More than 100 staff have accused the BBC of bias in its coverage of Israel’s war in Gaza Israel-Palestine Conflicts News

The activists say that ‘Israel must be held accountable for its actions’ and that failure to do so is demoralizing the Palestinian people.

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

A letter sent to the broadcaster’s managing director, Tim Davie, and chief executive Deborah Turness on Friday said: “The basic tenets of journalism were lacking when it came to holding Israel accountable for its actions.”

First reported by The Independent on Friday, the signatories include more than 100 anonymous BBC staff and more than 200 from the media industry, as well as historians, actors, academics and politicians.

“The consequences of inefficiency are significant. “Every television report, article and radio interview that has failed to challenge Israel’s claims has systematically humiliated the Palestinian people,” the letter said.

Israel’s war in 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 during the attack led by Hamas that day and more than 200 were captured.

The signatories called on the BBC to implement editorial commitments that include “reiterating that Israel does not grant foreign journalists access to Gaza; to make it clear that there is insufficient evidence to support Israel’s claims; to make it clear where Israel is the wrongdoer in the headlines; including general context before October 2023; and strongly challenge the Israeli government and military lawyers in all negotiations”.

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

It also noted that the BBC “is funded by license fees, and the erosion of its editorial standards has put its impartiality and independence at serious risk”.

Last November, more than a month after Israel started the war in Gaza, eight UK-based journalists employed by the BBC wrote to Al Jazeera saying that the BBC was guilty of “double the level of what people see”. that it is “unmoved” in its reporting of alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

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

“To me, and to other people of color, we can clearly see that certain lives of citizens are considered more worthy than others – that there is some kind of hierarchy in play.”

Israel’s war has now spilled over into Lebanon, where at least 2,897 people have been killed and 13,150 wounded in Israeli attacks since the Gaza war began.

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

According to UK media reports on Friday, a BBC spokesperson said: “When we make mistakes or make changes to the way we report, we come clean.”

“We are also clear with our audience about the limitations placed on our reporting – including the lack of access to Gaza and limited access to parts of Lebanon, and our ongoing efforts to locate journalists in those areas,” said a spokesperson.