Board of Deputies letter to BBC demands apology over imam coverage
The Jewish group has accused the BBC of "dismissing" the allegedly antisemitic views of the imam who appeared in the Tory leadership debate
The Board Of Deputies has written to the BBC to demand an apology over the broadcaster’s coverage of comments made by the imam Abdullah Patel.
A letter from the Board to the BBC’s head of news Fran Unsworth sent yesterday laments their use of “anti-Israel” instead of “antisemitic”, describing the coverage as “deeply problematic”.
It reads: “We are deeply concerned by an apparent editorial decision across the BBC to term the tweet ‘anti-Israel’: on the BBC news website, on Wednesday’s BBC News at Ten and by two journalists on that night’s Newsnight.
“They did so without mentioning the offensive content of the tweet. This is deeply problematic.
“The struggle against antisemitism is hampered by legitimate concerns of the Jewish community being dismissed as mere political disagreements about Israel, and not recognised as actual antisemitism. The BBC’s reporting has added to that problem.”
The letter comes as Ofcom received 31 complaints about Our Next Prime Minister.
Meanwhile The BBC has said it will consider “additional steps” in its vetting process for guests following a debate between Conservative leadership candidates.
A spokesperson for the Corporation said: “We have a long history of producing successful debate programmes and this was no different.
“We did however, adopt a different format for this programme and we will look at whether there are additional steps we might take on vetting and transparency should we repeat it in the future.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
