17-07-2025
Ignorance about Hamas shows BBC News boss must go
F or almost two years now I have been raising serious concerns about antisemitism and systemic anti-Israel bias by the BBC in its coverage of Israel's war against Hamas. This week the BBC was forced to admit a major breach of editorial standards following revelations that its film Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone was narrated by the 13-year-old son of a Hamas government official.
Some might hope that this failure would be a turning point for the BBC. Yet hours later Deborah Turness, the CEO of BBC News, told journalists during an all-staff meeting that there is a 'difference' between the political and military wings of Hamas. 'I think it's an important point of detail that we need to continually remind people of,' she stressed.
Turness's guidance is simply not true. The UK government makes no such distinction. Under British law Hamas is 'proscribed in its entirety' as a terrorist organisation because any attempt to distinguish 'between the various parts of Hamas is artificial'.
As the leader of BBC News, on a £430,000 salary, Turness ought to know such basic points. Ironically, she is also the driving force behind the much-derided BBC Verify fact-checking service. Perhaps they could help her out here.
This leaked video is damning evidence of the failures of accuracy that are corroding the BBC's output when it comes to the Gaza war. Crucially, it also reveals that those who lead the BBC simply do not understand the genocidal terrorist ideals that infuse every element of Hamas. This has played a critical role in creating a public perception that Hamas is legitimate, a resistance movement rather than a terrorist army that seeks the death of all Jews.
The BBC's legitimisation of Hamas began as soon as they started murdering babies and raping women on October 7. The refusal to call Hamas terrorists has been followed as the war progressed by the corporation's daily willingness to report unverified figures and spurious claims from the 'Hamas-run health ministry'. Driven by a hunger to break news and get clicks on social media, the BBC's approach has been to report first and ask questions later.
It seems that only BBC executives cannot see what others so clearly can. The culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, has spoken of 'catastrophic' failings at the BBC and its 'problems of leadership'. Ofcom's CEO, Dame Melanie Dawes, has raised concerns that the BBC's failings are eroding public trust. It's time to stop the rot. That begins with asking whether Turness is the right person to restore the reputation of BBC News. I believe it's time for a change.
Danny Cohen is a former director of BBC Television
