The BBC made mistakes in its coverage of the war between Israel and Hamas, the broadcaster has admitted but rejects allegations of systemic antisemitism.
In a bid to build trust between British Jews and the BBC, a debate was organised by the Campaign Against Antisemitism.
The BBC's director of nations, Rhodri Talfan Davies said that the broadcaster has made some errors on the “polarising” conflict.
He highlighted the decision by one of its reporters to speculate that a rocket that fell outside al-Ahli hospital in Gaza had been fired by Israel.
Davies said: “Mistakes happen in news reporting. It’s an incredibly confusing picture with huge amounts of live broadcasting taking place.
"The question is: do we ’fess up and put things right as quickly as possible? We didn’t wait for people to complain but made it very clear that we got it wrong.”
He claimed that the BBC has altered the way it operates to avoid further mistakes.
“We have started to write headlines by putting who is making a particular claim first,” he said. “We are iterating as we go in the middle of a polarising debate," he added.
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Davies was heckled multiple times during the session at South Hampstead United Synagogue, with many of the criticisms receiving loud applause.
“People feel intensely passionately that their view of the world is the right one and when broadcasters attempt to provide a range of perspectives that can be difficult,” he said.
"At times of polarisation, the BBC becomes a lightning rod for that discussion.”
During the debate, the BBC defended their decision to avoid calling Hamas "terrorists".
During the debate, the BBC defended their decision to avoid calling Hamas 'terrorists'
PADavies said: “We have not taken a single step back in terms of describing the horror of those attacks on the community.
“Our primary responsibility is to give audiences the information they need to make their own conclusions.”
Based on 300 attendees, the vast majority did not believe that the BBC was fair in its coverage in matters of Jewish interest, including antisemitism.
One person, who alleged that the BBC was guilty of systemic antisemitism, drew cheers and cries of support.
David Jordan, director of editorial standards said: "I can accept the criticisms that have been made about our news coverage. But the idea that the BBC anyway endorses or has antisemitism at its core? I just can’t agree."
