BBC Admits It Was “Wrong To Speculate” That Israel Was Behind Gaza Hospital Blast
19.10.2023 - 16:05
/ deadline.com
EXCLUSIVE: The BBC has said it was “wrong to speculate” on who was responsible for the devastating blast at a Gaza City hospital amid internal unrest over its coverage of the tragedy.
After initially defending a report on BBC News channel show The Context, the corporation has now conceded that a journalist should not have speculated that Israel was behind the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital attack on Tuesday night.
The blast, which killed hundreds of people, has been fiercely contested. Hamas-controlled Palestinian authorities in Gaza blamed Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “barbaric terrorists” in Gaza attacked the hospital.
Jon Donnison, an experienced BBC correspondent, told viewers: “It’s hard to see what else this could be really given the size of the explosion other than an Israeli air strike or several air strikes.”
The comments prompted a political outcry in the UK, with former culture secretary Nadine Dorries accusing the BBC of being a “propagandist” for Hamas. Home Office minister Robert Jenrick said the BBC’s reporting was “like a 21st century blood libel.”
Who is this propagandist on the BBC? Is he a journalist ? https://t.co/7y97VLfx8O
BBC insiders also criticized the output. A senior journalist told Deadline that it was a “ghastly” and “embarrassing” clip.
In a statement on Thursday, the BBC said it had reviewed the coverage, which it described as an “instant analysis” on the ground from Jerusalem. The corporation said The Context repeatedly made clear that it had not verified who was responsible for the attack, but that Donnison’s words could have been more considered.
“We accept that even in this fast-moving situation it was wrong to speculate in this way, although he [Donnison] did not at