BBC slammed for rejecting all CAMERA appeals against Arabic-language Gaza coverage
BBC’s complaints unit rejected all CAMERA appeals over BBC Arabic’s Israel Hamas war reporting, sparking criticism from UK political figures over bias concerns.BBC's internal complaints unit rejected all appeals submitted by the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (CAMERA) against the BBC Arabic service since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, the London-based Jewish Chronicle reported.CAMERA is a US-based pro-Israel media watchdog.CAMERA submitted over 100 complaints against BBC Arabic's coverage over the past two years, the report noted.Out of those submitted, 101 of CAMERA's complaints were upheld, and the broadcaster made 213 corrections to "stories deemed biased, inaccurate, or misleading."However, many others were rejected, the JC clarified.Abdullah Al-Yazouri, the son of a senior Hamas official, who narrated the BBC documentary. (credit: screenshot)Under the BBC's appeals system, rejected complaints can be escalated to the Editorial Complaints Unit (ECU), which serves as the broadcaster's internal regulatory body.For BBC Arabic, ECU rulings are final, and the domestic watchdog, Ofcom, does not intervene.Of the decisions rejected, CAMERA appealed on 31 occasions, with 22 rejected and nine awaiting an outcome.The report noted two examples of rejected appeals, including one where the activists asked the broadcaster to reconsider a story that referred to dead Hamas terrorists, but did not mention their affiliation with the terror organization.Another instance concerned a profile of slain Hamas arch-terrorist Mohammed Deif, which included "accusations" that he had killed civilians, rather than insinuating any evidence."While claiming to ‘assess complaints independently,’ the BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit has failed to uphold even a single one about BBC Arabic’s output over more than two years of war – revealing that, in practice, it serves not as an impartial watchdog but rather as a rubber stamp for the service’s misinformation and bias," a CAMERA spokesperson said."Both BBC Arabic editors and the ECU have repeatedly dismissed our concerns, sometimes gaslighting us and other times throwing up arbitrary and even Kafkaesque bureaucratic hurdles when complaints were underway," the activist group added."BBC News Arabic strives for the highest standards of journalism. Whenever mistakes are made or clarifications are needed, we take action to ensure clarity and accuracy for our audiences," the broadcaster responded.Political figures across parties denounce BBC's 'blind eye, blanket dismissals'"If the BBC is to regain trust after this crisis, its commitment to impartiality cannot stop at Britain’s borders," opposition leader Kemi Badenoch (Conservatives) said."The blind eye turned to the antisemitism on BBC Arabic is heinous," Badenoch added, affirming that the British public broadcaster needs to be reformed.MP Damien Egan (Labour), the vice-chair of Labour Friends of Israel, denounced the broadcaster's "blanket dismissals" as "evidence of deep, institutional failings and a culture of denial.""The BBC must ensure that its Arabic coverage reflects the high standards and isn’t a channel more interested in confirming prejudices than reporting the facts," Egan added.MP Richard Tice (Reform) said that BBC Arabic "has serious questions to answer [and] must prove it is not just a pro-Hamas mouthpiece.""Every complainant, not just Jewish viewers, has been incensed by the delays, the total defensiveness of the editors, and failing to uphold procedural natural justice," Baroness Ruth Deech (Crossbench) said.Deech insisted on an "outside expert ombudsman" to handle the Arabic-language service, affirming her view that it is a "swamp of antisemitism and Israel hatred."
