Court Orders Channel 14 to Publish Public Correction
The Central District Court in Lod this week accepted the appeal filed by the "Brothers in Arms" movement against Channel 14, and ruled that the channel must publish a public correction after reports claimed that the officer suspected in the espionage and information leak case in Southern Command was among the organization’s senior members. Between September and November 2024, Channel 14 broadcast and published reports and videos about the lieutenant colonel who was suspected of helping a spy at the Southern Command base. In some of the reports, which were based in part on comments by MK Almog Cohen, it was claimed that the suspect was one of the leaders of "Brothers in Arms" or connected to the organization.
After receiving a pre-lawsuit warning letter, the channel removed from the articles on its website the references linking the organization to the case. As part of the legal proceedings, the channel admitted that the claims were published due to "a mistake and human error," but it did not issue an apology or a public clarification, and instead limited itself to updating the content on the website. The "Brothers in Arms" movement petitioned the Magistrate's Court to order a correction under the Defamation Prohibition Law. The Magistrate's Court rejected the request, but on appeal to the district court, the movement's position was accepted.
Judge Eli Brand ruled that it is enough for a publisher to admit that it published false information to require it to publish a correction, even if it argues other legal defenses. He also criticized the "silent correction" carried out without informing the public, and noted that someone exposed to the original publication is not necessarily aware that it was corrected. The court ruled that in three publications from late October and early November 2024, in which the channel admitted the mistake, the movement is entitled to an order requiring publication of a correction. The case was returned to the Magistrate's Court to determine the wording of the correction and how it will be published.
"Brothers in Arms" said: "For a long period, Channel 14 tried to defame the Brothers and Sisters in Arms organization and our thousands of volunteers through false and defamatory publications and the amplification of defamatory statements by public figures from social media. The court ruled that the channel must publicly correct this, after admitting that it was a lie. The public is entitled to receive a clear and explicit correction to these publications. This is a victory for everyone who believes that free press must also be responsible press."
