Israel lobby intensifies smear campaign against Press TV for Palestine coverage

Pro-Israel lobby groups have intensified their smear campaign against Iran’s leading broadcaster Press TV for exposing Israel’s atrocities against Palestinians during its latest onslaught on the Gaza Strip.

Honest Reporting Canada, which describes itself as “an organization dedicated to defending Israel against prejudice in the Media,” joined a growing chorus of pro-Israel pressure groups targeting Press TV, after the network’s correspondent in Toronto filed a report about an event commemorating the 75^th anniversary of the Nakba Day.

The pro-Israel group, a subsidiary of Honest Reporting based in New York City, accused Press TV of “incitement and disinformation,” even though its reporting was based entirely on interviews with Canadian citizens taking part in the rally.

Some Twitter users were quick to call out Honest Reporting for “taking a stand against the freedom of the press.”

The Press TV correspondence said in her report that young Palestinians in Toronto led commemorations of the Nakba Day, renewing the call to strengthen international support for the Palestinian resistance.

The Day of Nakba or catastrophe refers to May 15, 1948, when Israel declared its illegal existence at the expense of the forced expulsion of about 750,000 Palestinians from their homeland.

Honest Reporting Canada was enraged by Press TV’s sheer reporting on Nakba, just as other pro-Israeli groups have for years made desperate attempts to silence independent media over their coverage of Israeli crimes against Palestinians.

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Since its inception more than 15 years ago, Press TV has been known for its free and fearless coverage of Palestine, which has made it a target of Zionist lobby groups in the West. Press TV journalists and hosts have also been at the receiving end of a relentless smear campaign.

The broadcaster has a large number of viewers across Western countries and a considerable number of followers on social media.

In April, the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCHD) and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) demanded social media giants Facebook and Twitter block Press TV from publishing content in Britain.

ADL chief executive Jonathan Greenblatt said at the time it was “inexcusable” to offer Press TV a platform.

In July 2013, Press TV was taken off the air in the UK after the media regulator Ofcom revoked its license for allegedly breaching the Communications Act.

In the same year, it was taken off the air in North America after the US Treasury Department announced sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).

Press TV has also been dropped from the Galaxy 19 satellite platform that allowed the network to broadcast in the United States and Canada, without saying when it was dropped.

The network has denounced the measures as “media terrorism.”

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk