Lord Walney has told the JC that he is “proud” of his Israeli links after a complaint to the BBC for not revealing his affiliations was upheld.
The former independent adviser to the government on political violence and disruption appeared on a BBC News programme, to discuss the proscription of Palestine Action after the High Court ruled it unlawful in February – a decision subsequently overturned by the Court of Appeal.
The BBC introduced Walney as a “critic” of the group, leading to a complaint from a viewer that it did not meet its own editorial guidelines of offering “appropriate information” and “affiliations”.
Walney was the chair of Labour Friends of Israel from July 2011 to January 2013 and was also formerly the paid chair of the Purpose Defence Coalition, a group which includes Israeli military manufacturer Leonardo, where he acted as its engagement director.
The complaint read that Walney had “a variety of interests in the subject-matter of the interview” and therefore should have been introduced as more than simply a “critic”.
BBC guidelines state: “It should not be assumed that contributors to BBC output are unbiased or impartial. For those from organisations such as charities, think-tanks or universities, it may be necessary, when relevant, to give appropriate information about affiliations, funding or particular viewpoints.
“The same applies to individual researchers, journalists, scientists or other experts and, on occasion, to contributors who may be relating their own experiences. The key test is to consider whether the audience would be misled if such information was not made available.”
The broadcaster’s Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) upheld the complaint, stating that key information had been withheld.
The executive statement read: “Lord Walney was captioned as a former government advisor on political violence and introduced as ‘a critic of Palestine Action’s methods’.
“In many contexts this would have given viewers sufficient information.
“In this context, however, the ECU considered some of his interests, which included connections with the defence industry and his period of service as chair of Labour Friends of Israel, were of such relevance [to] the matter he was commenting on that viewers should have been given at least some information about them.”
Walney told the JC: “I am proud to support the UK’s defence industry in these troubled times and to be described as a former chair of Labour Friends of Israel, the UK’s critically important ally which remains the only democracy in the Middle East.
“But you don’t have to be a friend of Israel to be sickened by Palestine Action’s violence that left a police officer with a smashed spine and has intimidated thousands of working people.
“Only Israel-obsessed lefties think it’s ok to smash up workplaces in Britain in the name of Palestine.”
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