BBC reporters 'appear to justify' killing of Israeli civilians by Hamas terrorists
An impartiality row has erupted after BBC journalists appeared to justify the killing of Israeli civilians by Hamas
PA
An impartiality row has erupted after BBC journalists appeared to justify the killing of Israeli civilians by Hamas.
An "urgent investigation" has been launched by the corporation after several of their journalists in the Middle East took to social media and appeared to celebrate the attack.
Reporters at BBC News Arabic were said to have supported comments comparing Hamas to freedom fighters.
Another comment described the October 7 massacre as a “morning of hope”.
WATCH NOW: BBC faces backlash over refusing to call Hamas 'terrorists'
One senior reporter seemed to be poking fun at Israeli relatives of a grandmother who was abducted by Hamas.
Another posted that “Israel’s prestige is crying in the corner”.
A number of complaints have also been lodged, alleging bias and inaccuracy on BBC Arabic - which is funded by the licence fee.
The allegations included referring to towns inside Israel’s internationally recognised territory, rather than contested areas of the West Bank, as “settlements” and their residents as “settlers”.
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BBC output is required to achieve “due impartiality” and according to its guidelines its news journalists also have a “particular responsibility” to uphold the principle on social media.
The chair of the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Dame Caroline Dinenage said: “Language matters and it’s vital that media coverage of the heartbreaking events in Israel and Gaza are covered with the utmost sensitivity and impartiality by all journalists, especially our public service broadcasters.”
The BBC has recently faced backlash for refusing to call Hamas "terrorists" instead of a “militant group”.
Over the last week, several BBC reporters questioned the appointment of Israeli non-combatants as civilians - despite evidence emerging of indiscriminate slaughter of women, children and the elderly by Hamas.
BBC News senior broadcast journalist, Mahmoud Sheleib suggested that young Israelis were effectively combatants.
The BBC has recently faced backlash for refusing to call Hamas 'terrorists' instead of a 'militant group'
Reuters
He wrote: “[I see] In front of me on Al Jazeera, their so-called civilians are standing armed alongside the police and shooting because they basically don’t have any civilians among the youth.
"This is what the ignorant often don’t know. I am in favour of fighting them with love, yes, this is the solution," before posting a laughing emoji.
Aya Hossam, who describes herself as a broadcast journalist at BBC Arabic, liked a tweet saying: “Every member of the Zionist entity served in the army at some point in his life, whether men or women, and they all had victims of explicit violations… This term “civilians” applies to the animals and pets that live there and they are not seriously at fault.”
Sally Nabil, a BBC Arabic correspondent also liked comment to a video showing footage of jeeps loaded with bodies and kidnapped civilians. The comment said: “A proud scene photographed by me.”
A BBC spokesman said: “We are urgently investigating this matter. We take allegations of breaches of our editorial and social media guidelines with the utmost seriousness, and if and when we find breaches we will act, including taking disciplinary action.”