Over 400 media figures urge BBC to remove board member over alleged Gaza bias
London: More than 400 media professionals, including 111 current BBC journalists, have signed an open letter calling for the removal of BBC board member Sir Robbie Gibb, citing concerns about his alleged influence on the broadcaster’s coverage of Gaza.
Addressed to BBC Director-General Tim Davie and the BBC Board, the letter accuses Gibb, a former political advisor to ex-Prime Minister Theresa May, of compromising the BBC’s editorial independence due to his prior association with The Jewish Chronicle, a publication often criticised for its anti-Palestinian stance. Gibb served as a director at the paper until August 2024.
The signatories argue that Gibb’s position on the BBC Board and the Editorial Guidelines and Standards Committee is “untenable” given his role in the 2020 acquisition of The Jewish Chronicle. They allege his presence has contributed to a pattern of editorial decisions that marginalise Palestinian perspectives.
Central to the controversy is the BBC’s decision to shelve the documentary Gaza: Medics Under Fire, which Channel 4 later broadcast. The documentary includes accounts of detention, torture, and killings of medical workers in Gaza. The letter states, “We believe the refusal to broadcast the documentary Gaza: Medics Under Fire is just one in a long line of agenda-driven decisions.”
Among the signatories are public figures including actress Miriam Margolyes, filmmaker Mike Leigh, actor Charles Dance, and historian William Dalrymple. The letter alleges that the BBC has repeatedly failed to reflect the realities of the situation in Gaza and the West Bank, citing a “gulf between BBC’s coverage and what our audiences can see is happening via multiple credible sources, including human rights organisations, UN staff, and journalists on the ground.”
A January 2025 analysis by Declassified UK is also referenced in the letter. The analysis criticised the BBC’s limited coverage of UK-Israel military and political ties, including arms transfers using British airspace, visits by Israeli military officials, and lobbying in Westminster.
Former BBC presenter and footballer Gary Lineker also weighed in, saying the BBC “should hold its head in shame” for not airing the Gaza documentary.
In response, a BBC spokesperson defended the organisation’s editorial process, stating, “Robust discussions amongst our editorial teams about our journalism are an essential part of the editorial process.” The BBC pointed to recent programmes including Life and Death in Gaza and Gaza 101 as evidence of its commitment to balanced reporting.
The Centre for Media Monitoring (CfMM) had also criticised the BBC in a 180-page report last month. The study, titled BBC on Gaza-Israel: One Story, Double Standards, analysed over 3,800 articles and 32,000 broadcast segments, concluding that the BBC systematically downplayed Palestinian suffering while giving disproportionate coverage to Israeli perspectives.
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Voting begins for Assam''s 126 assembly seats
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Guwahati (PTI): Polling for all 126 Assam assembly constituencies began on Thursday to decide the electoral fate of 722 candidates, officials said.
In the high-stakes election, the ruling BJP is aiming for a third consecutive term in office, while the Congress seeks to wrest power after being ousted in 2016.
Polling, being held in a single phase, began at 7 am and will conclude at 5 pm. Long queues of voters were seen outside polling stations from early morning.
An electorate of 2.50 crore, including 1.25 crore women and 318 from the third gender, can exercise their franchise in 31,490 polling stations across the state.
Prominent candidates include Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Congress state president Gaurav Gogoi, assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary, Leader of the opposition Debabrata Saikia, AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal, Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi, and Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) chief Lurinjyoti Gogoi.
Several cabinet ministers, including the AGP’s Atul Bora and Keshav Mahanta, and the BPF’s Charan Boro are also in the fray.
The Congress has the highest of 99 contestants, followed by the BJP (90), AIUDF (30), NDA allies AGP (26) and BPF (11).
Opposition alliance’s Raijor Dal is contesting in 13, AJP in 10, CPI(M) in 3 and APHLC in 2. Outside the two coalitions, the AAP is contesting in 18 seats, UPPL in 18, TMC 22, JMM 16 and there are 258 independents.
The ruling NDA’s main constituents are the BJP, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the Bodo Peoples’ Front (BPF) while the opposition alliance comprises the Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), CPI(M), All Party Hill Leaders Conference (APHLC) and CPI(ML).
The counting of votes is scheduled on May 4.
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