Press Releases re ABC on Terror

To view more detail on the background behind this Press Release open the Hansard extract of the ABC senate estimates hearings

Media Release

ABC Finally Concedes that Islamic Jihad, Hamas and Hezbollah are Terrorist Organisations.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has finally conceded that Palestinian groups Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah are terrorist organisations.

Four years after the ABC’s international chief John Tulloh banned journalists from calling the groups terrorist organisations, the ABC has now admitted they are terror groups.

The change of heart has followed three years of forensic questioning of ABC executives by Liberal Senators Santo Santoro, Michael Ronaldson and Concetta Fierravanti-Wells.

The admission from ABC news director John Cameron, that the Palestinian groups are terrorist organisations, came at Senate Estimates this week (May 24, 2006).

“This is a long overdue but nevertheless very welcome concession from the ABC”, said Senator Ronaldson.

“The ABC has finally been forced to drop its immoral double standard, where terrorists were terrorists in any part of the world except Israel and the Palestinian territories”, he said.

“I now call upon the other national broadcaster, SBS, to do the same.”

Thursday May 25, 2006.

The B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC) welcomes the decision by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) to recognise Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah as terrorist organisations.

The ADC’s Executive Officer, Mr Manny Waks, says “While it is difficult to understand what has taken so long for the ABC to arrive at this obvious conclusion, we must nonetheless congratulate the ABC on this decision.”

Four years ago the ABC’s international chief, Mr John Tulloh, prohibited ABC journalists from referring to these groups as terrorist organisation.

The ADC acknowledged the work of Senator Santoro and more recently by Senators Ronaldson and Fierravanti-Wells in pursuing this matter. For three years the ABC executives have been intensely questioned by the Senators. “They have shown great persistence and determination,” Mr Waks said.

Mr Waks also said that “the ADC supports Senator Ronaldson’s hope that SBS would come to similar conclusion to the ABC and concede that Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah are indeed terrorist organisations.”

To view more detail on the background behind this Press Release open the Hansard extract of the ABC senate estimates hearings