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Arab News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Hundreds of media figures accuse BBC of acting as ‘PR' for Israel, urge removal of board member
LONDON: Hundreds of media professionals, including over 100 current BBC staff, have signed an open letter accusing the broadcaster of acting as 'PR for the Israeli government,' and called for the removal of BBC board member Sir Robbie Gibb over alleged conflicts of interest. The letter, sent to BBC Director-General Tim Davie and the broadcaster's board, follows a string of controversies — including the BBC's live broadcast of anti-Israel chants by the punk-rap duo Bob Vylan at Glastonbury, and the decision to pull a commissioned documentary on Gaza. 'All too often it has felt that the BBC has been performing PR for the Israeli government and military. This should be a cause of great shame and concern for everyone at the BBC,' the letter stated. The signatories — which include actress Miriam Margolyes, filmmaker Mike Leigh, actor Charles Dance, and historian William Dalrymple — claim the BBC's coverage of Gaza 'falls short' of its editorial standards and fails to reflect the reality on the ground. The letter also raises concerns over the BBC's decision to withdraw from airing 'Gaza: Doctors Under Attack,' a documentary it originally commissioned, which will now be broadcast by Channel 4. The BBC said it pulled the film because it 'risked creating a perception of partiality.' 'This appears to be a political decision and is not reflective of the journalism in the film,' the letter stated. 'This illustrates precisely what many of us have experienced first hand: an organisation that is crippled by fear of being perceived as critical of the Israeli government.' Much of the criticism focuses on Gibb, a former head of the BBC's Westminster political team and ex-spin doctor for Prime Minister Theresa May. Gibb helped lead the consortium that purchased The Jewish Chronicle in 2020 and served as a director until August 2024. The letter describes his position on the BBC board — including on the editorial standards committee — as 'untenable,' citing the Jewish Chronicle's alleged history of publishing 'anti-Palestinian and often racist content.' The letter accuses Gibb of a conflict of interest and highlights what it sees as a double standard: 'For many of us, our efforts have been frustrated by opaque decisions made at senior levels of the BBC without discussion or explanation. Our failures impact audiences. 'As an organisation we have not offered any significant analysis of the UK government's involvement in the war on Palestinians. We have failed to report on weapons sales or their legal implications. These stories have instead been broken by the BBC's competitors.' The statement alleges Gibb has a 'conflict of interest' which 'highlights a double standard for BBC content makers who have themselves experienced censorship in the name of 'impartiality.'' The letter further stated: 'In some instances staff have been accused of having an agenda because they have posted news articles critical of the Israeli government on their social media. 'By comparison, Gibb remains in an influential post with little transparency regarding his decisions despite his ideological leanings being well known. We can no longer ask licence fee payers to overlook Gibbs's ideological allegiances.' A BBC spokesperson said: 'Robust discussions amongst our editorial teams about our journalism are an essential part of the editorial process. 'We have ongoing discussions about coverage and listen to feedback from staff and we think these conversations are best had internally. 'Regarding our coverage of Gaza, the BBC is fully committed to covering the conflict impartially and has produced powerful coverage from the region.' The spokesperson added that in addition to 'breaking news, ongoing analysis, and investigations,' the BBC has produced award-winning documentaries such as 'Life and Death in Gaza,' and 'Gaza 101.'
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
BBC staff accuse corporation of ‘anti-Palestinian racism'
BBC staff have written to Tim Davie accusing the corporation of anti-Palestinian racism and of 'performing PR for the Israeli government and military'. They have called for the removal of Sir Robbie Gibb as a BBC board member because they alleged he has 'close ties' to the Jewish Chronicle. An open letter to the director-general signed by 107 BBC journalists – as well as celebrities including Charles Dance, Mike Leigh, Juliet Stevenson and Miriam Margolyes – claims that the corporation is 'an organisation that is crippled by the fear of being perceived as critical of the Israeli government'. The letter was signed by anonymous staff from BBC News, the World Service, BBC Arabic and Panorama, amongst others. One of the signatories is from the HR department. It has dismayed Jewish staff who fear there is an anti-Israel lobby within BBC News. The letter criticises the BBC's decision to drop a documentary about doctors in Gaza owing to impartiality concerns. The film will be shown tonight on Channel 4 instead. It singles out Sir Robbie, the former No 10 communications director under Theresa May, who is now a BBC Board member and sits on the editorial standards committee. 'We are concerned that an individual with close ties to the Jewish Chronicle, an outlet that has repeatedly published anti-Palestinian and often racist content, has a say in the BBC's editorial decisions in any capacity, including the decision not to broadcast Gaza: Medics Under Fire,' the letter reads. 'We believe the role of Robbie Gibb, both on the Board, and as part of the Editorial Standards Committee, is untenable.' In fact, Sir Robbie resigned as a director of the Jewish Chronicle last year. Sir Robbie and the newspaper have been contacted for comment. The BBC has been embroiled in numerous antisemitism rows including Saturday's Glastonbury coverage, when viewers saw punk-rap duo Bob Vylan chant 'death, death to the IDF' and 'from the river to the sea'. However, the letter claims that the true bias at the BBC is pro-Israeli. 'All too often it has felt that the BBC has been performing PR for the Israeli government and military. This should be a cause of great shame and concern for everyone at the BBC,' it says. The letter, addressed to Mr Davie and the BBC board, claims that the refusal to show the new Gaza documentary is 'just one in a long line of agenda-driven decisions' which 'demonstrates, once again, that the BBC is not reporting 'without fear or favour' when it comes to Israel'. 'As an organisation we have not offered any significant analysis of the UK government's involvement in the war on Palestinians. We have failed to report on weapons sales or their legal implications. These stories have instead been broken by the BBC's competitors. 'This hasn't happened by accident, rather by design. Much of the BBC's coverage in this area is defined by anti-Palestinian racism. The inconsistent manner in which guidance is applied draws into focus the role of Sir Robbie Gibb,' the letter reads. 'Failed to report the reality of the war on Palestinians' The staff claim that the BBC's news coverage ' has failed to report the reality and the context of the war on Palestinians '. Other named signatories on the list include William Dalrymple, the historian; Owen Jones, the Guardian columnist; Misan Harriman, the photographer favoured by the Duchess of Sussex; and Roger McKenzie, international editor of the Morning Star. The BBC commissioned the Gaza documentary, alternatively titled Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, but dropped it after concluding that 'broadcasting this material risked creating a perception of partiality that would not meet the high standards that the public rightly expect of the BBC'. The corporation previously released a documentary, Gaza: How To Survive A War Zone, without establishing that the child narrator was the son of a Hamas minister. A forthcoming report into the broadcast is expected to be highly critical of BBC News fact-checking. Responding to the letter, a BBC spokesperson said: ' Robust discussions amongst our editorial teams about our journalism are an essential part of the editorial process. We have ongoing discussions about coverage and listen to feedback from staff and we think these conversations are best had internally. 'Regarding our coverage of Gaza, the BBC is fully committed to covering the conflict impartially and has produced powerful coverage from the region.'
