Danny Cohen
The Telegraph, Mar. 19, 2024
“The report in question accused Israel of abusing Palestinian medics and was given great prominence by the BBC as the lead story on its News website. But Collier’s investigation suggested that the story relied on a group of reporters and sources who have worn their anti-Israel bias as a badge of pride.”
BBC News is plunging new depths when it comes to its reporting of the Israel-Hamas war. In doing so, it is bringing shame on a publicly-funded organisation.
Earlier this month, BBC News CEO Deborah Turness was asked in Parliament about a column I had written for this newspaper about the anti-Israel bias of journalists working for its heavily promoted BBC Verify brand. An investigation had found that a source used by the BBC for its Gaza coverage was a journalist who apparently worked for a news agency associated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, which is committed to Israel’s destruction. The journalist’s social-media timeline also contained anti-Semitic material.
When challenged on this at a House of Lords committee, Ms Turness’s response was very revealing. First, she dismissed the reporting because it was “positioned in a hostile media outlet” – The Telegraph. This is a remarkable thing to say. It suggests that the BBC’s approach is to ignore legitimate criticism if it does not like where it comes from.
… [To read the full article, click here]
________________________________________________________
