Tim Davie Stresses BBC Independence Over Israel-Gaza Crisis In Rare Address To Conservative Party’s 1922 Committee
deadline.comTim Davie urged MPs to put themselves in the shoes of a Palestinian child last night in a rare address to the Conservative Party’s influential 1922 Committee.
Under questioning about the BBC‘s refusal to label Hamas as “terrorists,” the Director General is understood to have said that lawmakers should consider what a Palestinian child would think to see the BBC taking a UK government line and therefore looking like an arm of the British state, according to Politico.
A BBC spokesman said: “We are impartial… it’s not about being neutral, it’s about being able to report in the UK, in Gaza, in the Middle East, whereas if the BBC is seen to be an arm of the UK government, that makes our journalism very difficult and it impacts the way it’s perceived and trusted.” Davie’s rare address to 1922, the Conservative grouping that oversees administration of the party and sets timetables for leader elections, was set in July but focused heavily on the BBC’s coverage of the Israel-Gaza crisis, which kicked off on October 7 following the Hamas massacre of 1,400 civillians and the kidnapping of 200 Israelis.
The BBC has been under fire for its decision around the labeling of Hamas but has held firm, rejecting a call from Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer to review its guidelines.
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