BBC News deputy CEO admits ‘mistake’ in live coverage of Gaza hospital bombing
Terrorists Hamas blamed Israel for the attack on Tuesday however, evidence later pointed to the al Ahli hospital instead being hit by a rocket misfired by Palestinians.
A senior member of staff at BBC News has admitted the corporation made a “mistake” while covering the immediate aftermath of the bombing of a hospital in Gaza City.
Hamas has blamed an Israeli air strike for the attack on Tuesday, while the Israeli military said al Ahli hospital was instead hit by a rocket misfired by Palestinian terrorists.
At the Media Society’s Reporting The Israel Hamas Conflict event on Thursday, deputy chief executive of BBC News Jonathan Munro said the broadcaster’s “language wasn’t quite right” during live reporting.
The director of journalism at the corporation said “The correspondent (Jon Donnison) was wrong to speculate about the cause of the explosion of the hospital.
“At no stage did he actually say it was caused by the Israelis… but nonetheless, when the impression is left that we’ve speculated, (it) is important to correct that which we’ve done.”
He added: “Somewhere along the line, human beings are going to make a mistake on a bit of output and when it gets magnified and is used as an example of getting things wrong, it’s a very uncomfortable place to be.
“And of course, it shouldn’t have happened and we need to make sure that we’re doubling down on… (keeping) our language absolutely accurate.”
This follows Israel’s president Isaac Herzog telling the UK Prime Minister on Thursday there should be a “correction” issued over the BBC’s coverage of the conflict in the Middle East.
Mr Herzog told Rishi Sunak: “We feel that… the way the BBC characterises Hamas is a distortion of the facts.”
The Foreign Secretary has called on broadcasters to go for “accuracy rather than pace because their words have impact here in the UK and around the world”.
James Cleverly told Wednesday’s Parliament: “It is incredibly important the BBC and other broadcasters are very careful in their reporting of this issue because of the sensitivity and because of the implications, not just in the region itself but here in the UK.”
Mr Munro also said that the BBC’s use of language has been “allowed or encouraged to become the primary story” in media reports that have focused on the BBC’s policy not to use the word “terrorist” in regards to Hamas.
The broadcaster has made clear that the group is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the UK Government.
However, several cabinet ministers – including Defence Secretary Grant Shapps – have criticised the editorial guidelines.
Mr Munro also said: “There’s absolutely no way that we are trying to equalise what’s going on between Hamas and Israel in any way, shape, or form.
“We’ve used very strong language; atrocity, mass murder, abduction and kidnapping.”
Mr Munro also spoke about a pro-Palestinian group claiming responsibility for vandalising the BBC’s Broadcasting House headquarters with red paint and a peaceful protest by Jewish groups.
He said: “Groups representing both communities decided that they would protest at the BBC because they believe the coverage that we put on air or online was biased against their perspective.
“That goes some way to explaining that we are in a very difficult situation here of impartiality, this is a very, very difficult story, to tread a line without one community or other feeling that we are less sympathetic to them than we are to the opposite perspective.”
He added that he is “pushing back” on people saying that the BBC Today programme interviews are leaning towards one viewpoint or another.
Mr Munro also said: “If you think about the perspective of those people who protest the opposite, it might give you an idea of how tricky it is to satisfy everybody who are members of our audiences.
“Some of whom have views about the rights and wrongs of whichever aspect of this war we’re covering. That is the balance we’re trying to strike.
“And when you get your building door (painted), by the way, to come to a layman’s point, the stress of mental health on people going about their normal daily business is really profound.”
The BBC said the “correspondent was giving instant analysis on the ground from Jerusalem in what was a confusing and difficult story”.
The statement also read: “We accept that even in this fast-moving situation it was wrong to speculate in this way, although he did not at any point report that it was an Israeli strike.
“This doesn’t represent the entirety of the BBC’s output and anyone watching, listening to or reading our coverage can see we have set out both sides’ competing claims about the explosion, clearly showing who is saying them, and what we do or don’t know.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
