More than 100 employees accuse the BBC of bias in reporting on Israel’s war in Gaza | Israeli-Palestinian Conflict News

Workers say “Israel must be held accountable for its actions” and that failure to do so dehumanizes Palestinians.

The BBC has been accused by more than 100 staff of giving favorable coverage to Israel in its coverage of the war on Gaza and criticized the lack of “accurate, evidence-based journalism”.

A letter sent on Friday to the broadcaster’s director general Tim Davie and CEO Deborah Turnness said: “Fundamental journalistic principles have been lacking when it comes to holding Israel to account for its actions.”

As first reported by The Independent newspaper on Friday, the signatories included more than 100 anonymous BBC employees and more than 200 from the media industry, as well as historians, actors, academics and politicians.

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

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 43,259 Palestinians and injured 101,827 since October 7, 2023. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel that day in the Hamas-led attacks, and more than 200 were captured.

The signatories called on the BBC to honor editorial commitments, including “reiterating that Israel does not allow external journalists access to Gaza; making it clear when there is insufficient evidence to support Israeli claims; clarify where Israel is the perpetrator in the headlines; including the regular historical context before October 2023; and vigorously challenging the Israeli government and military representatives in all interviews.”

The letter states that British media organizations such as the BBC, ITV and Sky “enjoy a high level of public trust” and “have a duty to fearlessly follow the evidence”.

It also noted that the BBC “is funded by license fees, and the erosion of its own editorial standards has seriously compromised its impartiality and independence”.

Last November, more than a month after Israel began its war in Gaza, eight British journalists employed by the BBC wrote a letter to Al Jazeera saying the BBC is guilty of a “double standard in the way it views civilians.” . that she is “unwavering” in her reporting on alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

“This organization does not represent us,” one of the co-writers told Al Jazeera.

“To me, and certainly to other people of color, we can see very clearly that certain civilian lives are considered more valuable than others — that there is some kind of hierarchy at play.”

Israel’s war has now spread to Lebanon, where at least 2,897 people have been killed and 13,150 injured in Israeli attacks since the start of the war on Gaza.

The BBC has defended its coverage of the war in Gaza.

According to British media reports, a BBC spokesperson said on Friday: “Where we make mistakes or changes to the way we report, we are transparent.

“We are also very clear with our audiences about the limitations placed on our reporting – including the lack of access to Gaza and limited access to parts of Lebanon, and our continued efforts to get reporters into those areas,” the added spokesperson added.