BBC Censures Staff for Calling Hamas a “Terror Group”
The BBC has censured its own staff for calling Hamas a “terror group”, leading a former director of BBC television to say the corporation “can no longer be allowed to mark its own homework”. The Telegraph has the story.
The corporation’s executive complaints unit (ECU) ruled it was wrong for one of its presenters to call the Islamists a “terror group” in a broadcast on June 15th.
It said that its rolling news channel had strayed from editorial guidelines by using the phrase.
The ECU said the BBC does not brand organisations as “terror” or “terrorist” groups for reasons of “due accuracy and impartiality” and instead reports that they are designated as such by third parties.
The incident was “reported to the management of BBC News and discussed with the editorial team responsible”, the body added.
The ruling comes after a lengthy debate over how the BBC characterises Hamas.
Following the October 7th 2023 attacks on Israel, Rishi Sunak, the prime minister at the time, called on the broadcaster to brand Hamas a terror group, which it had refused to do in line with its guidelines.
“This is not a time for equivocation, we should call it out for what it is,” Mr Sunak said. …
In response to the recent complaints ruling, Danny Cohen, the former director of BBC Television, said: “Licence-fee payers will be appalled that their money is being wasted trying to protect the reputation of murdering extremists.
“The BBC has stubbornly refused to recognise that Hamas is a terrorist organisation since the horrific atrocities of October 7th, and now its editorial complaints unit is clamping down on presenters who make that simple statement of fact.
“The ECU is clearly unfit for purpose. The BBC can no longer be allowed to mark its own homework.”
Worth reading in full.
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I wonder, would the BBC describe the IRA as a terror group?
OfCom or yet another regulator are neither the answer. The BBC must be reduced in size and scope and most of it exposed to competition. My proposal is: 1 strip BBC of everything except BBC TV 1, Radio 2 and 4, operational management of World Service. In other words somewhat as it was in the 1950s. Debarr it from any online publication other than as needed to describe its programming to viewers. This to operate on a voluntary subscription basis. If HMG feels it needs to make announcements to the public it can offer to pay for an hour’s subscription. To be available as terrestrial and internet around the world, subject only to conflicting licensing or contractual issues which BBC1 to manage. Genuinely independant body to monitor its news, documentary and comment output. Statutory obligation to support the British nation state, democracy and the rule of law. Prohibition on social engineering or propaganda and no positive quotas. 2 All other TV channels into a new broadcasting business to be separately floated with a charter that prevents any international or large comms group from acquiring control. Definitely not to be sold to any existing large entertainment or broadcast group. 3 All… Read more »
The BBC thinks Hamas is a charity.
Well Hamas does run the health ministry in Gaza – so they keep telling us.
Is that the ill health ministry?
I’m not sure I know what a terror group is.
Isn’t it just a way to officially declare as an enemy a group of people who aren’t constituted as a state? It’s just a formal declaration of war, isn’t it?
If the UK hasn’t declared Hamas as a terrorist organisation, then presumably it doesn’t want to officially go to war against it, which is fair enough. Why should it. It’s Israel’s war.
The BBC is less fastidious about accuracy and impartiality when it labels demonstrators or activists as “Far Right” rather than “labelled by third parties as Far Right.”
‘Licence-fee payers will be appalled’
Non-licence fee payers are pretty pissed off too given the way the BBC fails to deliver on its Charter to be impartial, and is given a respect it no longer deserves. I think it is beyond saving and should be cut free from public funding.
Seconded 👍
You would think that the extravagantly funded state broadcaster would be required to describe as a terror group, groups considered by the government as terror groups.
Radio 4 World at One today turned its attention to the private tax arrangements of Farage, obviously desperate to reveal some equivalence with Rayner. Farage is under no obligation to pay more tax than he must. Neither does he conceal his view that overtaxation is destructive to just about everything. The BBC could tell its listeners nothing – a pointless and obviously biased item full of as yet unfounded slurs.
Seems to me that there are terrorists on both sides of the conflict though I don’t know the exact definition of the word