The World at One, ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4, 23 January 2024

Complaint

A listener complained that a question during an interview on this programme which referred to a death toll in Gaza of up to 25,000 Palestinians β€œcompared to 200 Israeli deaths” inaccurately reflected the number of Israelis killed in the conflict. Β The ECU considered the complaint in the light of the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ’s editorial standards of accuracy.


Outcome

The interview, with a senior advisor to the Israeli Prime Minister, followed news of the deaths of a number of young Israeli reservists in Gaza. Β It did not touch on the events of 7 October, but was restricted to the ground offensive in Gaza, focusing particularly on Β the reaction in Israel to the most recent deaths. Β Listeners in general would therefore have understood the figure of 200 as a reference to the number of Israelis killed in Gaza, and not as including those killed within Israel by Hamas on 7 October.Β  The ECU therefore found no breach of the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ’s standards of accuracy.

Not Upheld