RE: Urgent call for UK media outlets to uphold journalistic standards when reporting on the current Palestine-Israel war 

We write to you as extremely concerned members of the public with an urgent appeal for journalistic integrity in light of the unfolding war in Palestine and Israel. We are deeply troubled by the coverage that we are witnessing in most UK print and broadcast media. We have not witnessed such irresponsible journalism since the aftermath of 9/11 and the build up to the invasion of Iraq, which we now know led to the killing of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians. Considering this example, as well as compassion and professional integrity, the journalistic industry should be conscious of how dangerous such inflammatory and dehumanising coverage can be and consider the very real effect it has on human life.  

While we recognise that the killing of civilians should always be condemned, it is important to report fairly. This attack followed decades of oppression, apartheid, and ethnic cleansing practices by the Israeli government. We believe that reporting without context of the colonial violence perpetrated by the Israeli state in the past eight decades is reckless. The premise that Israel’s attacks constitute self-defence is simply false; in 2023 alone, prior to the Hamas attack, the Israeli government had killed over 250 Palestinians, including 47 children.

Journalists have a duty to report without any political motive or influence from government. At the heart of journalism is independence, impartiality, and honesty. Today we call on you to question where these core values are. Why have you not upheld these tenets when they are needed the most? Why have you not criticised or questioned Israel’s disproportionate attack on Gaza and questioned the collective punishment of the people of Gaza for the actions of Hamas? Why has there been a failure to hold Israel to account for their breaches of International Humanitarian Law? Why have we seen virtually no journalistic scrutiny of the unsubstantiated claims by Israeli officials that they have used to justify their war crimes? 

The Israeli Government uses propaganda to condition public opinion into accepting their war crimes. Your journalism regurgitates this narrative making you complicit in the genocide of Palestinians that is currently unfolding before our very eyes.  

1.     General Media Narrative 

Mainstream media’s pro-Israel bias is decades-old and well-documented.[1] Israel’s discourse about “security” and it’s “right to self-defence" is widely accepted. On the other hand, the fact that Palestinians live under military occupation is conveniently excluded from the narrative. Military raids by both air and ground, confiscation of land, abductions, false imprisonments, and checkpoints, are all part of day-to-day Palestinian life. The people of Gaza have been living under a crippling siege for years, their right to live free from this is overlooked. Any retaliation against this daily violence is never legitimised by the media as their “right to self-defence" or “security”.  

False parallels have been created between an occupier with nuclear capabilities and billions of dollars of annual international military aid and an occupied people. The media portrays the events as a conflict between two nations, as though the playing field were level. 

Media bias manifests in ways that are both subtle and overt. The obvious recent example is the dissemination of the rumour that Hamas executed 40 babies, which was published unquestioningly by numerous media outlets. Although later withdrawn by many publications, this headline helped manufacture public consent for the genocide in Gaza that is taking place.[2] 

Palestinians are dehumanised in editorial choices. This can also be seen in the media’s regular use of the passive voice to describe Palestinian deaths. Palestinians “die” in “clashes”; Israelis are “killed” by Palestinians.  

2.     OFCOM guidance 

As the regulator for the UK communication industries, it is imperative that the news outlets you regulate adhere strictly to your guidance. Should any broadcaster repeatedly fail to do this, it is your legal duty to impose sanctions on them. We believe that the broadcasters mentioned in this letter below, namely BBC, ITV and Sky, have on numerous occasions failed to uphold your broadcasting guidance which has as a result had grave consequences on the lives of innocent Palestinian civilians.

Section Five of the OFCOM guidance “ensures that news, in whatever form, is reported with due accuracy and presented with due impartiality”.[3] This principle has clearly been violated by the broadcasting channels that you regulate, who have repeatedly favoured the Israeli viewpoint and fail to accurately and fairly report on the mass killings of innocent Palestinian civilians. In addition, they have failed to provide critical context to the 76-year occupation of Palestine.

Article 5.13 states that “broadcasters should not give undue prominence to the views and opinions of particular persons or bodies on matters of political or industrial controversy”[4], with OFCOM defining undue prominence as “a significant imbalance of views aired within coverage of matters of political or industrial controversy or matters relating to current public policy”.[5] Again, we believe that the broadcasters you regulate have utterly failed to uphold this in their respective practices by legitimising pro-Israel voices and providing a platform for individuals to justify Israeli war crimes that have been inflicted on the Palestinians.

