Calling the BBC to account
JVL Introduction
It shouldn’t be necessary to monitor an “impartial” national broadcaster, but alas it is essential.
So some JVL members spend an inordinate amount of their time monitoring the BBC and drawing attention to its lapses of impartiality.
With regard to Israel and Gaza such lapses really are the norm, not the exception.
But even given that, a more-egregious-than-usual violation of its impartiality occurred last week in The World At One programme.
Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi, JVL’s Media Officer took up the cudgels.
RK
Dear WATO team,
I regret having to write this but, weighing my words carefully, I have to say that Jonny Dymond’s segment with an Israeli interviewee on Friday’s programme was probably the most sickening example of biased journalism I have come across in more than two years of monitoring BBC coverage of events in Gaza.
Throughout that time the BBC has caveated every report of mounting Palestinian deaths, currently 70,000, with warnings about figures emanating from “Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry” – although numerous aid agencies and human rights organisations have verified a tragic catalogue of individuals killed, among them 17,000 children whose names have been read out at days-long protests in many parts of the world, not to mention the thousands of dead medics, journalists, aid workers, poets, educators, elderly, disabled, fathers, mothers and starving people queuing for food. Add to them the thousands more who are maimed, physically and psychologically, by a relentless war on civilians for which no one is being held responsible.
After challenging every casualty figure when individual incidents are reported, and denying responsibility for its most outrageous acts until presented with incontrovertible proof, the IDF has now let slip an acknowledgment that yes, they have killed 70,000 Palestinians in Gaza, plus an unknown number whose bodies have not been recovered.
So how does WATO deal with this story? By giving an Israeli interviewee the opportunity to tell the British public, at considerable length and with friendly prompting from Jonny Dymond, that the take away fact they need to know is that more than 20,000 of those killed were defined by the IDF as “combatants” and that a ratio of 1:3 combatants:civilians is “NORMAL IN URBAN CONFLICT”.
This shocking assertion, unchallenged in the interview, comes from a military which habitually lies about the deaths for which it is responsible and classifies as combatants journalists, medics, aid workers and many of its other civilian victims.
There was no challenge to the IDF’s failure to acknowledge the thousands more dying as a result of Israeli action through starvation and destruction of infrastructure necessary to sustain life.
Nothing about the record number of child amputees in Gaza; the widespread assessment among genocide scholars, most of them Jewish, that Israel’s military campaign deserves to be named for the genocide it is; nothing about the decisions of the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court attempting to hold the Israeli government and some of its leading figures to account; nor the failure of Western governments, including our own, to uphold those decisions.
Jonny Dymond’s interview told listeners none of the information that would have put the IDF admission in its true context. It was a shocking example of the media’s (including BBC’s) well-documented prioritising of pro-Israel voices and sidelining pro-Palestinians, including eminent Jewish experts.
There have been occasional chinks of light in an overall gloomy scenario. Sarah Montague’s recent WATO package on the West Bank community being driven out by violent Israeli settlers was a fine example. In another area of Radio 4, the Sunday programme on Feb 1 gave almost unprecedented coverage to an example of the censorship faced by pro-Palestinian university staff, including Jews, on a London campus. That programme honestly showed the contempt with which expressions of support for Palestinians are often treated in British institutions and the contrasting priority given to pro-Israeli views. Jonny Dymond’s interview on Friday was an example of exactly that pro-Israel bias.
I look forward to hearing back from you with an acknowledgement of the journalistic failures apparent in the interview and an indication of how you intend to correct the false impression it gave to your audience.
Yours sincerely,
Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi
The Bias by the BBC, an institution that was once trusted to give unbiased coverage, is frankly disgusting. The Editors must spend a lot of time manipulating the English language, to make Israel look like the victim. Israel has dropped over 120.000 thousand Tons of Bombs and Missiles on Gaza, murdering tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians, the majority buried under the rubble, who are not counted in the number of dead victims.
We’ve all seen the videos of mile after mile of buildings turned to rubble.
I’ve also noticed that they slip in a sentence about the Israeli hostages that are still being held by Hamas, never mentioning the 9000 Palestinians in Israeli prisons 400 of them children, many male prisoners being beaten and raped by the prison officers. These prisoners, were why Hamas attacked Israel, to get as many hostages as possible, to usein exchange for the Palestinian prisoners. This has never been mentioned ever by the BBC!!
An excellent letter, Naomi. The BBC news has not been impartial for much of its coverage about Gaza. When info is given the last word is usually from a supporter of the Israeli government with no opportunity for a response from the Palestinian community or journalist.
