100 Staffers Accuse BBC of Bias

The BBC has been accused by more than 100 staffers of providing Israel favorable coverage in its reporting on the war against the Gaza Strip, calling on the broadcaster to “recommit to fairness, accuracy, and impartiality.” 

The letter ent to BBC Director General Tim Davie was signed by more than 230 members of the media industry, including 101 anonymous BBC staff, journalists from other media organizations as well as historians, actors, academics and politicians, according to a report that was first published Friday by The Independent newspaper.

It criticized the news outlet for failing its editorial standards by lacking “consistently fair and accurate evidence-based journalism in its coverage of Gaza.”

It also urged the BBC to report “without fear or favour” and to “recommit to the highest editorial standards – with emphasis on fairness, accuracy, and due impartiality.”

“The consequences of inadequate coverage are significant. Every television report, article and radio interview that has failed to robustly challenge Israeli claims has systematically dehumanised Palestinians,” it said.

The BBC denied the claims, insisting it “strives to live up to our responsibility to deliver the most trusted and impartial news.”

A spokesperson said: “When we make mistakes or have made changes to the way we report, we are transparent. We are also very clear with our audiences on the limitations put on our reporting – including the lack of access into Gaza and restricted access to parts of Lebanon, and our continued efforts to get reporters into those areas.”

The BBC is among other British media organizations that have been criticized over the past year for its Gaza coverage.

Other signatories on the list include the historian William Dalrymple, Catherine Happer, a senior lecturer in sociology and director of media at the University of Glasgow, Rizwana Hamid, director at the Centre for Media Monitoring, and broadcaster John Nicolson, according to The Independent.

Despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has continued a devastating offensive against Gaza since an attack last year by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas,

More than 43,300 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 102,000 injured, according to local health authorities.

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

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Why is Israel Bombing Gaza Shelters?

The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor reports that the Israeli military has attacked shelter centers in the Gaza Strip 39 times so far this month in a bid to “displace Palestinians and empty Gaza.”

“The Israeli targeting has included shelling, direct shootings, killing forcibly displaced people and their families, or making them leave schools-turned-shelters under fire and/or with orders to relocate. These schools are then burned or otherwise destroyed by Israeli forces in order to render them uninhabitable and stop displaced people from returning to them,” the group added.

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Journalists Killed in Gaza Doubles World Average

The number of Palestinian journalists killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza in a year is more than double the annual global average, a Palestinian press union announced, Saturday.

In a press breifing marking the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, the Palestinian Journalists Association said the Israeli army killed 183 journalists in Gaza since 7 October 2023.

“This figure is more than double the number of journalists killed annually around the world,” it added.

“The massacres committed systematically by the occupation against Palestinian journalists in Gaza and aimed at eliminating witnesses of the truth, will not go unpunished,” the association stressed.

It described the “horrific massacres against journalism and humanity by the occupation forces in Gaza” as the “largest and most brutal massacre of journalists in the history of media worldwide,” according to Anadolu.

Last Friday, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said 900 journalists were killed worldwide since 2013, averaging 82 journalists per year, which is less than half the number of Palestinian journalists killed by Israel in Gaza in one year.

The syndicate called on countries and institutions around the world to “take urgent measures and decisions to establish binding and deterrent legal mechanisms to hold accountable and prosecute the murderers of journalists, ensuring they do not escape punishment.”

Despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has continued a devastating offensive on Gaza since an attack last year by the Palestinian resistance group.

More than 43,300 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 102,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

Continue reading