CAABU's submission to BBC Impartiality Review

Executive Summary of CAABU's Submission to the Independent Panel's report for the BBC Board of Governors' impartiality review on coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

CAABU's written report was submitted in November 2005 and oral evidence given in Jan 2006.

1. Executive Summary

The BBC has a long history of news coverage in the world at large and particularly in the Middle East. There is no doubt that BBC journalists are very professional. They also show extreme bravery in many situations, working very hard to cover a dangerous and tense situation.

CAABU’s contribution to this impartiality review is not intended to demean the hard work of the journalists at the BBC or the often extensive and fair coverage that the BBC offers. Reporters struggle to bring the news to the world often at great personal risk and CAABU holds a deep respect for that sacrifice. Rather, the aim of our submission is to suggest the ways in which coverage of the Middle East at the BBC can build on an already strong and positive foundation. Addressing some of these areas of concern will, we believe, go a long way to address issues of balance. 

There has been a huge amount of coverage of the conflict on most programmes. That being said, much of the coverage could be improved with more context and explanation. This is crucial as surveys suggest audiences are bored by the conflict and do not understand it. This is also what we pick up when talking at schools and universities around the country. Therefore we believe there needs to be more context given. In our submission we highlight some areas where this has been lacking - reference to occupation, refugees, and international law – and give a few, key examples to illustrate our points.

1.1 Key recommendations

1.         Visit to the area: The independent panel should visit the area and see the situation on the ground with an emphasis on meeting not just officials, but civil society groups, human rights groups and others. Witnessing the actual reality on the ground and comparing it to coverage is vital. We have considerable experience of taking visits to the Occupied Territories, and routinely visitors, including MPs, are amazed at the contrast between news coverage and the reality on the ground.

2.         Fair access to interest groups: The panel should examine thoroughly the issue of reasonably fair and equal access to BBC Management and key editors for interest groups on both sides, so that disproportionate human and financial resources do not favour one side or the other. A line of inquiry should be to look at how BBC Management has handled and treated interest groups thus far.

3.         Use of more experienced journalists: The BBC should make greater efforts to use more senior and experienced journalists to reflect the importance of the subject. In this regard we welcome the appointment of a Middle East Editor and also the start of training programmes for outgoing journalists.

4.         Glasgow media group findings: The panel need to examine closely and in detail the findings of the Glasgow media group, and also how BBC Management has responded to them.

5.         Equality of contributors: The BBC should aspire to achieve greater degree of equality between the number of Israeli and Palestinian contributors, the time given to them and the nature of the interview.

6.         Full-time West Bank correspondent: In order to cover the conflict fully, there needs to be a roving reporter in the West Bank who could cover the different areas more fully. Having a reporter in Gaza did help the coverage and we feel that having reporters based on both sides of the border would enrich the coverage.

7.         Consistency: CAABU welcomes the BBC’s decision to introduce a style guide. We hope that greater consistency of terminology will improve coverage.

8.         Risk: Because of the sensitive nature of this issue, there is a feeling that reporters have taken too much of a safety first approach. This means the coverage has become rather formulaic.

9.         Reporters in the field versus producers London: There have been occasions we have been told of when producers in London try to set the story against the advice of those on the ground. Using more senior and experienced journalists in the field should ensure that those who understand the situation best are not treated in such a fashion.

1.2  Summary of findings

CAABU has paid careful attention to BBC news coverage of the Arab World for a considerable time. We have also had opportunities to raise and discuss some of our concerns with BBC Management. These are the summary of our key concerns, which are explained in more detail later in our submission.

1.         Events versus process: BBC coverage is better at covering specific events than process. Any visit to the occupied territories reveals a situation that would not be gleaned from watching BBC News reports. The day to day grind, humiliation and oppression of a foreign military occupation does not come across. Consequently there is too much focus on violence.

2.         Spokesmen: There are still many more Israeli spokesmen interviewed on most outlets of the BBC than Palestinian.

3.         Absence of context: Frequently there is not enough context included in reports. This makes it harder for the viewer to understand why events have occurred or why people might be behaving in a certain way.

4.         Under-covered areas: There are a number of under-covered areas, particularly through areas of the Occupied Territories further away from Jerusalem such as Hebron.

5.         Palestinian refugees: The four million UN registered refugees and the reasons for their continuing status and inability to return to their homes remains under-covered. Similarly there is little about those displaced in 1967.

6.         Maps: The ability to explain the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would be improved by greater use of detailed maps that convey the complexity of the occupation.

7.         Israeli versus Palestinian narrative: There is considerably more evidence of an awareness of the Israeli narrative than the Palestinian one. There are clear and continuing references to Israeli security concerns, the terrorist threat, and anti-Semitism but little reference to Palestinian dreams of liberation, the occupation and exile. The Palestinians have considerable security concerns. The starting point for many issues broadcast is the Israeli narrative, significantly seen during the coverage of the disengagement process.

8.         Coverage of violence: The violence is presented without reference to the occupation, the occupier or the occupied. Too often it is presented as a battle between two equal sides. Moreover, there is too much emphasis on tit-for-tat violence and cycles of violence, which gloss over the root causes of the violence.

9.         Terminology: There is inconsistency of terminology. On occasions BBC reporters have used the phrase “disputed” territories as opposed to ‘Occupied Territories’. Jerusalem settlements have often been referred to as neighbourhoods.

10.       Impartial voice of BBC journalists not always maintained:

In response to a CAABU complaint about the Today Programme, broadcast on 3rd February 2005, the Governors’ Programme Complaints Committee deemed that, “it was appropriate to have a correspondent talking about Israeli concerns and a Palestinian talking about Palestinian concerns”. CAABU feels strongly that, while it is fair to air Israeli concerns, it is crucial that the voice of the journalist remains impartial.

Click here for CAABU's full submission

See also CAABU's response to the Independent Panel's full report in April 2006

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