THREE WEEKS ago, the Muslim Council of Britain's Centre for Media Monitoring (CFMM) issued a study that dissected the BBC's coverage of Israel's genocidal war on Gaza. The exhaustive study found that the BBC was 'systematically biased against Palestinians'.
In a survey of 3,873 articles and 32,092 broadcasts from 7 October 2023 to 6 October 2024, it was found that the BBC gave Israeli deaths 33 times more coverage than Palestinian ones. It also found that the BBC used emotive terms four times as much for Israeli victims and applied 'massacre' eighteen times more to Israeli casualties than Palestinian ones.
Only three percent of the articles specifically mentioned 'war crimes' when reporting on Israeli attacks in Gaza.
The report also identified a deliberate systematic erasure of historical context, with only 0.3% of BBC articles referencing Israel’s occupation and violence against Palestinians in the decades before 7 October 2023.
The report also noted documented over 100 instances where BBC presenters actively shut down interviewees attempting to discuss genocide allegations against Israel, despite mounting evidence from international bodies including Amnesty International and proceedings at the International Court of Justice. Among the presenters who prevented interviewees from discussing the charge of genocide against Israel was New Zealander Lucy Hocking. The report comments:
'On 23 October 2023, when British-Palestinian campaigner Karim Ali asserted ‘this is a genocide taking place in front of our eyes’, presenter Lucy Hocking immediately shut down the discussion, countering that ‘that word, as you say, is incredibly emotive and the Israelis, as you know, will be saying that they are targeting Hamas only’. Despite Ali offering evidence for his claim, Hocking moved to end the interview with a clear disclaimer: ‘I do need to make the qualification of course that it is always denied by the Israelis that genocide is taking place, they say these are strategic planned strikes in Gaza and that they are targeting the militant group Hamas.’ When Ali attempted to respond — ‘But I am here to let the world know that is not the case’ — Hocking curtly dismissed him: ‘You have been able to have your say, this is what the Israelis will say in response to that.'
The report comes at a time when the BBC is being forced to defend itself against charges that it has favoured the Israeli narrative throughout the course of Israel's genocidal assault on Gaza. That has also included criticism from within the BBC itself. In a open letter to BBC bosses in November, over a hundred BBC staff charged the broadcaster of providing favourable coverage to Israel. The letter said that ' basic journalistic tenets have been lacking when it comes to holding Israel to account for its actions.'
The letter demanded that the BBC 'recommit to fairness, accuracy, and impartiality.'
Despite the lack of impartiality displayed by the British broadcaster, RNZ CEO and Editor-in-chief Paul Thompson says that the BBC is a 'reliable' source for news on Gaza.
RNZ, like the BBC, still does not acknowledge that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. It frames the mounting civilian death toll, including the deaths of over 17,000 children (official figure), as the 'collateral damage' of the 'war' between Israel and Hamas, rather the result of ethnic cleansing.
On Monday, RNZ's Morning Report reported that the British Government had attacked two performers at Glastonbury for 'anti-Semitic' behaviour.
Irish rap group Kneecap and punk-rap duo Bob Vylan both attacked Israel's genocidal war in Gaza. The BBC cut the livestream of Kneecap. It said later that it made 'a mistake' to broadcast Bob Vylan.
'The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves,' said a BBC spokesperson.
In response, Bob Vylan said: 'We are not for the death of Jews, Arabs or any other race or group of people. We are for the dismantling of a violent military machine. … A machine that has destroyed much of Gaza...we are being targeted for speaking up.'
While RNZ chose to highlight the British Government's accusation that Kneecap and Bob Vylan were 'anti-Semitic', it provided no coverage of the response from either Kneecap or Bob Vylan.
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