Complaint
A listener complained that an Israeli politician, Shelly Tal Merson, had not been challenged when making claims about Hamas actions on 7 October 2023 which had been refuted, and that, because it had been preceded by an interview with a British politician sympathetic to the Israeli position, the programme’s treatment of the Gaza conflict was biased. The ECU considered the complaint in the light of the BBC’s editorial standards of accuracy and impartiality.
Outcome
Although Ms Tal Merson’s claims went beyond what has been conclusively established, investigations by the UN and others have yielded some evidence in support of them, and it is incorrect to say they have been refuted. The ECU therefore found no departure from the BBC’s standards of due accuracy. As to impartiality, the ECU noted that the interviews cited by the complainant were preceded by clips from a senior British jurist and a former foreign minister who were both critical of Israel’s actions, and that the presenter was appropriately robust in challenging points made by the two subsequent interviewees.
Not upheld