https://arab.news/9ndkv
- Newspaper inaccurately called Muslim Association of Britain ‘extremist’ following a remark by then minister Michael Gove
- In response to complaints, The Telegraph issued a correction and attributed mistake to ‘human error’
LONDON: The Independent Press Standards Organisation has upheld a complaint filed by the Muslim Association of Britain against The Telegraph for inaccurately labeling the organization as “extremist.”
The decision, announced on Thursday, followed a seven-month investigation into an article published in March, which wrongly described MAB as extremists.
“IPSO has upheld our complaint against The Telegraph for falsely labelling us as an extremist organisation, after Michael Gove’s abused parliamentary privilege in promoting a discredited and politicised definition of extremism,” said MAB in a post on X.
The regulator concluded that the newspaper violated the Editors’ Code of Practice by “failing to take care not to publish inaccurate information” and “for failing to offer a correction to a significant inaccuracy with sufficient promptness.”
The article, written by right-wing commentator Nick Timothy, claimed MAB was “one of several organizations declared extremist by Michael Gove in Parliament.” However, Gove had actually stated that MAB raised concerns due to its “Islamist orientation” and that the government would assess whether it met the definition of extremism.
In response to the complaint, The Telegraph issued a correction on its Corrections and Clarifications page, attributing the error to “human error.”
“While the correction is welcome, we urge the media to reflect on their responsibility to report facts and avoid spreading harmful falsehoods,” said MAB.
The decision comes at a critical moment, with British media facing accusations of bias in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, further complicating discussions on Islamophobia and antisemitism and highlighting ongoing challenges for Muslim organizations in the press, particularly in the context of extremism.