Interestingly, just last week over 100 BBC staff signed an open letter declaring that they've been forced to do PR For Israel;
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Over 100 BBC staff signed an open letter on 3 July addressed to Director-General Tim Davie, accusing the broadcaster of failing its own editorial standards and acting as “a mouthpiece” for the Israeli government in its coverage of the war in Gaza.
The letter, also signed by over 300 media professionals including actors Miriam Margolyes and Charles Dance and director Mike Leigh, stated that the BBC’s coverage “falls short” in representing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with content that often resembles “PR for the Israeli government and military.”
Signatories cited internal censorship and editorial interference. According to the letter, BBC employees were accused of bias for sharing articles critical of Israel on social media, and contributors reported facing editorial pressure in the name of neutrality.
The decision to cancel the documentary ‘Gaza: Doctors Under Attack,’ despite approval by senior editorial policy staff, was highlighted as a key example.
BBC claimed the film did not pass final editorial checks and risked creating “a perception of partiality,” but insiders said the move was influenced by public statements made by journalist Ramita Navai, who has referred to Israel as “a rogue state.” The film was later acquired by Channel 4.
The letter also called for the resignation of Robbie Gibb, a board member of BBC, citing his ties to the Jewish Chronicle, which the signatories accused of publishing anti-Palestinian content.
BBC denied board-level involvement in the decision to pull the documentary, and said its Editorial Guidelines and Standards Committee played no role in the matter.
A BBC spokesperson responded by stressing the importance of “robust discussions” in the newsroom and reaffirmed the network’s “full commitment to covering the conflict impartially,” citing award-winning coverage such as ‘Life and Death in Gaza’ and ‘Gaza 101.’
On 1 May, BBC correspondent Rami Ruhayem emailed Davie and other senior staff, warning of “a collapse in the application of basic standards and norms of journalism” and saying BBC had failed to address “a mass of evidence-based critique” of its coverage of the events of 7 October 2023 and the days that followed.
Published by Jadaliyya on 18 June, Ruhayem’s email added that management had chosen to “oversee a continuation of the editorial direction BBC has taken since October.”
A 28 December report by Drop Site News said BBC editor Raffi Berg controls online coverage of the war in Gaza and plays a key role in downplaying criticism of Israel. Citing 13 current and former staff members, the report stated that Berg routinely weakens content that is “too critical of Israel.”
“This guy’s entire job is to water down everything,” one former journalist said. Others described a culture of “systematic Israeli propaganda” and editorial gatekeeping, including the dilution of Amnesty International’s genocide accusations.
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England
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