BBC regrets publishing report linking Joy with Israel

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) today regretted carrying a story on a so-called meeting of an Israeli politician with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s son and ICT affairs adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy in Washington without getting his comments.

‘With hindsight, we regret publishing the story before obtaining comments from Mr Wazed, as this is how the BBC would normally treat such claims . . . In light of this, we will strengthen our editorial processes,’ BBC Global News Corporate Communications Manager Paul Rasmussen said in the statement.

It, however, said BBC tried to reach Joy ahead of running an interview of Israel’s Likud party member Mendi N Safadi on May 28 while the Israeli politician claimed to have met him in Washington.

In a Facebook posting on the very next day, Joy denied holding any meeting with Safadi and accused him of falsehood saying ‘he (Safadi) is willing to lie for the BNP also proves that he is involved in a conspiracy with the BNP’.

The ruling Awami League subsequently trashed Safadi’s claim calling it a staged-managed drama by BNP.

‘BNP leaders- those now are in London- are cooking up the tale that Joy and Safadi met to distract people’s attention from their conspiracy to oust the government,’ Awami League joint secretary general Mahbubul Alam Hanif said in a statement also asking BBC to be careful, reports BSS.

Hanif said an expatriate BNP leader Jakob Milton had taken the interview and that he intentionally asked Safadi if he had any meeting with any Bangladeshi politicians before meeting BNP leader Aslam Chowdhury.

‘With this sort of question, it was clear that the interview and Safadi’s claim of holding meeting with Joy were manufactured one,’ Hanif said.