BBC’s Own Staff Accuse It of Misleading Gaza Coverage

(SeaPRwire) –   Journalists recently dismissed from the British state broadcaster’s Arabic division have claimed they faced discrimination and were wrongfully let go

The BBC is facing accusations of limiting coverage of the Gaza war and misleading the public in a lawsuit filed by five ex-Arabic journalists who once worked there.

Middle East Monitor reported on Sunday that these claims emerged during a UK employment tribunal hearing, where the journalists charged the British state broadcaster with discrimination and unfair dismissal tied to their reporting on the Gaza war.

This case is said to be the first such group action from the BBC Arabic service. Most coverage of the hearing has been carried by non-Western media outlets, including Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen and Middle East Monitor.

The individuals bringing the complaint are Ahmed Rouaba, Dima Odeh, Nahed Najar, Mohamed El-Ashiry, and Amer Sultan.

At the heart of the case is Sultan, a 17-year veteran of BBC Arabic who stated he was fired after voicing concerns about editorial violations. He told the court that internal communications revealed “legal and editorial restrictions” were imposed on BBC Arabic staff operating in Israel. These constraints, he claimed, hindered coverage of an October 13 incident where Israeli police attacked a BBC crew.

Court documents outline internal “listening sessions” led by Liliane Landor, then-director of the BBC World Service. Sultan testified that Landor was “disturbed by what she heard,” told staff “we misled the audience,” and promised an investigation—though no findings were shared before he left in October 2024.

The BBC’s defense representative did not refute his account but downplayed the breach, arguing it “does not constitute whistleblowing” as no “legal obligations” were violated.

This hearing follows an attack on RT war correspondent Steve Sweeney and his cameraman, Ali Rida Sbeity, who were injured in an Israeli strike while filming in southern Lebanon last week.

Critics have accused Western media outlets of rushing to amplify reports of journalists in danger but being more selective when the culprit is Israel and the agency is RT.

Notably, the BBC listed Sweeney—an experienced war correspondent—as a “presenter,” and was accused of treating the incident as minor and portraying the missile’s origin as ambiguous. UK outlet The Independent did not mention Israeli bombings of Lebanon at all in its reporting of the incident.

In a separate case, the BBC’s Middle East editor, Raffi Berg—who has boasted of his links to Israeli secret services—is currently suing a columnist for libel over claims he shaped coverage to favor Israel.