Editing John Pilger (section)

===''Palestine Is Still the Issue''===
{{Main|Palestine Is Still the Issue}}
Pilger's documentary ''[[Palestine Is Still the Issue]]'' was released in 2002 and had [[Ilan Pappé]] as historical adviser. Pilger 
said the film describes how an "historic injustice has been done to the Palestinian people, and until Israel's illegal and brutal occupation ends, there will be no peace for anyone, Israelis included". He said the responses of his interviewees "put the lie to the standard Zionist cry that any criticism of Israel is anti-semitic, a claim that insults all those Jewish people who reject the likes of [[Ariel Sharon]] acting in their name".<ref name="Pilger02">John Pilger, [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/sep/23/television.middleeastthemedia "Why my film is under fire"], ''The Guardian'', 23 September 2002.</ref> Its broadcast resulted in complaints by the Israeli embassy, the [[Board of Deputies of British Jews]], and the [[Conservative Friends of Israel]] that it was inaccurate and biased.<ref>Stephen Bates [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/sep/20/television.middleeastthemedia "TV chief attacks 'one-sided' Palestinian documentary"], 20 September 2002.</ref> [[Michael Green (television magnate)|Michael Green]], chairman of [[Carlton Communications]], the company that made the film, also objected to it in an interview with ''[[The Jewish Chronicle]]''.<ref>Leon Symons, [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/sep/20/pressandpublishing.broadcasting "Carlton chief slams Pilger's attack on Israel"], ''The Jewish Chronicle'', as reprinted by mediaguardiian, 20 September 2002.</ref><ref>Jason Deans, [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/sep/20/pressandpublishing.television "TV boss 'irresponsible' says Pilger"], mediaguardian, 20 September 2002.</ref>

The UK television regulator, the [[Independent Television Commission]] (ITC), ordered an investigation. The ITC investigation rejected the complaints about the film, stating in its report:
<blockquote>The ITC raised with Carlton all the significant areas of inaccuracy critics of the programme alleged and the broadcaster answered them by reference to a range of historical texts. The ITC is not a tribunal of fact and is particularly aware of the difficulties of verifying 'historical fact' but the comprehensiveness and authority of Carlton's sources were persuasive, not least because many appeared to be of Israeli origin.<ref name="ITC03">[http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/itc/uploads/Programme_Complaints_Bulletin_No_6.doc "Programme Complaints and Findings Bulletin No. 6"], ITC, 13 January 2003, pp. 4–5 ([http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/itc/itc_publications/complaints_reports/programme_complaints/show_complaint.asp-prog_complaint_id=576.html now on OFCOM website])</ref></blockquote>

The ITC concluded that in Pilger's documentary "adequate opportunity was given to a pro-Israeli government perspective" and that the programme "was not in breach of the ITC Programme Code".<ref name="ITC03"/><ref name="Jury">Louise Jury, [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/pilger-cleared-of-bias-in-tv-documentary-on-palestinians-601223.html "Pilger cleared of bias in TV documentary on Palestinians"] {{dead link|date=August 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}, ''The Independent'', 13 January 2003. Retrieved 3 July 2011.</ref>