BBC website’s flotilla article still misleads on ‘humanitarian aid’

Readers no doubt recall that the BBC’s report on the interception of the recent ‘flotilla’ publicity stunt included the following paragraph:

“The activists said the vessel was carrying humanitarian aid, including medicine and solar panels.”

As was pointed out here at the time:

“….the use of the plural term “panels” in that sentence is – according to a spokesperson for the flotilla organisers interviewed by Ma’an news agency – apparently superfluous.

“On board, the Marianne is carrying one solar panel to al-Shifa hospital and medical equipment for Wafa hospital, both in Gaza City. If everything goes as planned, activists will also leave the fishing trawler for Palestinian fishermen to use.”

On July 1st Washington Post correspondent William Booth published details of the ‘humanitarian aid’ aboard the Marianne.

“The Gaza activitists said the larger cardboard box contains a solar panel, donated by a Swedish magazine, ETC, which also runs an “environmentally-friendly electricity company.” The panel was bound for Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City.

Ighe said the Swedish Association of Midwives also donated a nebulizer, a machine used to inhale medicines, often used to calm asthma attacks. That is the small cardboard box.”

flotilla cargo

In other words, the BBC’s promotion of the notion that the boat was carrying medicine is inaccurate and the “solar panels” turned out to be one single panel. Nevertheless, that misleading information still stands in the amended version of the BBC News website’s report.  

 

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