BBC under fire for bias in reporting on Gaza war
Last Updated on November 4, 2024 5:49 am
More than a hundred employees of the British media outlet BBC have accused it of biased reporting on the more than one-year-old aggression in Gaza, Palestine. They said that the BBC has been reporting on the side of Israel. They also accused the media outlet of lacking ‘proper evidence-based journalism’.
According to Al Jazeera’s report, they made these complaints in a letter sent to the British media outlet’s director-general Tim Davey and CEO Deborah Turnes on Friday (October 1). In the letter, they said: ‘The BBC lacks basic journalistic principles in holding Israel accountable for its actions.’
More than a hundred BBC employees are among the signatories to the letter. In addition, more than two hundred employees of other media outlets have signed it. There are also historians, actors, academics and politicians. It said that every television report, article and radio interview failed to challenge Israel’s claims in a robust manner. They systematically compounded the inhumane situation for Palestinians.
Israel’s offensive in Gaza has so far killed at least 43,314 people and injured more than 100,000. The signatories called on the BBC to fulfil its editorial commitment, saying that Israel does not allow foreign journalists into Gaza. The letter called for the BBC to firmly challenge Israeli government and military representatives in every interview, including regular historical background, before October 2023.
The letter also said that British media organisations such as the BBC, ITV and Sky News have a “high level of trust” in the public. Therefore, they have a responsibility to present the information fearlessly and with evidence. The BBC’s biased reporting on the situation in Gaza has seriously compromised its own editorial standards, impartiality and independence.
However, the BBC has denied the accusations of bias in its reporting of Gaza. A spokesperson for the media outlet said: “When we make mistakes or change our reporting methods, we make it clear.”
The spokesperson added: “We are also very clear to our listeners about the limitations of our reporting. We do our best to gather information despite various obstacles, including the closure of Gaza and limited access to parts of Lebanon.”
Earlier in November last year, more than a month after Israel’s war in Gaza began, eight British journalists employed by the BBC wrote to Al Jazeera, accusing the BBC of “double standards in its coverage of the Gaza war.”