By Shahrokh Saei
TEHRAN - Mainstream Western media including British broadcasters stand accused of papering over Israeli crimes in the Gaza Strip since the regime launched war on the territory in October last year.
The BBC’s role in covering up the regime’s carnage once against came to light after 101 employees of the corporation accused it of bias in favor of Israel over the course of the Gaza war.
In a letter sent to the BBC’s director general, Tim Davie, and CEO Deborah Turness on Friday, they called on the broadcaster to “recommit to fairness, accuracy, and impartiality” over its reporting on Gaza, according to The Independent.
The signatories said, “Basic journalistic tenets have been lacking when it comes to holding Israel to account for its actions.”
The letter added, “The consequences of inadequate coverage are significant. Every television report, article and radio interview that has failed to robustly challenge Israeli claims has systematically dehumanized Palestinians.”
More than 100 BBC employees accuse the British broadcaster of pro-Israel bias in the Gaza coverage It also demanded that the BBC implement a series of editorial commitments including “reiterating that Israel does not give external journalists access to Gaza; making it clear when there is insufficient evidence to back up Israeli claims; making clear where Israel is the perpetrator in article headlines; including regular historical context predating October 2023; and robustly challenging Israeli government and military representatives in all interviews”.
One current BBC staff member who signed the letter told The Independent that some colleagues have stepped down over the corporation's coverage of the Gaza onslaught.
“I have never, in my entire career, witnessed such low levels of staff confidence. I have colleagues who have left the BBC in recent months because they just don’t believe our reporting on Israel and Palestine is honest. So many of us feel paralyzed by the levels of fear.”
Another employee said fellow colleagues are “losing faith in the organization [they] work for,” having observed a “huge disparity” in the BBC’s treatment of "Israel", adding that, “people are going elsewhere to find the reality of what is happening because we are simply not giving it to them.”
The letter further highlights shortcomings in other media outlets including ITV and Sky.
In addition to the BBC staff, the letter was also signed by more than 200 members of the media industry.
The BBC has already been criticized for exhibiting bias in favor of Israel during the Gaza war.
Back in October, ten journalists who have covered the war on Gaza for CNN and the BBC revealed the inner workings of their newsrooms since the start of the genocidal war on the territory.
Speaking to Al Jazeera’s The Listening Post, they cited pro-Israel bias in coverage, systematic double standards and frequent violations of journalistic principles.
In several cases, they accused senior newsroom figures of failing to hold Israeli officials to account and of interfering in reporting to downplay Israeli atrocities.
Israel has slaughtered more than 43,300 Palestinians in Gaza and injured nearly 102,000 others since October 7, 2023.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over its brutal onslaught on Gaza.
In May, Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), applied for arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, known as Bibi, and war minister Yoav Gallant.
The request was made over war crimes and crimes against humanity that Israel has committed in Gaza.
Israel also continues to starve Palestinians in the Gaza Strip by obstructing the delivery of essentials such as food. The regime’s army is further pressing ahead with its ethnic cleansing plan in northern Gaza by massacring people in the region.
Israel targets civilians under the pretext of hitting Hamas fighters.
The Netanyahu regime smears Hamas and news outlets such as the BBC promote its propaganda.
Israel has perpetrated the most heinous crimes in Gaza while Western broadcasters serve as the apologists for the apartheid regime.
Barbaric attacks carried out by the Israeli army across the Gaza Strip have sparked global anger. But the BBC and alike try to downplay such brutalities.
The US and British governments are among Israel’s main allies and media in these countries align with their policies.
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