300 BBC journalists signed an open letter accusing the corporation of anti-Palestinian racism
300 BBC employees have signed an open letter addressed to General Tim Davie, accusing the corporation of becoming a mouthpiece for Israel.
Media professionals, including Miriam Margolyes, Charles Dance, and Mike Leigh, stand behind the open letter, which claims that the BBC fails to reflect the reality of the situation in Gaza.
It further condemns the BBC for reporting that “falls short” of editorial standards.
“All too often, it has felt that the BBC has been performing PR for the Israeli government and military.
“This should be a cause of great shame and concern for everyone at the BBC,” the letter continues.
However, the British Broadcasting Corporation argues it welcomes discussions among its editorial teams and claims it is “fully committed to covering the conflict impartially,” per the Deadline.
The letter states that the corporation has “experienced censorship in the name of impartiality.” It claimed some insiders have been “accused of having an agenda because they have posted news articles critical of the Israeli government on their social media.”
One of the issues concerns the BBC’s decision to drop the documentary Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, in spite of it being approved for broadcast by senior editorial policy figures.
The BBC reasoned that the documentary had not undergone “final pre-broadcast sign-off processes” and risked “creating a perception of partiality.”
The corporation didn’t disclose why this perception might exist, but it is believed to be due to comments made by the filmmakers involved, including journalist Ramita Navai describing Israel as “a rogue state that’s committing war crimes and ethnic cleansing, and mass-murdering Palestinians.”
The letter goes on to explain: “This appears to be a political decision and is not reflective of the journalism in the film.
“This illustrates precisely what many of us have experienced first hand: an organisation that is crippled by the fear of being perceived as critical of the Israeli government.”
The letter added that Robbie Gibb’s position on the BBC board is “untenable” because he is known to be linked to the Jewish Chronicle, which, according to the letter, had previously published “anti-Palestinian and often racist content.”
A BBC spokesperson said: “Robust discussions amongst our editorial teams about our journalism are an essential part of the editorial process. We have ongoing discussions about coverage and listen to feedback from staff, and we think these conversations are best had internally.
Regarding our coverage of Gaza, the BBC is fully committed to covering the conflict impartially and has produced powerful coverage from the region. Alongside breaking news, ongoing analysis, and investigations, we have produced award-winning documentaries such as Life and Death in Gaza and Gaza 101.”
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ podcast – listen to the latest episode now!
