The BBC’s editorial approach to the ongoing Gaza conflict has come under scrutiny following a report by Drop Site News, which accuses senior editor Raffi Berg of steering the network’s online content toward a pro-Israel narrative. The report, published on 28 December, cites testimonies from 13 current and former BBC staff members, alleging systemic bias in the broadcaster’s reporting on the war.
Berg, who heads the British broadcaster’s online Middle East coverage, reportedly exercises significant control over how events in Gaza are portrayed. “This guy’s entire job is to water down everything that’s too critical of Israel,” a former BBC journalist told Drop Site News.
Journalists interviewed for the report claimed that BBC’s coverage diminishes Palestinian suffering, omits Israeli military actions, and fosters a false equivalence in the conflict.
Critics pointed to specific instances where the language used by the BBC appeared to favor Israeli narratives. In one case, Amnesty International’s accusation of genocide against Israel was delayed by 12 hours before being posted online. The story was headlined as “Israel rejects ‘fabricated’ claims of genocide”, reportedly downplaying the gravity of the allegations.
The Amnesty report was absent from prominent BBC programs, including News At One, News At Six, and News At Ten, as well as the flagship show Newsnight.
Drop Site News highlighted inconsistencies in the BBC’s descriptions of the conflict. Terms like “massacre” and “slaughter” were frequently used for Hamas-led actions but rarely, if ever, applied to Israeli military operations. Euphemisms such as “evacuations” were used to describe the forced displacement of Palestinian civilians.
In another example, a headline about an Israeli missile strike that killed an entire family avoided assigning direct responsibility. The article was titled, “Israel Gaza: Father loses 11 family members in one blast.”
Staff members said their efforts to push for balanced reporting were dismissed. “Many of us have raised concerns that Raffi has the power to reframe every story, and we are ignored,” one journalist said. Another noted, “Almost every correspondent you know has an issue with him. He has been named in multiple meetings, but [BBC management] just ignore it.”
Journalists also criticized the network for not explicitly noting that Israel has denied BBC access to Gaza and for failing to contextualize the situation as one rooted in decades of occupation.
Berg, who authored a book praising clandestine Mossad operations, has been described as central to what some staffers termed a “systematic Israeli propaganda” culture at the BBC. “How much power he has is wild,” said one journalist.
The BBC’s online platform, which received over 1.1 billion visits in May alone, makes its portrayal of events highly influential. Staff expressed concerns that this influence could mislead global audiences about the nature of the Gaza conflict.
Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza has claimed over 45,000 Palestinian lives, predominantly women and children, and devastated the besieged enclave. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s controversial remark referring to Palestinians as “human animals” was mentioned only once in the BBC’s coverage.
About Author
Leave a Reply