Joint letter to the Times on BBC’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas war

BBC coverage of Hamas war shows 'institutional bias' against Israel, says new report backed by UK Jewish leaders

Chief Rabbi and community heads endorse findings of “appalling lapses” by national broadcaster

LONDON - The BBC has shown “institutional bias against Israel” and failed to uphold its “moral and statutory duty” in covering the war against Hamas, according to an authoritative new report published today.

It warns “appalling lapses in accuracy” have “fuelled the flames of antisemitism”.

The report and its findings have been endorsed by a statement from the Chief Rabbi, along with an unprecedented joint letter from the leaders of Britain’s main Jewish community organisations.

The report provides a “comprehensive analysis of BBC News output of the first eleven months of the conflict” and has been compiled and edited by former Director of BBC Television, Danny Cohen, drawing upon research by CAMERA and David Collier.

The foreword, written by Mr Cohen with former BBC Governor Baroness Deech, says the meticulously researched report documents “example after example of lax journalistic standards and institutional bias against Israel, with a real-world impact on the safety of Jewish people in the UK and abroad”.

The report’s recommendations include an independent inquiry into the BBC’s Israel-Gaza coverage and a call for the BBC to adopt a policy of “zero tolerance” of antisemitism and bias, plus quarterly meetings between the Director-General and the Board of Deputies President along with other representatives of the Jewish Community.

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said:

“Few institutions are as vital for our national cultural identity or for the health of our democracy as the BBC. That’s why the content of this report, which records the repeated and longstanding failure to ensure impartial and accurate news coverage of the existential war that Israel is fighting on multiple fronts, is so profoundly troubling.

“The data could not be clearer: wherever sustained misinformation and demonisation of Israel is found, incidents of anti-Jewish racism surge. That’s one of the reasons why the accuracy and objectivity of our national broadcaster is so important for the Jewish community. And of course beyond that, in an uncertain world the public needs to know that it can trust the BBC.

“I know this is a matter that senior leaders at the BBC take seriously, but the multiple failings highlighted by the report show just how much work there is yet to do. In particular, I endorse the call for an independent inquiry, undertaken by personnel and with terms of reference that command the confidence of the Jewish community.

“Trust in the BBC is crucial, but trust can only be restored when impartiality is upheld and accountability is ensured,” he said.

Board of Deputies (BoD) President Phil Rosenberg, Jewish Leadership Council (JLC) Chief Executive Claudia Mendoza and Community Security Trust (CST) Chief Executive Mark Gardener said in letter the report provides “troubling evidence of repeated and systematic failures by the BBC” to fulfil its statutory duty of balanced, impartial and accurate reporting.

They wrote:

“Inaccurate reporting on the conflict contributes to the delegitimization of Israel in the public sphere, which in turns fuels anti-Jewish hatred, and has made British Jews and Jews around the world less safe.”

They add:

“We endorse this report and implore the BBC to address the issues that it highlights with great seriousness, urgency and sensitivity. We want to work constructively with the BBC to help it better navigate this most complex of issues and be all that it can when it is at its best.”

Please find the report and the letter from the BoD, JLC and CST both attached.