BBC Correspondent Raises Questions Of ‘Complicity’ In Broadcaster’s Gaza Coverage
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BBC correspondent Rami Ruhayem said the public broadcaster may be “reinforcing Israeli propaganda meant to dehumanise the Palestinians” in its selective choice of emotive language and interview choices.
In a letter published in full by Jadaliyya, an independent ezine produced by the Arab Studies Institute, Ruhayem said he seeks “to raise the gravest possible concerns” about the public broadcaster’s ongoing coverage of the Israeli military’s attacks on Gaza.
Addressing the BBC’s Director General, Tim Davie, Ruhayem condemns what he argues is the omission of critical information and evidence regarding Israel’s actions against Palestinians, bolstering his argument by providing citations throughout, including where United Nations international law experts have labelled the Israeli campaign as “genocide” and “mass ethnic cleansing.”
Ruhayem’s letter highlights an imbalance in reporting, noting that terms like “massacre” and “slaughter” are frequently used for actions by Hamas but are conspicuously absent when describing Israeli offensives.
He writes: “The selective application of emotive repetition is sure to have an impact on audiences, and it is exactly the kind of impact Israeli propagandists are aiming for as they dehumanise Palestinians.”
The Beirut-based journalist says that such bias in narrative disproportionately values Israeli lives over Palestinian lives. He underlines the importance of journalistic balance and rigour.
The letter also argues that the BBC may be complicit in reinforcing Israeli propaganda and incitement. Ruhayem criticises the organisation’s interviewing practices involving Israeli officials and pro-Israeli activists, claiming that challenging questions and evidence of reported war crimes are rarely presented.
Ruhayem finishes with an urgent call for the BBC to rectify its coverage, saying that the public’s right to informed reporting is being actively compromised.
According to The Jewish Chronicle, Davie failed to reply at which point Ruhayem forwarded the correspondence to BBC bureaus across the world.
Mediaite UK has reached out to the BBC Press Office for comment.
