Jul 09, 2025 07:00:00

More than 100 BBC staff make shocking accusation that they are being 'forced to report pro-Israel'

After the BBC's higher-ups refused to air a documentary focusing on Gaza, a group of BBC journalists wrote and published a letter to the BBC's director Robbie Gibb, calling for his dismissal. The letter included accusations that the BBC was 'unwilling to report critically about Israel.'

BBC staff: we're forced to do pro-Israel PR

https://www.owenjones.news/p/bbc-staff-were-forced-to-do-pro-israel

BBC faces new questions over board member Robbie Gibb's Gaza coverage influence | Middle East Eye
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/bbc-faces-new-questions-role-robbie-gibb-israel-gaza-coverage

The letter was made public after the BBC's top brass refused to broadcast a documentary it had commissioned from the independent production company Basement Films called ' Gaza: Doctors Under Attack .'

The film compiles testimonies from Palestinian medical workers working in Gaza and attacks on hospitals by the Israeli military amid the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and is considered to examine allegations of violations of international law by the Israeli military.

In April 2025, BBC officials suspended production due to the risk of bias, and did not approve the broadcast for several months afterward, because 'it cannot be broadcast while another documentary focusing on Gaza is being reviewed.' The program was eventually broadcast on July 2, 2025 by Channel 4 , the British public broadcaster.

Shortly before Channel 4 was due to air the programme, a letter signed by 123 BBC journalists and others was made public.

An Open Letter to BBC Management - Google Docs

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1n3926pSPNwXd8j7I716CBJEzqT_vJjdab6cOQkFCCXk/

The letter was written by BBC journalists and media industry colleagues to the BBC's directors, expressing concern about internal practices that result in opaque censorship of coverage of Israel and Palestine.

The letter states that the refusal to broadcast 'Doctors Under Attack' is simply part of a long-standing political decision-making process within the BBC and that the BBC is in no way in a position to provide unbiased coverage of information relating to Israel.

Specifically, the report states that the BBC is dominated by anti-Palestinian racism, with its superiors practicing opaque censorship for fear of being seen as criticizing the Israeli government. It also states that there is a significant gap between what the BBC reports on what is happening in Gaza and the West Bank and the reality that its viewers are witnessing through multiple reliable sources, including human rights organizations, UN officials and local journalists. It also states that the news coverage in particular is believed to be unable to adequately convey the reality of the war experienced by Palestinians.

'The BBC often appears to be promoting the Israeli government and armed forces and should be a source of deep embarrassment and concern to everyone at the BBC,' the letter said.

Another notable feature of the letter is that Robbie Gibb, a member of the BBC Board of Directors and the BBC Editorial Standards Board, is specifically criticized. Gibb, a journalist, served as a political adviser to former Conservative Prime Minister

Theresa May, and is said to have deep ties to The Jewish Chronicle , a media outlet that has repeatedly published anti-Palestinian and often discriminatory content. Gibb is involved in decision-making at the BBC, including the decision to broadcast 'Gaza: Doctors Under Attack,' and the letter states that it is problematic that the BBC has created an environment in which it cannot ignore the ideas of such an influential figure.

The letter ends by saying, 'The BBC's coverage reinforces an 'Israel first' framework which undermines our credibility. The signatories - BBC staff, freelancers and industry workers - have serious concerns that the BBC's coverage of Israel and Palestine is falling short of the standards our audience expects. We believe that Robbie Gibb will not be able to retain his role as a director and member of the Editorial Standards Board. We call on the BBC to do better and recommit to our values of neutrality, honesty, impartiality and fearless reporting.' It then goes on to include the anonymous signatures of 123 BBC staff and 308 industry workers.