Last Sunday morning TVNZ’s Q and A current affairs programme broadcast a 45-minute interview with the Israeli ambassador conducted by TVNZ senior reporter/presenter Jack Tame. The interview breached all the standards of decent journalism. In other words it was offensive, discriminatory, inaccurate and grossly unfair.
It wasn’t journalism – it was 45-minutes of uninterrupted and unchallenged Israeli lies, misinformation and previously-debunked propaganda. It was outrageous. It was despicable. The country which for six months has conducted genocide against the Palestinian people of Gaza was given free reign to pour streams of the most vile fabrications and misinformation against Palestinians directly into the homes of New Zealanders. And without a murmur of protest from Jack Tame. Even the most egregious lies such as the ‘beheaded babies’ myth were allowed to be broadcast without challenge despite this Israeli propaganda having been discredited months ago.
The interview showed utter contempt for Palestine and Palestinians as well as New Zealanders who were assailed with this stream of racist deceits and falsehoods with Q and A as the conduit.
Tame contented himself with nodding at almost every falsehood told and even offered the Israeli ambassador leading propaganda phrases such as the falsehood of the Palestinian resistance using “human shields”.
There was no holding the genocidal state of Israel to account – no questions about the grave breaches of international law or war crimes such as collective punishment or the use of starvation as a weapon of war. Nothing about the genocidal statements from Israel’s political and military leaders and how these genocidal intentions are being put into practice. Nothing but a few token pushbacks about the number of Palestinians who have been slaughtered in Israel’s Killing Field of Gaza.
And of course, as is typical with western media, and Television New Zealand in particular, Palestinians and Palestinian viewpoints were nowhere to be seen.
From the outset there was barely any pretence of journalistic independence with the interview taking place at the Israeli embassy in Wellington backed by Israeli and New Zealand flags which “bond” the countries and the people together as “fellow-travellers”.
We insist that:
- TVNZ issue a public apology to the people of New Zealand for this journalistic debacle and that you as TVNZ Head of News and Current Affairs take responsibility and resign.
- TVNZ publicly identifies and apologises for the lies and misinformation presented by the Israeli ambassador without challenge from Jack Tame.
- TVNZ give Palestinian voices the same time as the Israeli ambassador to respond to the ambassador’s lies and misinformation.
- TVNZ conduct an open inquiry into its reporting failures over the past six months whereby it has consistently prioritised Israeli spokespeople, Israeli justifications, Israeli explanations and Israeli propaganda while sidelining and ignoring Palestinian viewpoints.
Great article JM.
Can I add this. Israel fires missiles at the Iranian Consulate in Syria killing several officials. No condemnation from the West. Iran fires missiles and drones on Israel and the West is quick to announce outrage at this act and reinforce that it supports Israel.
Hamas conducts an unprovoked attack on Israel which was totally wrong even taking into account the history you have brilliantly explained. Israel responds with an invasion into Gaza and a vicious and disproportionate attack on the Palestinian people with over 33,000 people slaughtered including thousands of innocent women and children but no condemnation from the West which continues to support Israel and Winston Peters makes an announcement that NZ is declaring Hamas a terrorist organisation.
In Jack Tame’s tame interview of the Israel Ambassador, the Ambassador justifies the killing of innocent Palestinians, including women and children, claiming without a hint of emotion that Israel is routing out Hamas. In other words, “we don’t care that innocent women and children are being mercilessly killed – that is the price the Palestinian people must pay for our actions which the West support.”
I thought Jack Tame was meant to be a good investigative and probing journalist but his interview of the Ambassador was a patsy interview and it makes me wonder that Tame’s masters act at the behest of this current coalition government who fall in line with those countries who continue to support Israel despite its genocidal actions.
Nice reply but I hasten to add that it is not just this current mob who fell into line
Hi A O – point taken, thank you
So, this was the hot topic at our recent protest. End result being, much the same as presented here…communicate with TVNZ, express our disappointment (and what not), urge them to redress this situation and to do better, be better prepared in the future. On top of this, to appeal to Winnie while we are at it (in our case) So, from this I take – we still believe in our media, we still believe in our government, despite their actions…despite their actions. In a world where genocide is taking place right before our eyes, we still believe in the media covering this tragedy and we still believe in the political sphere from which this trauma has both arisen from and allows to continue on. We just have to appeal to both of them to do better – that’ll do the trick!
Righto, time for me to break out my favorite Mangatainoka brew because the powers-that-be and their media machine can rest easy…pressure therefore change, is not going to rise up from this side of the political equation.
We all lived for through NZ’s Covid “journalism”. This is nothing new.
John Minto – that’s what.
There’s an unfortunate history here. The Crusader states who invaded Palestine were pushed into the sea when support from Europe dried up. Israel cannot stand alone amongst so many enemies without Western support. Losing our public support is Israels fatal flaw.
And the main stream media wonder why people no longer trust them.
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