Calls for Inquiry As BBC Fails to Investigate Complaints of Anti-Israel Bias

The BBC is facing calls for an inquiry due to accusations of anti-Israel bias in its Arabic outlet’s coverage of the Israel-Gaza conflict. The Telegraph has more.

Critics say the corporation is breaching its own guidelines by ignoring complaints about BBC Arabic’s coverage of the Israel-Gaza conflict.

In numerous cases, they say the BBC has not responded to the complaints or only partially responded, with only a handful answered within its deadline of 10 working days.

Camera UK, which is “dedicated to promoting fair, accurate and balanced coverage of Israel in the British media,” has submitted 33 complaints about BBC Arabic’s output since the October 7th attacks by Hamas.   

It has now called for a parliamentary inquiry to hold the BBC “responsible for basic standards of accuracy and impartiality”.

The call has been backed by Conservative peer Lord Polak, who told the Telegraph: “There needs to be a wide-ranging independent inquiry into the BBC’s coverage of the Israeli-Hamas conflict and their handling of complaints about it.

“If they keep getting it wrong it suggests there is a fundamental issue with the BBC, with the possibility that the views of individuals within the organisation are more important than their own Charter’s requirement for impartiality.” …

Camera says that of its 33 complaints, 18 had gone unanswered or the answer was overdue; 11 were answered belatedly and only four were answered in line with the corporation’s own guidelines of a response within 10 working days of the complaint being submitted.

In one case, BBC Arabic described the capture of an Israeli soldier by Hamas gunmen as an “arrest”. This was partially corrected, although a post on Twitter still contains the reference to “the moments when the Al-Qassam Brigades arrested Israeli soldiers and brought them into the Gaza Strip.”

Worth reading in full.