Dear Evgeny,
Thank you for writing the CBC.
Jonathan Whitten, executive producer of The National has asked me to forward the following to you:
“Thank you for your e-mail to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation drawing our attention to what you feel is a one-sided report broadcast on the September 4 edition of THE NATIONAL.
You may be interested in my response to a similar view concerning this report expressed in an article on the pro-Israel web site HonestReporting Canada, posted on September 6, under the headline “CBC Portrays Terrorist as Victim.”
With respect, that is not the case.
To be clear the introduction to the report on THE NATIONAL said that United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan was appointing a secret mediator in an effort to secure the release of the two Israeli soldiers captured by Hezbollah in July. It said that Hezbollah wants to exchange prisoners. Indeed, the sudden videotape appearance on Lebanese television on Wednesday (September 6) of Israeli Ron Arad would seem to underline Hezbollah’s interest in an exchange. (Mr. Arad is the IAF navigator captured near Sidon 20 years ago after his fighter crashed.)
But as the report said, when talk turns to prisoner exchanges, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is clear that he is particularly interested in the return of Samir Qantar, the longest held Lebanese prisoner in Israel. Qantar is serving a 542-year sentence for an attack in Nahariya 27 years ago during which he brutally beat to death a 4-year-old girl, and shot her father and two policemen. But, as the report said, while he is reviled in Israel, he is “a hero to many Lebanese. As they saw it, he was fighting for his country.”
In an effort better to understand that divergence of views, and the man who is likely to be pivotal in any exchange, the reporter sought out those – his family and his brother – who know him best. She also included the views of an Israeli government spokesman who set out the Israeli government’s position and explained why an earlier exchange involving Qantar had failed.
I should point out, here, that this is not the only report on the matter we will be carrying. We expect to have a report on a conversation with Smadar Haran, the mother of the young girl and wife of the man who was shot, about her views of Qantar and any possible exchange, on THE NATIONAL.
But the HonestReporting article raised several specific issues and I want to reply to them in turn. The article said that the report’s description of the brutal attack was “limited” to one sentence. If that were true, that one sentence, “Qantar shot the father and clubbed the 4-year-old to death with the butt of a rifle,” in itself, forcefully conveyed the brutality of the attack, but it was not the only sentence. There were others, and the attack they described was accompanied by video of the scene and the very bloody aftermath of the attack that would leave little doubt about its nature.
The article said the report “portrayed Qantar’s family in personal, even sympathetic terms.” While the reporter went to the Qantar home and asked Bassam Qantar about his brother – in one brief clip he said he was only one.
It is important to bear in mind here, as well, that Qantar’s actions, as despicable as they may be, are his. They are not those of his family.
The article said that by using the Hezbollah code name, “True Promise,” for the capture of the Israeli soldiers, the report “legitimized … unprovoked aggression.” Again, that is not the case. The reporter explained the origin of the code word: “Nasrallah called the capture of the Israelis operation ‘True Promise,’” she said, “suggesting the Israelis were taken in part to force the release of Samir Qantar.” Certainly, that appears to coincide with Nasrallah’s long stated aims. A few seconds later, she asked Bassam Qantar if he supported operation True Promise. To explain the name’s meaning to Hezbollah and then refer to the event in the way Bassam Qantar would understand it, does not in any reasonable fashion “legitimize” what happened.
It is CBC’s obligation through legislation and policy to expose the different principal points of view on controversial matters, like this one. Of course, not everyone will agree with those views, as you may not in this case. Fair enough. Nevertheless, it is our responsibility to present those differing views in a balanced fair and accurate fashion, affording Canadians the opportunity and the information they need to make up their own minds about the nature or quality of the event or the views expressed.
Thank you again for your e-mail. I hope my reply has addressed the issues you raised and reassured you of the continuing integrity of CBC News.
Finally, it is my responsibility to inform you that if you are not satisfied with this response, you may wish to submit the matter for review by the CBC Ombudsman, Mr. Vince Carlin. The Office of the Ombudsman, an independent and impartial body reporting directly to the President, is responsible for evaluating program compliance with the CBC’s journalistic policies. Mr. Carlin may be reached by mail at the address shown below, or by fax at 416-205-2825, or by e-mail at
[email protected].
Sincerely,
Jonathan Whitten
Executive Producer
THE NATIONAL”
I hope this information has been helpful and thank you again for writing.
Sincerely,
Mazo Molar
Communications Officer
CBC National Audience Relations