A report (Spotlight on the BBC) from INSIGHT UK in early 2024 highlighted the level of distrust that the Hindu & Indian community living in the UK felt towards the BBC. Incidentally, the BBC did not respond to the concerns of the report that we sent the broadcaster on 29 February 2024.
The recent Gaza documentary has only reinforced how the publicly prized institution, once committed to a sense of objectivity, is in steep decline.
The stark absence of any objectivity within the BBC is not reserved for the British Hindu & Indian community alone. The disgraced Gaza documentary that (somehow) managed to broadcast to our screens has shown how the once respected broadcaster has reached a new low. The film entitled, How to Survive a Warzone was removed by the BBC itself, after conceding there were ‘due diligence’ concerns, in light of the narrator being the son of a Hamas official.Â
There is a systemic concern within the institution (that goes beyond individuals) and requires national attention. Even prior to the broadcasting of the Gaza documentary, Jewish organisations in the UKÂ had denounced the coverage of the Middle East conflict. In a joint letter to The Times in September 2024, that included the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Jewish Leadership Council and the Community Security Trust stated:
“Inaccurate media reporting on the conflict contributes to the delegitimisation of Israel in the public sphere, which in turn fuels anti-Jewish hatred, and has made British Jews and Jews around the world less safe and secure in their communities. As a global media leader, the BBC carries extra responsibility in these regards.”
The steep decline of BBC objectivity should not be seen through any ideological lens. It has implications for the very health of UK democracy.Â
The issue perhaps gains more salience because it is a publicly funded institution, where the organisation ought to live up to the British people’s expectation for impartiality and reliable information.
One only needs to look at the negative imbalance that marks commentaries on Kashmir and Hindu festivals to recognise the justified anxiety that is present in the Hindu & Indian community in the UK.
The unprecedented failures of late by the BBC are a serious wake-up call – an issue that INSIGHT UK have been raising consistently for a long time. Commitment to quality assurance and ethical journalism at the BBC selectively goes out the window to self-serving narratives (which is certainly not aligned with the broad public interest).Â
What was once a relatively broad-church broadcaster that historically met public expectation (not toed any sympathies), today stands at a critical juncture. Some may say beyond a state of return. If the iconic institution fails to broadcast without living up to standards of accurate reporting and credibility, the BBC’s funding model and the TV licensing fee will continue to come into question and be in the spotlight.
