Israeli Broadcaster Apologizes for Racist Remark Against Arabs
Translated & summarized from Alarab by baba
Israeli broadcaster Kan 11 apologized and removed a segment featuring a participant calling for the "elimination of Arabs" after MK Ahmed Tibi protested. The broadcaster acknowledged the statement was inappropriate and did not represent its views. The reporter involved also apologized for the professional error. Tibi had urged Kan to investigate and prevent future broadcasts of such targeting statements.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Kan 11 apologized and removed a segment after MK Ahmed Tibi protested a call for the "elimination of Arabs."
- The Israeli broadcaster stated the offensive remarks did not represent its position and that lessons were learned.
- The reporter who produced the segment admitted to a "professional error" and apologized to Arab citizens.
- MK Tibi demanded an investigation and measures to prevent future broadcasts targeting Arab citizens.
- A participant in the report had stated that the "elimination of Arabs" might influence his vote.
Israeli public broadcaster Kan 11 has officially apologized for airing a segment that included a participant calling for the "elimination of Arabs." The network announced it would remove the offensive clip following a protest letter from Member of Knesset Ahmed Tibi to Kan's Director General, Golan Yochpaz. In a formal response to Tibi, Ori Paz, head of public complaints and appeals at Kan, stated it was appropriate to "dispense with the inappropriate statements of the residents of Netivot" and refrain from including them in Oren Ahroni's report. Paz added, "We regret broadcasting it and apologize for it."
Kan emphasized that the remarks "do not represent the position of the Israeli Broadcasting Authority" and have been removed from the report. The incident has been reviewed internally, and "the necessary lessons have been learned," the broadcaster stated. Prior to the official response, the reporter who produced the segment spoke with Tibi by phone, admitting that airing the statement without objection was a "professional error" and promising it would not happen again. He also apologized to Arab citizens for the incident.
Tibi had sent his protest letter to Yochpaz after the report aired, demanding a thorough investigation and clarification of Kan's stance. He also called for measures to prevent the broadcast of statements targeting Arab citizens without editorial context or objection. Tibi's action was prompted by a report segment where a citizen stated that what might cause him to change his vote to Likud was the "elimination of Arabs." When asked to clarify, he said he wanted to "keep them away from him as much as possible," with the interview continuing without interruption.
Tibi argued in his letter that a public broadcaster funded by taxpayers has a special responsibility to all citizens. He asserted that freedom of expression and journalistic work do not absolve media outlets of their editorial responsibility when broadcasting statements targeting an entire population group based on nationality.
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