Section Seven of the OFCOM guidelines states that “broadcasters should avoid unjust or unfair treatment of individuals or organisations in programmes”[6] and “broadcasters and programme makers should normally be fair in their dealings with potential contributors to programmes”.[7] However, again, throughout coverage on this war, this has not been adhered to. We have been appalled to witness Palestinian guests face far harsher and more aggressive question tactics then Israeli guests. Pro-Palestine voices have been subjected to continuous demands to ‘condemn Hamas’ and have not been afforded the right to discuss the systematic oppression that Palestinians have faced for over 7 decades, nor voice their hurt over the current suffering and mass murder of innocent lives. By contrast, Pro-Israel guests have the right to express their concern while promoting and justifying war crimes and murder of innocent men, women and children. 

An in-depth analysis of how the broadcasters that you regulate have failed to adhere to your guidance will be examined in this letter below.

3.     BBC

Framing of context and not providing historical context to the crisis

Throughout its reporting the BBC has consistently framed Israel’s attacks on Gaza as a response to the 7 October attack by Hamas, whilst more recently it has represented Israeli airstrikes as a “retaliatory campaign.”[8] Simplifying Israel’s attacks in this way serves to gloss over the military siege of Gaza by Israel and the systematic human rights violations committed against the Palestinian people during this period.[9] 

Further, virtually no context has been provided concerning the formation of Hamas as a resistance movement formed shortly after the start of the first Intifada (civil uprising) with the aim of liberating historic Palestine.[10] Without diminishing the horrific 7 October attack, providing this, even limited, background would enable your audience to form a deeper understanding of the situation and be in a position to critically challenge Israeli propaganda.

Manufacturing Consent 

On 16 October 2023 the BBC tweeted on the social platform X, an article titled 'Does Hamas build tunnels under hospitals and schools?' Articles like this help to manufacture consent for Israel’s attacks on civilian infrastructure such as the Al-Ahli Hospital on 17 October 2023, which is estimated to have killed over 500 Palestinians.[11]

Similarly, in reporting on the killing of Palestinians in the West Bank, the BBC reported that the “fierce fighting” of the IDF resulted in the killing of “dozens of terrorists.”[12] Reporting of this nature works to lend support to the killing of Palestinians when done in the pursuit of targeting members of Hamas. This can also be seen in reporting on the IDF’s attacks of Jabalia refugee camp, where the BBC’s summary begins by asserting the IDF’s claim that the strike “killed a senior Hamas leader.”[13]

Not reporting on certain stories

The BBC has failed to adequately report Israeli war crimes during the attacks following 7 October. This includes a failure to report on Israel’s use of white phosphorous gas in Gaza (a story confirmed by Human Rights Watch[14]), Israel’s collective punishment of Palestinians through blocking access to water, food, and electricity, and the forced displacement of 1.1 million civilians.

Inaccurate reporting on UK Protests  

The BBC has consistently downplayed the magnitude of pro-Palestine marches. This helps to misrepresent public opinion which, as the true size of protests demonstrates, rests in stark contrast to the British Government's position. The latest example of this was displayed on 11 November when the BBC reported that 300,000 people marched 2 and a half miles from Hyde Park to the US embassy. The BBC cited ‘police estimate(s)’ for this figure. However, we note that this estimate contrasts dramatically with organiser estimates 1,000,000, and we question why you are unwilling to include the organiser estimates in your coverage akin to other media organisations.

Inconsistent approach in reporting on civilian deaths.

The BBC’s use of the passive voice when referring to Palestinians (e.g., Palestinians are consistently referred to as having “died”, while Israelis have been “killed”[15]) serves to undermine the causative link between Israeli airstrikes and Palestinian deaths. Most recently, the BBC’s reporting of the attack on Jabalia refugee camp was reported as a “blast” and “a huge explosion…reported to have killed dozens.”[16]

This is not the only contrasting way in which the BBC reports the deaths of Palestinians and Israelis. While the BBC correctly reports on the Israeli casualties from Hamas’ horrific attacks, it frequently fails to highlight the high numbers of Palestinian deaths. As of 31 October 2023, over 8,000 people have been killed, over 2,000 are missing and over 21,000 injured. Over 67% of the casualties are children and women. It is reported that a child is killed every 15 minutes and over 100 children die per day.[17] Yet there seems to be no focus on these atrocities. 

Further, when the BBC does report Palestinian deaths in Gaza, rather than citing figures from the “Gaza Ministry of Health” (as is custom for organisations such as the United Nations), the BBC opts for the phrase, the “Hamas-run health ministry.”[18] This phrasing serves to bring into question the legitimacy of casualty figures, thereby minimising Palestinian suffering.

Effect

The BBC has failed to adequately represent the facts of the events in Israel and Palestine, placing it in breach of its own Editorial Standards and the Broadcasting Code.[19]

Section 1.1 of the Editorial Standards refers to the BBC’s Mission as contained in the BBC’s Royal Charter: “to act in the public interest, serving all audiences through the provision of impartial, high-quality and distinctive output and services which inform, educate and entertain” [emphasis added]. It also repeats the BBC’s Public Purposes of which (1) and (2) are particularly relevant: “(1) To provide impartial news and information to help people understand and engage with the world around them; (2) To support learning for people of all ages.” 

