BBC faces accusations of bias in Gaza coverage from staff, Industry voices
Over 100 BBC employees have accused the network of favoring Israel in its reporting on the Gaza conflict, citing a lack of "accurate, evidence-based journalism." In a letter sent to BBC Director General Tim Davie and CEO Deborah Turness, critics argued that the broadcaster’s coverage fails to hold Israel accountable and lacks essential journalistic standards.
First reported by The Independent, the letter, signed by over 100 anonymous BBC staff along with more than 200 figures from media, academia, and politics, expressed deep concern over what they describe as "systematic dehumanization" of Palestinians in BBC coverage. The letter emphasizes that gaps in critical analysis of Israeli claims have broader implications, affecting public perception and accountability.
The conflict, which has seen at least 43,259 Palestinians killed and 101,827 wounded in Gaza since October 7, 2023, also resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1,139 Israelis during attacks by Hamas that same day, with over 200 people taken captive.
The signatories requested specific editorial changes, including transparency about Israel’s restricted access to Gaza for foreign journalists, clearer labeling when evidence supporting Israeli claims is limited, and consistent historical context in reporting. They also urged the BBC to rigorously question Israeli officials in interviews to ensure balanced coverage.
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RJD surprise element in J’khand polls, party candidates leading in 5 of 6 assembly seats
Ranchi(PTI): The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has emerged as a surprise element in the Jharkhand assembly elections with its candidates leading in five of the six seats where the party is contesting, according to trends available on the Election Commission's website on Saturday.
RJD candidates in five assembly seats were leading over sitting BJP legislators.
In 2019, RJD had secured only the Chatra seat where its nominee Satyanand Bhokta won.
In Deoghar, RJD’s Suresh Paswan was leading by 19,581 votes over his nearest rival and BJP's sitting MLA Narayan Das after the third round of counting.
RJD’s Sanjay Prasad Yadav was ahead by 19,867 votes in Godda over BJP MLA Amit Kumar Mandal after the sixth round of counting.
In Koderma, RJD nominee Subhash Prasad Yadav, who was out on bail, was leading by a margin of 3,471 votes over BJP’s sitting legislator Neera Yadav.
Subhas Prasad Yadav, considered to be one of the close aides of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, was recently granted bail by the Supreme Court in a money laundering case.
Party’s Naresh Prasad Singh was leading by 5,159 votes after the fourth round of counting over BJP’s Bishrampur MLA Ramchandra Chandravanshi.
RJD's Sanjay Kumar Singh Yadav was also leading from Hussainabad by 8,213 votes after the fourth round of counting over BJP MLA Kamlesh Kumar Singh.
Party’s candidate Rashmi Prakash, however, was trailing from Chatra by 3,776 votes.
Bhokta did not contest the elections this time, and his daughter-in-law Prakash was given a ticket.
