Readers may remember that earlier this month we noted here that the BBC News website had presented remarks made by Iran’s new president at an Al Quds Day march in such a way that audiences would understand Rouhani’s description of “an old wound on [the] Islamic world” to refer exclusively to areas which came under Israeli control after the 1967 war, rather than to Israel itself – as Rouhani in fact intended.
Via ‘Elder of Ziyon‘ we now learn that the article has been amended. The original headline read “Iran’s Rouhani calls Israel occupation ‘old wound’ on Islamic world” and the strap-line stated that:
“Iran’s President-elect Hassan Rouhani has denounced Israeli occupation of Palestinian areas as an “old wound on the body of the Islamic world”.”
The amended headline now reads “Iran’s Rouhani calls Israel ‘old wound’ on Islamic world” and the strap-line says:
“Iran’s President-elect Hassan Rouhani has called Israel an “old wound on the body of the Islamic world”.”
At the bottom of the article appears the following footnote:
However, another article which – as we noted at the same time – exhibits the same inaccuracy, has yet to be amended.
Of course the vast majority of people who read the original inaccurate version of this story will not search for it again over two weeks later to see if by any chance an amendment has been made.
As we have remarked here before, it really is time that the BBC News website – like many quality newspapers – included a dedicated page of daily updates of corrections so that members of the public can easily make themselves aware of errors and inaccuracies previously read on that website.