Under Section 5 of the Broadcasting Code, the BBC is obliged to broadcast events with due impartiality.[20] In particular we highlight the following sections:

1.     Section 5.1 – the duty to report on new with due accuracy and present it with due impartiality.

2.     Section 5.4 – the duty for television services to exclude all expressions of the views and opinions of the person providing the service on matters of political and industrial controversy.

3.     Section 5.7 – the duty to not misrepresent views and facts, as well as to ensure that views presented with due weight over appropriate timeframes. [21]

The small selection of examples outlined above clearly show how the BBC’s reporting has frequently served to inhibit rather than engender understanding of the events in Gaza. Whilst the BBC correctly issued an on-air correction on 16 October 2023 (as required under section 5.2 of the Code) for twice referring to pro-Palestine marches in the UK as being ‘pro-Hamas’[22], this is should not have been allowed to happen and better practices should be in place to avoid such grave misrepresentation. 

4.     Sky

Sky News’ own Ethics Policy and Editorial Guidelines of 2023, state that “our reputation is our most prized asset, so it is vital that our journalism is always of the highest quality. If it isn’t – and we make bad decisions, poor judgements, or mistakes – we put at risk the trust of our audiences and the potential damage will reverberate well beyond Sky News”.  Sky News has been guilty of misrepresenting the civilian massacre currently unfolding in Gaza, and such misrepresentations will indeed cause damage that will reverberate well beyond Sky News’ viewers.  

The failure to accurately portray the imbalance of power and the historical context of this conflict will have devastating effects on Palestinian lives. It is vital that the current escalation of violence is seen within the context of a decades-long occupation. It is not a just war if the attacks are made indiscriminately against civilians, and against a population whose very ability to live depends on supplies and resources controlled by that very invading power. The media has a responsibility to show that Israel and Hamas are not equal powers and that Israel is in fact an occupying power in Gaza. 

Misrepresentation and Inaccurate Information 

On 10 October Sky News journalist Kay Burley was allowed to lie and spread complete disinformation in multiple interviews with various Labour[23] and Conservative MPs,[24] as well as a representative of the British Palestinian committee,[25] where she quoted the Palestinian Ambassador as having said “Israel had it coming”.[26]  

Kay Burley not only fabricated this provocative quote, but throughout the day also insisted that many of her guests respond to the fake remark. Sky News’ own Editorial Guidelines state that “Sky News must always be duly impartial and duly accurate” and that they should be “making sure views and facts are not misrepresented” (No.11, p.26). The fabricated statement attributed to Zomlot appears to have been a distortion of comments made by the Palestinian ambassador during an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour.[27]

Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador, in fact said the following: “What is more tragic, or equally tragic, is the blindness and the deafness of the world and the international community for so many years, of the warnings we have been saying that this was coming. Israel knew that this was coming”. On Monday’s BBC Newsnight, the diplomat shared that seven of his relatives in Gaza were killed that day in Israeli strikes, including two children. In those appearances Zomlot, a member of the national movement of Palestine (PLO), also repeated his organisation’s 30 yearlong commitment to “recognise Israel, commit to negotiations and nonviolence, and to international legitimacy and resolution.” Sky News’ portrayal of his comments is a grave distortion of his position.  

Challenging Guests Appropriately 

The Sky News Editorial Guidelines also state that “what our guests say is ultimately our responsibility” (no. 6, pg 17). In an interview with Kay Burley on 16 October Tzipi Hotovely, Israeli Ambassador to the UK, said on Sky News “there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza”.[28] Hotovely went on to say that the Israeli state must and has a right to protect and defend Israel, because they need to ensure “the safety of the children of Israel”. In this interview, Hotovely outright denied the existence of innocent human lives in Gaza. Burley did not challenge Hotovely in describing the entirety of the Gazan civilian population in this way, nor did Burley make any balancing comment regarding innocent Palestinian lives which ought to be protected and treated differently to any military or other armed personnel. Burley’s attempt to challenge Hotovely was limited to saying: “we have been showing footage that would illustrate there is a humanitarian crisis in Gaza”.

Broadcasting Unverified Claims 

Furthermore, Burley made very few interventions during the interview, allowing the ambassador to speak freely and make whatever claims she wished, largely uninterrupted or questioned. Hotovely later in this interview said: “Never in the past have we had such a clear-cut war between good and evil. Everyone has seen the footage of Israeli parents protecting their children, and everyone saw the horrific footage of those beheaded babies, this horror created by Hamas.”  

