Making up news, it’s not just the BBC/NYT. Thanks to InstaPundit and Tim Blair. ABC is Australian Broadcasting. EFL:
It’s not surprising that The Australian, which barracked so enthusiastically for the war, is still fudging the facts, but we expected better from the ABC.Gina Wilkinson: When the Iraqi army retreated from Baghdad it left behind about one hundred Soviet era SA-2 missiles like these in an empty block in the suburb of Baladyat. The missiles are filled with volatile rocket fuel and two hundred kilograms of high explosives. Locals fear their children could be injured or their homes destroyed by these deadly weapons.
Saaed Hassan (trans): I often see children from the neighbourhood playing on the missiles or scrap collectors, dismantling them for metal and parts. It’s very dangerous.
- ABC TV News, 19 August 2003 It’s a tragic story and an important one, especially for an Australian audience that sent troops to join the coalition of the willing in Iraq. The broad facts as Gina Wilkinson reports are backed up in this media release from UNICEF.In Iraq, unexploded munitions become child’s play
UNICEF says cluster bombs, left over munitions and hundreds of surface-to-air missiles are a deadly threat to the children of Iraq.
- UNICEF media release Gina Wilkinson would have known that press release well because it was issued by her husband, UNICEF media officer Geoff Keele. But what concerns Media Watch is how this story was made. We’ve been given a copy of Gina Wilkinson’s unedited camera tapes.
Here’s what we saw on the news:The missiles are filled with volatile rocket fuel and two hundred kilograms of high explosives. Locals fear their children could be injured or their homes destroyed by these deadly weapons.
- ABC TV News, 19 August 2003 But why were those children standing on the missile launcher? So Gina could film them. Here’s what the camera tapes reveal.- You want to show the children on there?
Gina Wilkinson: Yeah, that would be good. Yeah, if they don’t mind.
- (trans) You want them to stand over there to be filmed?
- (trans) Come on sweetie. What’s her name?
- Noona
- (trans) I’m worried about them.
- Sit. Sit on this.
- (trans) I’m worried about them.
- (trans) Sit on the edge.
Gina Wilkinson: Please God, don’t let this thing explode now.
- ABC Camera Tape The whole point of the story was the danger these missiles pose to children. So why was Gina Wilkinson asking the kids to do this? Gina Wilkinson: Mr Saadi?
- Yes.
Gina Wilkinson: Can we get these two kids to walk around underneath the missile?
Just around it?
- Mohammad. Mohammad.
Gina Wilkinson: And this one?
- (trans) Come here. Go up there. Go with him. Casually, casually. Walk behind him. Go with him.
- ABC camera tape The ABC’s Head of International Operations, John Tulloh told us her behaviour was unacceptable.The ABC finds Ms Wilkinson’s actions in encouraging children to pose on and around unexploded ordnance to be a serious error of judgement. The ABC believes that, based on the descriptions in Ms Wilkinson’s report about the dangers of unexploded ordnance, her actions could have put the children at risk. (It is worth noting that UNICEF had no compunction about taking the media to the sites.)
- John Tulloh statement to Media Watch Now what’s the word I’m looking for? Oh, yeah, Bastards!
| Wonder if John's going to do anything about it? |
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