Police examine tractor after attack
Photo: AFP
BBC 'wrong' to air footage of terrorist's shooting
Corporation says images capturing final moments of terrorist rampaging through Jerusalem streets on bulldozer failed to strike 'right editorial balance.' News at Ten editor Craig Oliver defends decision
The BBC on Friday responded to viewer's complaints regarding the graphic footage broadcast last Wednesday as part of the channel's coverage of the terror attack in Jerusalem, saying it had been wrong to do so. Three Israelis were killed and dozens more were wounded after Hussam Dwayyat, a construction worker from east Jerusalem, hurtled his earthmover tractor into rush-hour traffic.
The images, which aired in Israeli news journals as well, show the SWAT officer and off-duty soldier who leapt onto the rampaging bulldozer shooting the Palestinian terrorist at point blank range.
Mindful of its younger viewers, the network's News at Six report did not air the actual shooting. However the graphic images were included in the News at Ten coverage of the attack.
Over 100 complaints were lodged with the BBC after the footage aired.
"It's not normally the BBC's policy to show the moment of death on screen," the BBC said in a response issued Friday. "These are always extremely difficult decisions to make. However, on reflection, we felt that the pictures featured on Wednesday's News at Ten did not strike the right editorial balance between the demands of accuracy and the potential impact on the program's audience."
However in a blog post titled 'Grim Decisions,' News at Ten editor Craig Oliver defended the contested choice.
"This was not an easy decision," writes Oliver, "we never want to shock for the sake of it, or to sensationalize the news.
"However, equally we don't want to sanitize the news for what is a mature and thoughtful audience… The scene was disturbing, and it was a fine call, but I believe it is important and illuminating very occasionally to see the reality of violence."
Oliver, who also edits the News at Six journal, also raised the question of whether the attack would been so extensively covered if it had not been caught on camera
"The answer is probably not - but we should not necessarily ignore the opportunity to show people what goes on when we are provided with it. We should however remind people that this is not the only violence, and set it in the context of other deaths - both Palestinian and Israeli - which we did last night."
