Thursday, October 26, 2023
A light grilling
Was it really wise for the BBC Director-General to appear before the 1922 Committee to defend his organisation's coverage of the Middle East?
When politicians start to dictate the way that the corporation can report news then we are on a very slippery slope, and Tim Davie, by his appearance, is encouraging them in thinking they can get away with it.
The Independent reports that immigration minister, Robert Jenrick used the opportunity to challenge the BBC director-general to call Hamas terrorists.during the closed-doors meeting:
A number of Tory MPs and Israeli president Isaac Herzog are among those angered by the decision.
“I’ve never been so disappointed in the BBC as I have been this past fortnight,” Mr Jenrick is understood to have said. “I worry that the organisation has lost the confidence of many people and in particular the British Jewish community.”
According to the Telegraph, the minister went on: “That loss of confidence began with the BBC’s refusal to call Hamas terrorists. Will you reconsider that, and change your editorial policy?”
Mr Jenrick’s challenge was rebuffed, as Mr Davie said nobody had banned the word “terrorist”.
The corporation does not call Hamas “terrorists” without attributing the word to others using it.
However, it has moved away from labelling the group “militants” and is instead describing it as a proscribed terrorist organisation by the UK government and others.
Putting pressure on the BBC like this is a common pursuit of governments of all parties, but it is rare for Director Generals to attend gatherings of MPs from just one party. It gives the impression that the corporation is open to political pressure when they should be standing above the fray.
The Independent reports that immigration minister, Robert Jenrick used the opportunity to challenge the BBC director-general to call Hamas terrorists.during the closed-doors meeting:
A number of Tory MPs and Israeli president Isaac Herzog are among those angered by the decision.
“I’ve never been so disappointed in the BBC as I have been this past fortnight,” Mr Jenrick is understood to have said. “I worry that the organisation has lost the confidence of many people and in particular the British Jewish community.”
According to the Telegraph, the minister went on: “That loss of confidence began with the BBC’s refusal to call Hamas terrorists. Will you reconsider that, and change your editorial policy?”
Mr Jenrick’s challenge was rebuffed, as Mr Davie said nobody had banned the word “terrorist”.
The corporation does not call Hamas “terrorists” without attributing the word to others using it.
However, it has moved away from labelling the group “militants” and is instead describing it as a proscribed terrorist organisation by the UK government and others.
Putting pressure on the BBC like this is a common pursuit of governments of all parties, but it is rare for Director Generals to attend gatherings of MPs from just one party. It gives the impression that the corporation is open to political pressure when they should be standing above the fray.
