The BBC has faced growing controversy since the onset of Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza last October. According to a report by Drop Site News published on December 28, 13 current and former staff members have exposed that BBC editor Raffi Berg exerts tight control over the broadcaster’s coverage of the war, ensuring that all reports favor Israel.
Staff have stated that BBC coverage consistently dehumanizes Palestinians while ignoring the crimes being committed by Israel, which has resulted in the deaths of nearly 45,500 Palestinians. One former journalist revealed that Berg’s role is to “water down everything that’s too critical of Israel.” Another source described Berg’s power as overwhelming, with a strong internal culture of Israeli propaganda at the BBC.
Berg’s influence over the narrative is evident in the downplaying of significant reports, such as Amnesty International’s documentation of Israeli genocide in Gaza. In this case, Berg emphasized Israel’s denial, using the headline “Israel rejects ‘fabricated’ claims of genocide” and delayed the story’s publication for 12 hours. This report was not covered by the BBC’s flagship programs like News At One or Newsnight.
The BBC’s language choices also reflect Berg’s bias, with words like “massacre,” “slaughter,” and “atrocities” used for Hamas, while Israel’s actions are softened or described with terms such as “evacuations,” obscuring the reality of ethnic cleansing and forced displacement. When Israel’s responsibility is acknowledged, it’s often framed with the term “reportedly.” For example, the BBC only briefly mentioned Yoav Gallant’s inflammatory statement calling Palestinians “human animals” and pledging a “full siege” on Gaza.
Despite complaints from journalists within the BBC about Berg’s editorial control and the need for balanced coverage, their concerns have been ignored, and no steps have been taken to address the clear bias in the reporting.
