Britain’s national broadcaster, the BBC, has censured its staff for referring to Hamas as a ‘terror group.’
After resisting pressure to use the ‘T-word’ when reporting on Hamas’ October 7th pogrom—in the apparent interests of “due accuracy and impartiality”—the corporation’s executive complaints unit (ECU) ruled against a presenter for using the phrase “terror group.”
The supposedly offending terminology—since “reported to the management of BBC News and discussed with the editorial team responsible”—slipped out on the BBC’s rolling news channel on June 15th, in breach of editorial guidelines.
The ruling has angered the former director of BBC Television Danny Cohen, who declared
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 are a terrorist organisation since the horrific atrocities of Oct 7, 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.
UK public service broadcasters the BBC and Channel 4 have attracted criticism of their coverage of Israel and its war with Hamas, including the use of Hamas officials’ children to narrate ‘documentaries.’ The BBC’s Portland Place headquarters has become a key site for demonstrators in London, both for and against Israel.
