
Month: January 2012
This article by Anat Saragusti, a guest of the 2008 Melbourne LimmudOz conference was not offered to readers of the English Haaretz.
It has been translated as a public service by Sol Salbe of the Middle East News Service of Melbourne, Australia. It has been made available with Sol’s permission for those without Facebook Accounts.
Hebrew original: http://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/1.1623616Opinions
Forbidden discrimination, permitted discrimination Anat Saragusti 23/01/12
This article by Anat Saragusti, a guest of the 2008 Melbourne LimmudOz conference was not offered to readers of the English Haaretz.
It has been translated as a public service by Sol Salbe of the Middle East News Service of Melbourne, Australia. It has been made available with Sol’s permission for those without Facebook Accounts.
Hebrew original: http://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/1.1623616Opinions
Forbidden discrimination, permitted discrimination Anat Saragusti 23/01/12
That’s right. Get rid of Obama and get more pro-Israel VP or President in the driver’s seat. It is all over the news, eg. in Haaretz, but also all over the US media.
But just so you can see it is not a beat up, attached is the text of the oped piece by owner and publisher of the Atlanta Jewish Times, Andrew Adler.
Two things 1) I’ve always not thought much of the South 2) given nut case politics in the US, this actually might inspire someone.
For once I hope the Secret Service have a little chat with the editor. Click Read more for the file.
The AJDS has come into possession of the investigation and decision from OfCom, the UK electronic media Complaints Authority, concerning “The Promise” (attached below). This investigation was carried out in response to complaints made about the program in the UK, including that of the British (Jewish) Board of Deputies (the correspondence with Channel 4 who broadcast the program can be seen here) We understand that the ruling was issued at the start of April 2011.
We are not quite sure why the ruling was not made publicly available on the OfCom website, as it is similar to other rulings they conduct, and paticularly since it was quoted in the press and seems to have been available to the ECAJ who dismiss it it in their letter of complaint to SBS management. Be that as it may, it is important that issues around The Promise” be shared as widely as possible.
We suggest that you read the Ofcom document and then compare it to the ECAJ complaint. Ofcom is well experienced with hate speech in the electronic media, as a perusal of its Bulletin makes clear.
In its letter published here, says “Ofcom recognises that many portrayals by UK broadcasters of the history of and current situation in Israel and neighbouring territories are controversial – whether in non-fiction or as here drama programmes. I can assure you that Ofcom took your complaint, and all the other complaints, about this series very seriously. ”
[read on]
The AJDS had the lead letter in the Melbourne Age on ‘The Promise Controversy’, accompanied by two excellent others, including Jeremy Kenner, an ADJS member.
The Age, January 18, 2012
Biased, yes, but worth seeing
AS A fictional narrative about the Arab-Israeli conflict, The Promise indeed presents a biased perspective. It is impossible to imagine that any filmmaker, historian or novelist could do other than present a perspective that is biased by their own worldview. If objectivity was a fundamental principle of presentation, then virtually no historical work would be acceptable.
[read on…]
An opinion by Larry Stillman of the AJDS Executive has been published on the ABC website.
Another freedom of expression issue has raised its head in the Jewish community in Australia.
This time, it involves a series which recently appeared on SBS and is now being sold as a DVD….for the rest, go to The Drum
[and I will add that I have dealt with “the Lobby” and its censoriousness on various occasions such as this one]