BBC News coverage of terrorism in Israel – June 2016

The Israel Security Agency’s report on terror attacks (Hebrew) during June 2016 shows that throughout the month a total of 103 incidents took place: 71 in Judea & Samaria, 29 in Jerusalem, two inside the ‘green line’ and one incident originating from the Gaza Strip.

The agency recorded 86 attacks with petrol bombs. Two shooting attacks, 10 attacks using explosive devices, one vehicular attack and one stabbing attack took place in Judea & Samaria and Jerusalem. One stabbing attack and one shooting attack occurred inside the ‘green line’. Along the border with the Gaza Strip one shooting attack took place.

Five Israeli civilians were murdered in Palestinian terror attacks during June. Twenty-one people (mostly civilians) were wounded: fifteen in the shooting attack in Tel Aviv on June 8th, one during the attack in Kiryat Arba on June 30th, two in a stabbing attack in Netanya on June 30th, two in a vehicular attack in Kiryat Arba on June 25th and one soldier was wounded by a petrol bomb in Issawiya on June 29th.

The BBC News website covered the shooting attack at Sarona Market in Tel Aviv on June 8th and produced a follow-up article the next day, the third version of which included the names, ages and genders of the four people murdered.

The stabbing attack in Kiryat Arba on June 30th was also reported and the murdered victim was named. The same article was later updated to include a brief mention of the stabbing attack in Netanya on the same day in which two people were wounded.

“Later on Thursday, a Palestinian stabbed and injured two Israelis in the coastal city of Netanya before being shot dead by a passing civilian.”

An attempted stabbing attack near Einav on June 2nd was briefly mentioned in the caption to a photograph which appeared in an article on a different topic.

“On Thursday a Palestinian woman was shot dead by Israeli troops near the West Bank city of Tulkarm. The Israeli army said the woman had tried to stab a soldier”

Attacks on vehicles travelling on Route 443 on June 21st were reported on the BBC News website after a passer-by was mistaken for one of the terrorists and shot dead by a soldier at the scene.

Incidents which did not receive any coverage on the BBC News website included attacks on two buses on June 5th, shooting attacks on cars travelling near Halamish on June 7th, a stoning attack on a bus on June 8th, a stoning attack on a bus on June 12th and a vehicular attack near Kiryat Arba on June 24th.

In conclusion, the BBC News website reported the two fatal incidents which took place during the month of June (but without describing them as terror attacks in its own words) and mentioned three additional non-fatal attacks.

In comparison with its record during 2015, we see an improvement in BBC coverage of fatal terror attacks in Israel during the first half of 2016 with all the attacks having been reported. Overall, the BBC News website has reported 4.18% of the terror attacks which took place between January and June 2016 inclusive and its record of reporting the missile attacks launched from the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the year remains at 0%.

Table June

Related Articles:

BBC News coverage of terrorism in Israel – May 2016

Reviewing the BBC News website’s coverage of terror in Israel: October 2015 to March 2016

BBC News coverage of terrorism in Israel – December 2015 and Q4 summary

 

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