LONDON (Dispatches) – More than a hundred current employees of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) have signed an open letter, stating that the broadcaster has not upheld its own editorial standards and is functioning as “a mouthpiece” for Israel in its reporting on the genocidal war on Gaza. 
The letter, which has also been endorsed by more than 300 media professionals, including actors Miriam Margolyes and Charles Dance, filmmaker Mike Leigh as well as historian William Dalrymple, expressed that the BBC’s coverage “falls short” in portraying the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, often resembling “PR for the Israeli regime and military.”
“All too often it has felt that the BBC has been performing PR for the Israeli regime and military. This should be a cause of great shame and concern for everyone at the BBC,” the letter, sent to BBC Director-General Tim Davie and the broadcaster’s board, stated.
The signatories referenced internal censorship and editorial meddling. The letter states that BBC staffers are biased for posting articles that criticize Israel on social media, while contributors indicated they experienced editorial pressure under the guise of neutrality.
The letter also raises concerns over the BBC’s decision to withdraw from airing “Gaza: Doctors Under Attack,” a documentary it originally commissioned, which will now be broadcast by Channel 4.
The BBC claimed it pulled the film because it did not pass final editorial checks and risked creating “a perception of partiality.”
“This appears to be a political decision and is not reflective of the journalism in the film,” the letter stated. “This illustrates precisely what many of us have experienced firsthand: an organization that is crippled by fear of being perceived as critical of Israel.”
The letter also demanded the resignation of Robbie Gibb, a member of the BBC board, citing his connections to the London-based weekly newspaper The Jewish Chronicle, which the signatories criticized for publishing anti-Palestinian content.
The letter describes Gibb’s position on the BBC board — including on the editorial standards committee — as “untenable.”
The letter also takes a swipe at Gibb over a conflict of interest and highlights what it sees as a double standard: “For many of us, our efforts have been frustrated by opaque decisions made at senior levels of the BBC without discussion or explanation. Our failures impact audiences. 
“As an organization we have not offered any significant analysis of the UK government’s involvement in the war on Palestinians. We have failed to report on weapons sales or their legal implications. These stories have instead been broken by the BBC’s competitors.”