Bravo Naomi. I bristle with anger often at the silken tones of the the people on Radio 4 talking so casually about the loss of life of the Palestinians who struggle daily to find the means to exist in the Dystopian Horror film set that is now Gaza and the yet more crowded conditions they have been forced into in preparation for the even more crowded conditions of the planned concentration camp outlined by the Trump Condominium investment Co. that will make room for the Luxury Resorts he spoke about over a year ago. There has been no mention of this by the BBC. not even a timid it has been suggested or there have been reports but unverified. It has become very clear over time that the BBC as the Mouthpiece of the government and the friend of Zionistas and Israel alike dare not tell the truth of the matter. Perhaps it is for fear of losing its handsome funding overall or the individual salaries of those who may give offence. Well others can be offended too. I found it so offensive when I had it confirmed. what I and perhaps many others knew would be the end of the Israeli plan, that I was almost physically sick. Yet there has been no mention of this Nazi style containment plan where “people will be free to come and go subject to security checks.” We all should know by now because it has been happening for so many years, what that will mean for Palestinians. Whatever happened to the right of return? How soon will the Crematorium be built, There is now no room for a graveyard. Will the privilege of being Israeli slave labour result in extra rations for the favoured few and will they as part of that favour get an extra blanket for their bunk.
[cut to our limit of 300 words – admin]
Shamefull that the 2 best informed people in UK on Israel/Palestine: Ilan Pappe and Avi Shlaim have never appeared on BBC or other channels.
on World at One on 5th December an unctuous Jonny Dymond in an interview with Maureen Lipman regarding the boycott of Israel’s participation in the Eurovision song contest devoted a
full 4 minutes to a rambling, garbled and contradictory commentary by Lipman with not one challenge. So we know where his sentiments lie..
Well said. And well done. Thanks.
Great letter, Naomi. Totally agree with all your the comments. I heard the 2 x WATO programmes but not that particular Sunday broadcast.
The BBC’s repeated failure to meet the standards of its Charter on matters affecting Palestine is shameful and shaming. Root and branch reform is required to re-establish basic standards of journalism. As Naomi shows there are exceptions, but the overwhelming narrative favours those committing a genocide over its victims. Israel is NOT a normal nation. Just study its population’s prediminant fascist attitudes. Do not treat it as if it is a civilized nation when it is not. Treat the Palestinian people as the astonishingly resilient, creative victims of an ongoing genocide since 1947 that they are.
ZionNazism has pretty much full editorial control of the BBC . I have complained about the regular claim that Palestinians “wanted their land” for a state of their own. They had it and did not “want” it. Zionists wanted it, and we’re not criticised for their ethnic cleansing, (but then pro-Palestinians have not complained sufficiently about ethnic cleansing that has seen hundreds of illegal Zionist-only colonies built in occupied Palestine). More recently I have complained that Zionist USA cannot act as a peace broker between Zionist Israel and Palestinians. Even now, no one seems to be forcing politicians and the media to acknowledge that there can be no fair settlement while Zionists are in full control.
And how many other mainstream media follow the same pro-Israel bias?
Brilliant letter, Naomi. Thank you for posting it to the BBC.
Considering that Hamas was the legitimate, democratically elected political Party in Gaza like any political party anywhere, why it has to be proscribed baffles me. But as the BBC was severely reprimanded for having committed, ‘A serious breach of editorial guidelines’, by showing the excellent Palestinian documentary, ‘Gaza. How to Survive a Warzone’, it is now even more prone to bias against proscribed Hamas, ie. Palestinians, in case it again offends if it isn’t.
Johnny Dymond – an ugly character with a ‘good’ radio voice – is a serial and skilled offender. Whenever he is ‘moved in’ you know proper journalism will be left at the doorstep. Tomatoes, custrad pies and totten eggs were the way that characters like this were dealt with in the past. Today all we can do is listen and criticise – a massive distraction from what we need to do. We need to mobilise our allies within the information space and get them to savage him.
Excellent letter that brings truth to power.
Well said Naomi. So often I have to turn the BBC off because I can’t bear to listen to their biased reporting. Thank you for speaking up.
Thank you for drawing attention to the interview, although I have yet to listen to it.
Great letter Naomi.
I think BBC bias towards Israel and more importantly, against Palestinians, is reflected across the mainstream media and reflect the position of the political establishment. The persistence of so many citizens in communities across the country to turn out to marches, pickets, information stalls, fundraisers, increasing boycotts of Israeli interests, complicit companies and letter writing campaigns is heartening.
The decline in mainstream media consumption isn’t all about the challenge from the right. Increasing numbers of democratic, humanitarian people are turning away from the establishment news propagandists. This is a positive development to build on.
So much thanks to Naomi for this painstaking piece of research resulting in the excellent letter to the BBC. I hope JVL will print their reply.
