Australia’s national broadcaster has instructed its staff not to identify Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hizballah as terrorist organizations, because they have not been designated as such by the United Nations. The instruction comes despite the fact the Australian government has listed Hizballah as a terrorist group, and is likely to add Hamas and Islamic Jihad to the list soon. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s head of international operations, John Tulloh, confirmed the policy Friday, in response to emailed queries. An internal memo to ABC staff reportedly reads: "Please be careful with Middle Eastern references. Several recent slip-ups have attracted justified complaints. The ABC follows U.N. guidelines on proscribed groups: Hamas, Hizballah, and Islamic Jihad are not included in the U.N.’s list of terrorist organizations and therefore must not be described as such." Tulloh declined to elaborate on the "justified complaints," saying that correspondence from ABC listeners and viewers was private.
Hmm, I wonder who it could be that complained. What a mystery. |