The BBC has been accused by its own journalists of favouritism towards Israel and a failure to “humanise Palestinian victims” in the ongoing conflict.
In a 2,300-word letter that eight of the corporation’s UK-based journalists penned to Al Jazeera, they accused their employer of failing to “accurately” cover the Israel-Hamas conflict since the war began.
The journalists, who asked Al Jazeera to not to share their identities for fear of reprisal, wrote that “humanising coverage of Palestinian civilians has been lacking” and accused the BBC of being guilty of a “double standard in how civilians are seen”.
Since the proscribed terror group Hamas invaded Israel last month, the corporation has been under fire with claims of bias and controversy.
The latest has seen outcry from their own headquarters in the UK, with the journalists writing: “The BBC has failed to accurately tell this story – through omission and lack of critical engagement with Israel’s claims – and it has therefore failed to help the public engage with and understand the human rights abuses unfolding in Gaza.”
The letter continues: “Thousands of Palestinians have been killed since Oct 7. When will the number be high enough for our editorial stance to change?”
The group told Al Jazeera they do not plan to send their letter to the broadcaster’s executives, reportedly because they believe that it will not lead to any meaningful discussions.
A BBC spokesman insisted that the corporation’s coverage “has made clear the devastating human cost to civilians living in Gaza and Israel”.
It comes after the broadcaster stopped describing Hamas as “militants” by default at the end of last month, after complaints by Jewish leaders about its refusal to refer to Hamas killers as “terrorists”.
Meanwhile, Danny Cohen, the director of BBC Television, told The Telegraph last week that Britain’s Jewish people are “being harmed through its unbalanced reporting” as he accused a BBC journalist of pro-Palestine bias on her social media feed.
However, the letter from a small group of the corporation’s employees insisted that there is an unequal level of empathy shown to Israeli and Palestinian victims in regards to the death toll in Gaza from Israeli military bombardment, which is attempting to eliminate Hamas.
The journalists said terms like “massacre” and “atrocity” are reserved “only for Hamas, framing the group as the only instigator and perpetrator of violence in the region. This is inaccurate but aligns with the BBC’s overall coverage”.
They added that Hamas’s attack on Oct 7, “while appalling and devastating… does not justify the indiscriminate killing of thousands of Palestinian civilians, and the BBC cannot be seen to support – or fail to interrogate – the logic that it does.
“We are asking the BBC to better reflect and defer to the evidence-based findings of official and unbiased humanitarian organisations.”
The anonymous reporters claimed that the broadcaster’s portrayal of Israel suffering was more thorough, for example, telling audiences the names of victims, covering funerals and interviewing families.
Meanwhile, they said, “in comparison humanising coverage of Palestinian civilians has been lacking”.
Not consistent
The journalists acknowledged “some strong isolated examples”, but said sensitively told stories about Palestinians were not “consistent”, particularly at the onset of the war.
The letter also reveals that the BBC has organised “trauma support and listening sessions” for staff who are affected by the conflict.
The BBC spokesman said: “The BBC is one of the only news organisations to have journalists inside Gaza, and our journalists have been able to provide on the ground reporting, first-hand testimony and analysis on what is happening on the ground.
“This has included many stories of Palestinian victims and first-hand testimony from civilians, doctors and aid-workers in Gaza, as well as a Panorama documentary, featuring human stories from both sides.
“BBC News has also examined the history and complexities of the Israel-Palestinian conflict and continues to provide historical context and explainers throughout our coverage online, on our dedicated podcast -The Conflict – and on our radio and TV news programmes.
“When interviewing either the Israeli government, Hamas, Palestinian representatives, or other leaders, we are robust, challenging and aim to hold power to account.”
The corporation pointed to a comprehensive list of examples of BBC coverage on the war, which included dozens of human stories of Palestinian suffering.