More than 100 BBC employees have spoken out against their organisation, accusing it of siding with Israel and failing Palestinians in its coverage of the war on Gaza.
In a strongly worded open letter, the staff members said the BBC has “often been performing PR for the Israeli government and military,” a charge that strikes at the heart of the UK’s broadcaster’s claim to editorial integrity.
Signed by 107 staff members and addressed to director-general Tim Davie and board member Deborah Turness, the letter has sent shockwaves through the organisation.
Over 300 others, including actors Charles Dance and Juliet Stevenson, and screenwriter-director Mike Leigh, signed the letter.
The BBC has issued a statement saying it “is fully committed to covering the (Gaza) conflict impartially and has produced powerful coverage from the region”.
While the BBC publicly insists on impartiality, the letter paints a different picture from within. “Content creators have experienced censorship in the name of impartiality,” it states.
“Staff have been accused of having an agenda because they have posted news articles critical of the Israeli government on their social media,” the letter said.
The tipping point, the staff say, was the BBC’s decision to pull Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, a documentary that had already passed senior editorial policy review.
The corporation claimed it had not undergone “final pre-broadcast sign-off processes” and risked “creating a perception of partiality”.
“This appears to be a political decision and is not reflective of the journalism in the film,” the letter says.
Sources suggest the decision was influenced by public comments made by the filmmakers, including journalist Ramita Navai, who described Israel as “a rogue state that’s committing war crimes and ethnic cleansing, and mass-murdering Palestinians”.
Yet the BBC has failed to explain why views aligned with growing international concern should disqualify a fully vetted film from broadcast.
‘Robbie Gibb must step down’
The letter doesn’t stop at being an institutional critique; it also names names. Board member Robbie Gibb is singled out, with the signatories calling his position “untenable” due to ties with the Jewish Chronicle, which the letter says publishes “anti-Palestinian and often racist content”.
“This illustrates precisely what many of us have experienced first hand: an organisation that is crippled by the fear of being perceived as critical of the Israeli government.”
The internal revolt comes as the BBC faces mounting scrutiny over not just what it chooses to air, but what it chooses to omit.
Recently, the broadcaster drew backlash for streaming a Glastonbury performance in which the band Bob Vylan shouted “death to the IDF”.
The reaction from the BBC leadership, insiders note, was sharper and swifter than any public reckoning over the ongoing civilian death toll in Gaza.
While the BBC leadership continues to defend its editorial decisions, the letter from the staff members reveals a different reality from within, one of suppressed journalism, double standards, and institutional cowardice in the face of power.
