'Mediawatch hits nail on head' says Kia Ora Gaza

Radio New Zealand's Mediawatch programme today covered the stoush between George Galloway, founder of UK charity Viva Palestina, and TV3's The Nation frontman Sean Plunket and executive producer Richard Harman.

On 15 August 2010, The Nation broadcast allegations about Mr Galloway and Viva Palestina which were afterwards described by the former British MP as "a collection of inaccuracies and downright lies, larded by overt bias".

Among these allegations were claims that Mr Galloway had never met a dictator he didn't like, that he is virulently anti-American and that Viva Palestina is all about the fall of the capitalist system.

Mr Galloway said: "Instead of defaming me behind my back Plunket could have put these wild allegations to my face. I invite him to do that now in a TV interview if he has the stomach for it."

His request was curtly dismissed without explanation by the Nation's Mr Harman, who emailed: "I can see no point in interviewing Mr Gallaway [sic]."

The Nation's allegations had been made in the context of interviewing Kia Ora Gaza's Roger Fowler, Captain of the six-person Kiwi Team setting out with an international aid convoy to Gaza on 18 September 2010.

Led by Viva Palestina, this 500-vehicle humanitarian convoy will be the biggest since World War II. It has attracted vitriolic attacks from supporters of the Israeli state which is inflicting an illegal collective punishment on Palestinians in Gaza.

Radio New Zealand's Mediawatch presenter Jeremy Rose ended his programme today with these words:

"A George Galloway / Sean Plunket stoush seems like something of a missed opportunity. But, regardless, having decided not to take George Galloway up on his offer [of being interviewed by Sean Plunket] The Nation should either have verified what George Galloway has described as 'downright lies' about him, or acknowledged and corrected any mistake it did make."

"Mediawatch has hit the nail on the head," said Grant Morgan, co-organiser of Kia Ora Gaza. "If the makers of TV3's The Nation cannot face up to an interview with George Galloway, they should at least verify their allegations and honestly admit all factual errors and evident bias."

"We don't want gutless gutter journalism in this country," Mr Morgan said. "Mr Harman and his front man, Sean Plunket, should hang their heads in shame."

ends

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