Novara Media Staff Call Out Spin From Sky News’ Kay Burley On Palestinian Diplomat’s Comment

Sky News journalist Kay Burley dismissed criticism of her reporting as staff at Novara Media accused her of “making up a provocative quote” by UK Palestinian Ambassador Husam Zomlot and using it to challenge those appearing on her show.

Burley’s line of questioning on Tuesday morning followed Zomlot’s many press appearances yesterday about the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict and her spin on his stance, as she suggested to Foreign Secretary James Cleverly that Zomlot had “basically said ‘the Israelis had it coming.’”

Zomlot is due to appear on stage beside Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy at a Labour Friends of Palestine reception Tuesday night as part of the ongoing Labour Party Conference in Liverpool.

In segments throughout the morning, presenting each interviewee with her summation of Zomlot’s remarks, Burley challenged Cleverly and various Labour Party MPs, including Pat McFadden, on whether it was appropriate for Lammy to appear with the diplomat.

The pattern was highlighted by user @SaulStaniforth on X, formerly Twitter:

The clips were then used by staff from left-wing media organisation Novara Media to question Burley’s position. Host Michael Walker accusing Burley of “terrible journalism” and calling her “reminiscent of a playground shit-stirrer.”

Novara founder Aaron Bastani described Burley’s slant as an “extraordinary lie.”

On her midday train ride to Liverpool, Burley jumped online to dismiss her critics.

It was at this stage that Novara’s Contributing Editor Ash Sarkar also weighed in to express surprise at Burley’s response to being called out.

Burley replied: “Do you not have anything else to do in your @novaramedia office. Off you pop.”

Of Burley’s rebuke, Sarkar reasoned: “It’s our job to point out bad practice in the mainstream media. And making up a quote from the Palestinian ambassador, and repeating it as though it was true, certainly constituted bad practice.”

Burley’s paraphrasing seems to come from the multiple press appearances that Zomlot was part of on Monday. In an interview on CNN, Zomlot said: “What is more tragic, or equally tragic, is the blindness and the deafness of the world and the international community for so many years, of the warnings we have been saying that this was coming. Israel knew that this was coming.”

In those appearances Zomlot, a member of the national movement of Palestine, also repeated his organisation’s 30 year long commitment “recognise Israel, commit to negotiations and nonviolence, and to international legitimacy and resolution.”

On Monday’s BBC Newsnight, the diplomate shared that seven of his relatives in Gaza were killed that day in Israeli strikes, including two children.