Action Alert: Complain to the BBC for its biased coverage of South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice
Wednesday January 17 2024
On 11 January 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) began a 2-day hearing on the case brought forward by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. South Africa made a strong case, providing sufficient evidence on genocidal acts committed by Israel which received little attention from mainstream British media.
The BBC chose to air Israel’s defence at the ICJ on live television but decided not to broadcast South Africa’s detailed case accusing Israel of violating the Genocide Convention. The BBC’s selective coverage of the case demonstrates a clear bias and one-sided approach in giving priority to Israel’s defence.
We call on you to make a complaint to the BBC for their lack of impartiality in a matter of great international importance and humanitarian concern.
ACT NOW by following this step-by-step guide:
Step 1: Go to https://www.bbc.co.uk/contact/complaints/make-a-complaint/#/Complaint
Step 2: ‘What is your complaint about?’ – Choose ‘TV (programmes/schedule)’. ‘Which TV channel or service is your complaint about?’ – Choose ‘BBC News Channel’. ‘Are you contacting us about a previous complaint?’ – Choose ‘No’.
Step 3: Scroll down to ‘Select the best category to describe your complaint’ – Choose ‘Not enough coverage’. ‘What is the subject of your complaint?’ – Enter ‘Bias in BBC coverage of ICJ case’. ‘Please enter your complaint, and please don’t add personal details such as your name, email or phone number in this field – we’ll ask you for those at the next stage’ – Enter the following:
‘On 11 January 2024, the ICJ heard South Africa’s case against Israel outlining genocidal intent in its conduct towards Palestinians in Gaza and its violation of the Genocide Convention. The BBC has displayed clear bias in its decision not to broadcast South Africa’s case at the ICJ and instead provide live coverage of Israel’s defence on the second day of the hearing. This is a matter of great international importance and humanitarian concern and we the viewership expect balanced coverage and impartial reporting from the BBC as one of the UK’s main news outlets. We expect the BBC to comply by their editorial values and standards in its commitment to impartiality in all its output, which it has failed to achieve in its coverage of the ICJ proceedings.’
‘Do you require a response to your complaint?’ – Select ‘Yes’.
Step 4: Enter your details and click ‘Continue’.
Step 5: Review and click ‘Submit’.
Should the BBC fail to take appropriate action, complaints should be escalated to Ofcom.
“On 11 January 2024, the ICJ heard South Africa’s case against Israel outlining genocidal intent in its conduct towards Palestinians in Gaza and its violation of the Genocide Convention. The BBC has displayed clear bias in its decision not to broadcast South Africa’s case at the ICJ and instead provide live coverage of Israel’s defence on the second day of the hearing. This is a matter of great international importance and humanitarian concern and we the viewership expect balanced coverage and impartial reporting from the BBC as one of the UK’s main news outlets. We expect the BBC to comply by their editorial values and standards in its commitment to impartiality in all its output, which it has failed to achieve in its coverage of the ICJ proceedings.”