BBC is criticised for misleading coverage of Middle East

The BBC’s coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is inconsistent, incomplete and misleading, according to an independent report, but there is “no deliberate or systematic bias” in its reporting of the region.

The report, commissioned by BBC governors to address the high volume of complaints, concludes there are “identifiable shortcomings” in the corporation’s coverage of the conflict, including “gaps in coverage, analysis, context and perspective”.

The investigating panel chaired by Sir Quentin Thomas, a former political director in the Northern Ireland Office, recommends the BBC should appoint a “guiding hand” to oversee its reporting, provide more historical context and analysis, consider the case for basing a correspondent in the West Bank and not be afraid to use the word “terrorism” where appropriate.

“In short, we found BBC output does not consistently give a full and fair account of the conflict. In some ways the picture is incomplete and, in that sense, misleading,” said Sir Quentin in his introductory statement. “What the BBC does now is good for the most part … But it could and should do better.”

The most important challenge facing BBC journalists is that the audience does not understand the conflict and for that reason has little sympathy with the protagonists, the report says.

Other shortcomings identified in the report include an absence of historical background and other contexts such as the role of the wider Middle East in the conflict and insufficient analysis.
“There was little reporting of the difficulties faced by the Palestinians in their daily lives. Equally in the months preceding the Palestinian elections there was little hard questioning of their leaders,” the report said.

The report argues that the word “terrorism” should be used as it is “the most accurate expression for actions which involve violence against randomly selected civilians for… ideological objectives”, but agrees that the BBC is right to avoid labelling organisations as “terrorist”. It also accuses the BBC of failing to convey the “asymmetry” of the conflict, adding that television should not be “dazzled by striking, and available pictures”.

“When the Israelis suffer it is usually from a terrorist attack… which necessarily constitutes a newsworthy event… In recent years, many more Palestinians have been killed but usually in circumstances which are less dramatic and give rise to less striking images,” the report said.

Its international influence means the BBC and its coverage are “important prizes” in a conflict where “the media themselves are part of the contest ground”, the report added.

BBC news chiefs have until June to consider the recommendations, when they will report back to the governors. In a statement, management welcomed “the report’s central finding of ‘no deliberate or systematic bias’”. But some insiders expressed surprise at some of the findings, including the conclusion that journalists have failed to reflect the “asymmetry”.

© 2006 Independent News and Media Limited