I endorse the letter absolutely. The BBC’s pro-israel bias is shocking. I’m also sick of the reports of atrocities by the ‘Hamas-run’ such and such agency, undermining the credibility of the reports. Not once have I heard the BBC explain the difference between the civil and armed sections of Hamas.
Even worse, when our Prime Minister, Keir Starmer was one of just two individuals (with Biden) named as an enabler of Israeli genocide in Francesca Albanese’s report last year, there was silence in our media, including the BBC. Nor have they reported on the at least two occasions when the UN has criticised our Government’s proscription of Palestine Action (putting our laws ‘at odds with international norms and standards’) and its ‘impermissible’ restrictions on our rights of protest and assembly. They ignored the reminder from the UN Human Rights Rapporteurs to Keir Starmer of his duty of care towards hunger strikers on prison. (A criticism ignored like the other by Starmer.)
In a functioning democracy, we should expect our media to highlight accusations by the UN against our Prime Minister of complicity on genocide, excessive use of terrorism laws, an authoritarian crack-down on our civil rights and an unlawful disregard for the rights of prisoners.
It would also be helpful for the BBC and others to preface comments on our politicians the reminder, when it is appropriate, that they are a member of their party’s Friends of Israel group. That information is much more relevant than the ‘reports from the Hamas-run…’ preface the BBC is so fond of.
Did you get a reply Naomi?
brtilliant and much more could be said re BBC what a disgrace they have become. This so called impartiality balance is just so wrong when fasced with the evil done by Israel and its zionism/ genocide in Gaza.
It is like the BBC being balanced and impartial re germany in second world war.
Ok Hitler /Goring whats your take on how the Battle of Britian is going ect. the BBC is so out of touch it seems or maybe its done on purpose.
I wrote to the bbc to complain about their biased report on the last Israeli hostage’s funeral. They don’t report on the 87 dead Palestinian prisoners whose bodies are being retained by Israel.
I got a bog standard reply asking me to complain about any fault deviating from their published standards with a link to those standards.
I’ve just heard JD is presenting a programme on Radio 4 next week called ‘Israel and Palestine : How we got here’. With JDs track record a more illuminating programme might be How did the BBC get here?
Bravo Naomi. My list of complaints to the BBC for its ‘coverage’ of the most consequential issue in the world would fill a large area of it. Every ‘response’ has been unacceptable. Even pointing out their dismissal of their own charter’s rules results in nothing. See: when they speak to the Board of Deputies to find out how to proceed. The charter forbids such interference, but they care not. They think they’re beyond accountability. It’s time for a better approach from us. We need an effective campaign which cannot be ignored. Their complicity in lying about Jeremy Corbyn should result in prosecution and prison for EVERYONE, from board to the wilful presenters who pretend to be journalists. Their purposeful, assiduous work in operating on behalf of an hostile, execrable foreign power, using OUR own licence fee so to do, is something the North Korean regime regularly chuckles about.
Well done Naomi and big thanks for the work you put into this. So shameful.
Great letter from Naomi, but what do you expect from the BBC. This year marks the 100th. anniversary of the General Strike when Lord Reith that admirer of Mussolini, stopped the TUC putting their side of the dispute. It is ingrained into the BBC that it will ignore or traduce any oppressed group or movement. Dymond’s approach is not a surprise.
Thank you Naomi.You say it all. But what is behind this bias? Itseems ourwhole society: the institutions ofgovernance, business, even heaalth and certainly economy aremanipulated by Israeli-linked orowned companies and somehow the racism of the British/Western ‘imperial mentality’ allows and encourages this. As if we have nothing better to offer. Don’t we? I believe we do, as seen in your letter and all its supporters and more.
Excellent letter Naomi. The situation in Gaza has really exposed the BBC’s complete lack of analysis, its lack of challenging of interviewee’s statements and its sheer bias. The BBC should be flagged up as “state sponsored communications” like Russia, China etc. Of course Hamas runs the health authority, it was elected to do so. How about affixing “Labour run’ to every service in Britain? It enrages me. How about a petition to Parliament?
Absolute and thorough disgrace. I am shocked at BBC coverage. No compassion at all for the Palestinians. Everyone there should hold their heads in shame.
Well said, Naomi.
I see that the BBC has now given Mr Dymond a Radio 4 series with the extraordinary title of “Israel and the Palestinians” rather than “Israel and Palestine”, which reinforces this racist bias.
When are we going to wake up in mass?
When these so called leaders of democracies will send our husbands and kids to wars, established on massive lies?
Because, while its “only” arab, and other way coloured humans are killed on daily basis ,far away from our societies, we not that bothered to stop these zionist, sociopath politicians and technocrats.
We can’t say :’ we did not know ‘
Anymore
Sorry, forgot to say: well said,Naomi