More than ten journalists from CNN and BBC have come forward, accusing their respective organizations of biased reporting in favor of Israel and violating core journalistic principles in their coverage of Israel’s attacks on Gaza. According to Al Jazeera’s media watch programme, The Listening Post, aired on the weekend, the whistleblowing journalists alleged that Western media frequently broadcast unverified claims from Israeli sources without proper fact-checking.
Among the questionable claims reported by the media were accusations that Hamas beheaded infants, hid Israeli captives in a children’s hospital bombed by Israel, and operated a bunker at Al-Shifa Hospital. These claims, which were widely circulated, also included allegations of organized sexual violence by Hamas, all of which the journalists claim lacked sufficient verification before airing.
A CNN reporter stated that CNN ignored staff warnings and broadcasted Israel’s false claims. In November of last year, CNN’s international diplomacy editor, Nick Robertson, visited Al-Antis Children’s Hospital, which Israeli airstrikes had destroyed. CNN reported that, despite Israel blocking access to domestic and international media, CNN was granted exclusive access for embedded reporting.
Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military’s chief spokesperson, pointed to a document inside the hospital, claiming it was a list of Hamas members and evidence that Hamas was hiding Israeli captives there. Using the pseudonym “Adam,” a current CNN reporter described the incident as embarrassing for CNN, noting that the document was not a list of Hamas members but a calendar written in Arabic. He further criticized Robertson’s report for “swallowing” Israel’s claims without any question.
This explanation came after social media had already pointed out discrepancies in the Israeli military’s claims, but CNN still reported Israel’s version of events as fact. The reporter noted that another CNN producer tried to prevent the report from being uploaded online after it aired, but the attempt failed. A colleague producer informed Nick Robertson that the report was inaccurate. Still, he responded by asking, “So, are you saying Hagari is lying to us?” and refused to accept the critique.
Reporter Adam remarked, “There was a time when we couldn’t even call the Gaza airstrikes’ airstrikes’ unless Israel confirmed it. In other cases, that wouldn’t have been tolerated. For instance, it’s unacceptable to ask Russia whether it bombed a hospital in Kyiv.” He also noted that when Gaza health authorities reported over 40,000 deaths from Israeli attacks, CNN editor Mike McCarthy instructed the team to “understand the context and hold Hamas accountable.”
Using the pseudonym “Sarah,” a current BBC reporter criticized the BBC for applying a double standard when selecting interviewees. She explained that Palestinians faced intense scrutiny to qualify for interviews, while Israeli interviewees, even with a history of dishonesty, were invited without facing counterarguments.
Craig Mokhiber, who resigned as the UN Human Rights Office’s New York chief last year, further emphasized during the broadcast that “We are witnessing a rare moment in history. Genocide is happening, and we are watching, with Western governments like the U.S. and U.K. complicit and Western media becoming part of the mechanism of genocide. This makes the situation unprecedented and terrifying.”
Both BBC and CNN denied the allegations of biased reporting, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Most Commented