The BBC has publicly defended its decision not to directly call Hamas militants “terrorists”, despite harsh criticism received even from prominent members of the British Government. The Secretary of Defense Grant Shapps He described public television’s policy as “bordering on the shameful” and said the BBC needs “a moral compass.”
The Minister of Culture Lucy Frazer personally remembered the CEO Tim Davie that we are facing “acts of terror perpetrated by a terrorist organization”. AND The Daily Mailthe tabloid that sets the agenda of the Government of Rishi Sunakopenly headlined on the front page: “The King calls them terrorists, why can’t the BBC do it?”
The Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, while passing through Israel, urged the public broadcaster to review its policy. And even the leader of the Labor opposition Keir Starmer He warned that the BBC must explain why it is not using the word: “I have said terrorism and terrorists, and to me it is obvious that is what we are seeing.”
The BBC uses the term “militants” in its news and information, but insistently reminds us that Hamas “is classified as a terrorist organization by several countries, including the United Kingdom” (the presenter Clive Myriespecial envoy to Jerusalem, recalled it four times on the star news program at ten o’clock on Wednesday night).
“We always take the use of language very seriously,” explained a BBC spokesperson. “Anyone listening to our coverage will hear the word ‘terrorists’ many times, attributed to whoever uses themfor example the British Government”.