BBC staff told not to fight with family and friends over Gaza coverage
The BBC's director-general has warned staff not to 'fight' with their friends and family who are critical of the broadcaster's coverage of the war in Gaza.
Tim Davie acknowledged that the conflict has been 'incredibly difficult' for staff from communities who consider that its output has not been 'representative of its views' during an all-staff 'ask me anything' session earlier this month.
He urged them to adopt 'common sense' in response to concerns from one staffer that they frequently faced accusations about the BBC being a propaganda machine and biased about Gaza, according to the entertainment industry website Deadline.
'I love my job, but sometimes I can't tell anyone I work here for fear of arguments,' they said.
Davie told staff that there was no expectation for them to defend the BBC's output.
'There's no pressure on anyone to fight for the BBC in that context,' he said. 'They've got to look after themselves, protect their family relationships, protect their friendships. That is sacrosanct to me'.
• Tim Davie warns staff about 'antisemitic behaviour' at the BBC
He added that trust in the BBC among audiences remains high and suggested staff could point to the data that reflects this if they felt it was appropriate.
'We're all advocates for the BBC. We're all ambassadors for the BBC. But let's be reasonable, and let's use common sense about this,' he said.
'Some issues are very tough, and I know it's been incredibly difficult for some people within communities who do feel that the coverage is not representative, in their view, of what is going on.'
Deborah Turness, the chief executive of BBC News, suggested that some critics of the BBC's coverage are stuck in online echo chambers.
'A lot of people are reading a lot of content on social media feeds, which are algorithmically driven. So it reinforces the rabbit hole of perspective,' she said.
• Viewers' opinions on BBC News to be gathered for first time
'When people come out of that quite polarised environment in their media feeds and meet BBC content, which is striving to be impartial, they can feel that it is an attack on their values.'
The BBC faced criticism this week from the producer of a documentary about doctors working in Gaza after it decided to drop the film.
The corporation said that it was handing Gaza: Doctors Under Attack — also known as Gaza: Medics Under Fire — back to its producer, Basement Films, because of fears that it was biased.
Basement Films' head, the former Channel 4 News editor Ben de Pear, apologised to the contributors and criticised the BBC for reversing its original decision, having promised to release it on six occasions.
• BBC will not ban Kneecap from its Glastonbury coverage
Production was paused in April pending the conclusion of an investigation into another programme, Gaza: How To Survive a Warzone, which featured the teenage son of a Hamas official as a narrator. The investigation was undertaken by Peter Johnston, the BBC's director of editorial complaints.
The report is understood to have been delivered to Samir Shah, the BBC's chair, and is expected to be published shortly.
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