ARD Scrutinizes Gaza Staff Following ZDF Hamas Scandal
Berlin – In the wake of a burgeoning scandal at ZDF involving links to Hamas, Germany’s ARD public broadcaster has announced it has reviewed all local staff in Gaza this week. The move comes after ZDF confirmed a staff member at a partner company in Gaza was affiliated with the terrorist institution Hamas.
The confirmation from ZDF on Monday was notably damning, as the broadcaster had previously faced criticism for its reaction to an Israeli military strike that killed the individual.ZDF journalists had referred to the deceased as a “colleague,” a “media worker,” and ”our eyes in Gaza.”
Responding to inquiries from Bild, an ARD spokesperson – speaking on behalf of the Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation, which oversees the ARD studio in Tel aviv responsible for Gaza coverage – stated that, unlike ZDF, ARD “does not work with production companies or media offices in the Gaza Strip, but with a few individual people.”
Regarding these individual collaborators, the spokesperson affirmed a long-standing relationship built on trust. “We have been working with them in a trusting manner for many years,even before the start of the war. In a series of personal conversations and previous meetings (before October 7, 2023), they credibly assured employees of the ARD Studio Tel Aviv that they have no connection to terrorist organizations. They have reaffirmed this recently.”
Essentially, following the revelation of ZDF’s years-long collaboration with a Hamas operative, ARD contacted its Gaza staff and received assurances of non-affiliation with the group.
The broadcaster further stated that proactive measures were taken to ensure security, including “checking and evaluating social media profiles.”
However, the reliability of such vetting remains questionable. ZDF initially claimed there was “no evidence” of the partner employee’s Hamas membership shortly before…
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