Posted on 06/24/2002 12:48:11 PM PDT by Dog Gone
JERUSALEM (AP) -- Despite Israeli protests that CNN's Mideast coverage favors the Palestinians, an Israeli satellite provider will not suspend the network from its service, a member of the company's board said Monday.
Ido Dissentshik, who sits on the Yes satellite provider's board of directors, last week requested the Cable News Network be removed from the service for 24 hours to protest remarks made by CNN founder Ted Turner describing both Israelis and Palestinians as engaged in terrorism.
Yes decided against the service suspension, and Dissentshik said he withdrew his request to do so when he learned later that Turner no longer has an editorial role in the company. The channel did add CNN's chief U.S. competitor, Fox News Channel, to its service last week.
``Turner's comments opened a real suspicion that the people who work for him and get paid by him might be influenced by the remarks,'' said Dissentshik, chairman of Israel's Bezeq phone company, which owns 45 percent of Yes. ``I must admit, at the time I didn't know Turner was somewhat removed from the day-to-day life of the network.''
Ron Ciccone, managing director for TBS Middle East, the parent company for CNN, said the network is looking forward to strong relations with Yes.
``We have an excellent relationship with Yes, and we are pleased that this relationship with them will be continuing,'' he said.
Turner's remarks were made in an interview with the British daily newspaper The Guardian. ``I would make the case that both sides are engaged in terrorism,'' Turner was quoted as saying. He later apologized, saying in an interview with an Israeli newspaper that suicide bombings are inexcusable.
Israeli anger was exacerbated when CNN gave more airtime to the family of a Palestinian suicide bomber who carried out a May 27 attack in Petah Tikva than to relatives of his victims, an Israeli woman and her 1-year-old granddaughter. CNN sent Eason Jordan, president of newsgathering, to Israel to try to repair relations.
On Sunday, Jordan told Israel Television that CNN strives for fairness. He said CNN erred by less prominently airing the interview with a relative of 56-year-old Ruth Peled and 1-year-old Sinai Keinan.
CNN this week is airing a series of heavily promoted half-hour specials on Israeli victims of Palestinian terror attacks.
Dissentshik said he was happy with CNN's response to the criticism.
He said that during a Monday meeting of the Yes board of directors the focus shifted to the British Broadcasting Corp., which many Israelis have accused of being anti-Israel.
Dissentshik said he requested Yes consider bumping the BBC from its basic to premium service, which would mean it was viewed by fewer Israelis.
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