German newspapers reprimanded for adopting Israeli narratives on Gaza

The German Press Council has reprimanded the German newspapers (Bild and Welt) for professional misconduct. It found that in their coverage of events in the Gaza Strip they had adopted Israeli narratives without verifying their accuracy.

German papers caught pedalling Israeli falsehoods

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Council explained that it investigated a report published by Bild on its website. The report was about the killing of Palestinian journalist Anas al-Sharif of Al Jazeera TV following an Israeli attack. Bild quoted an Israeli army claim that al-Sharif was ‘the leader of a Hamas cell,’ presenting it in the headline as if it were a proven fact, without supporting evidence.

The Press Council considered this approach to be a clear violation of the duty of investigation and accuracy in journalism. It was also a serious violation of the journalist’s personal dignity. This warranted imposing a reprimand on the newspaper.

The Council also decided to reprimand the newspaper ‘Welt’ for publishing unconfirmed information. This related to images of malnourished children in the Gaza Strip, violating the ethical standards of the journalism profession.

Repeat offenders

The Bild and Welt newspapers belong to the German Axel Springer media group. According to the German Press Council, which monitors the media’s compliance with professional codes of conduct, Bild ranks at the top for the number of reprimands issued against it.

The Council noted several reasons for reprimanding Bild. These included sensationalist journalism, violation of personal rights and breach of the principle of accuracy. There was also disregard for the presumption of innocence, use of discriminatory expressions, and publication of information that did not correspond to reality.

It is worth noting that the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip broke out on 8 October 2023 and lasted for about two years. Consequently, it resulted in more than 70,000 deaths and over 171,000 injuries. The majority of the victims were children and women. There was also widespread destruction of infrastructure, which the United Nations estimated would cost approximately USD 70 billion to rebuild.

Despite these grim realities, Bild and Welt have amplified Israeli falsehoods, fuelling disproportionate media coverage and the sidelining of Palestinian grief — a grief still widely ignored in a world inured to Palestinian suffering.

Featured image via UNICEF