The Telegraph has covered the publication of a new report on BBC coverage of the release of hostages kidnapped by Hamas on October 7th 2023.
“The former director of BBC Television has warned that the broadcaster risks becoming a propaganda mouthpiece for Hamas.
Danny Cohen said BBC coverage of the Gaza conflict had repeatedly drawn an “appalling false equivalence” between the release of Israeli hostages held in terrible conditions by Hamas and the freeing of Palestinian prisoners by Israel.
Mr Cohen said the BBC had also underplayed the suffering endured by the hostages freed as part of the ceasefire deal, while at the same time emphasising the privations it says were endured by the Palestinians prisoners.
He also accused the corporation of failing to mention that many of the Palestinian prisoners were guilty of terror crimes, including bombings and knife attacks. […]
In his report analysing the BBC’s coverage of the release of hostages taken by Hamas on October 7 2023, Mr Cohen stated: “In their rush to gloss over the undeniable torture, starvation and beatings that hostages have endured and their determination to highlight claims of poor conditions in Israel’s jails, the BBC is repeatedly drawing offensive false equivalence between victims of war crimes and hundreds of convicted violent offenders”. […]
Mr Cohen said: “Taking hostages is a war crime. Torture, sexual abuse and starvation of those hostages is a war crime. There is no equivalence between the horrors hostages have endured and the administrative detention of Palestinians or the decades long imprisonment of murderous and violent terrorists.”
He added: “I strongly urge the BBC to radically rethink its coverage, to stop drawing these offensive comparisons and remind its audience that Hamas is not providing ‘well-ordered’ hostage releases, but once again showing the world what a barbarous and brutal terror group looks like.”
The BBC has rejected the report’s findings, pointing to its recent coverage of the trauma suffered by the freed hostages. Sources said the corporation corrected and apologised for any mistakes in terminology made during live broadcasting.”
Danny Cohen’s report can be read here.
The BBC is Hamas or very closely linked to it. On October 7th 2023 at 4.30 am UK time, red alert started on my phone, I had only downloaded a day before as were were due to soon fly to Israel to attend a Barmitzvah in Jerusalem. At approx 4.45 am UK time a BBC report was on line reporting the infiltration into Israel and the fact that 5000 rockets had been fired. That total number of rockets was actually not fired until mid afternoon that day so someone at the BBC had prior knowledge and details of the attack. Why has this not been investigated by the police?
#defundthebbc