Channel 20 apologized on Wednesday after it expressed joy at the death of Ra'am MK Saeed Alharomi who passed away on Tuesday night due to a heart attack.
The Channel 20 article on Alharomi's death and Facebook post sharing the article began with a quote from Proverbs 11:10, reading, "When the wicked perish there are shouts of joy." The article described the MK as a "terrorist support from the Ra'am faction."
איזו ידיעה, זאת? pic.twitter.com/h2z3UQGlDz
— Yair Brill (@yairbrill) August 25, 2021
"Alharomi was known for his extremist statements and expressed his support for terrorists often," wrote Channel 20, adding that they recently published that Alharomi took part in a conference supporting terrorists.
The right-wing news source apologized for the article and removed the statements from the article and Facebook, stating in response "We would like to clarify that the article that was published today regarding the unfortunate death of MK Saeed Alharomi was from the reporter's opinion and his alone, and the channel strongly disapproves of what is said in it. Channel 20 mourns the death of MK Alharomi and sends its condolences to his family and relatives."
The I'lam Media Center, which works to empower Arabs in Israel, expressed outrage at the Channel 20 publication, saying that the channel "crossed all the ethical and professional red lines in the field of journalism."
"It is time to examine the continuation of Channel 20's broadcasts, in light of the repeated violations of the rules of journalistic ethics since its inception in 2014," added I'lam. "We must not be satisfied with the channel's apology for today's inciting and racist publication, as well as the coverage in Shfaram during the rocket fall in May 2020. It is clear to everyone that racist and inciting discourse is an integral part of Channel 20's agenda, which is in direct conflict with the provisions of the law and the rules of ethics of the authority."