The Sky News Editorial Guidelines stipulate that “the personal views and interests of those [invited] to contribute are established” (p. 27) and that “if one of our guests makes a statement that we believe to be inaccurate [...] that statement should be appropriately challenged by our presenter” (p. 32). Sky News viewers are likely to interpret the contents of an interview with the Israeli Ambassador to the UK as factually reliable and accurate, and Sky News have a responsibility to check and verify what their guests say. This is a shocking and unverified claim regarding the beheading of babies, which should have been identified as such, but in fact was not challenged at all by Burley. Sky News have allowed an undue and disproportionate amount of coverage on their platform around this unverified claim.[29] 

Another claim Sky News has allowed to be widely broadcasted on across their platform is an as-of-yet unverified claim linking Hamas to Al Qaeda and chemical weapons6. The Sky News interview and online article read: “Hamas fighters were carrying instructions on how to make chemical weapons, Israeli president claims: The documents, complete with diagrams, were shown to Sky News by President Herzog in an exclusive interview. He said they were "official al Qaeda material" that showed how to build a weapon with cyanide.”  

This is very irresponsible journalism, especially considering the Israeli military and government’s history of lying to the international press, most recently regarding the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh, the Al Jazeera journalist, who they have now admitted to having killed but who until recently the Israeli state claimed was killed by Palestinians.  

Inconsistent Treatment /Questioning of Israeli and Palestinian Representatives 

In an interview with Mark Austin, Tzipi Livni said “this is the time to leave the Gaza strip”. Moreover, she denied that Israel was also bombing the south of Gaza and the border with Egypt, saying “Israel is focusing on places where Hamas are”. Livni insisted in this interview that it was legitimate for Israel to order the civilians of Gaza to move out of Northern Gaza, or even out of Gaza altogether, which seemed to be her suggestion. Mark Austin questioned Livni on whether there will be decreasing support for Israel’s war in Gaza if civilian deaths continue to rise. However, he did not challenge or question the substance of Livni’s remarks with reference to collective punishment or forced displacement, nor did he point out that Gaza is under military siege and all borders are closed. Livni referred to the order issued by Israel (and dropped as leaflets all over Gaza from the air), in which people were told to leave the area, and given no assurance of their right to return to their home. 

If you compare Mark Austin’s questioning and interventions in the Livni interview, to his interview with Dimitri Dilani, a PLO representative, or his interview with Hanan Ashrawi7, Palestinian politician and activist, there is a very clear bias. Palestinian guests on Sky News are being subjected to far more aggressive questioning than their Israeli counterparts. 

Furthermore, Sky News is taking a clear moral stance by demanding that their Palestinian guests - journalists and politicians - none of whom have been Hamas representatives, explain and apologise for the actions of Hamas. Whereas, by comparison, the Israeli guests interviewed by Sky News have been allowed to inhabit a position of legitimately angry victims, without having to discuss at all the historical context predating 07 October 2023.  

This treatment of their Palestinian guests by Sky News, is not only perpetuating an inaccurate and biased picture of the situation in Gaza but is also hugely insensitive to these guests and the many Palestinians who have lost family and friends in Gaza. In a Sky News interview with Palestinian journalist Yara Eid, it was reported that the attack on Israel “saw 1400 people killed. Since then, Palestinian officials say that more than 4000 people have died in Gaza”.[30] Yara Eid explained in this interview that she has already lost more than 30 members of her family, as well as a close friend and journalist.  

Sky News itself states in its Editorial Guidelines that “when dealing with natural disasters or other tragic events particular attention is required to make sure that we report in such a way that, as far as possible, protects the dignity of the victims and their families.” 

5.     ITV 

In the months leading up to October 2023, over 200 Palestinian civilians were killed by Israel, 44 of whom were children.[31] Yet, on 7 October 2023, ITV news reported that amid talks of peace, “Hamas began yet another war.”[32]  This is one example of many which demonstrates the lack of impartiality and accuracy in ITV’s reporting. In its reporting and coverage of the current violence in Palestine, ITV has failed to meet its own editorial standards, and in doing so has contributed to the spread of misinformation of the events that are currently unfolding in Palestine.  

Lack of Impartiality in Reporting Inaccurate Reporting of the Facts

On 17 October 2023, ITV’s Richard Madeley implied that British-Palestinian MP Layla Moran’s family would have had knowledge of the attack carried out on 7 October 2023. In an interview on Good Morning Britain, Madeley asked Moran, “With your family connections in Gaza, did you have any indication of what was going to happen 10 days ago, two weeks ago? Was there any word on the street?” Despite an apology having now been issued to Layla Moran, this line of questioning demonstrates the level of conflation that ITV journalists have made between Hamas and Palestinians, and which is now commonplace in ITV’s reporting on Palestine. This is inaccurate and misleading reporting.  

Inaccurate Reporting of the Facts

On 18 September, ITV news published an article entitled ‘How can you determine who fired the Gaza Hospital rocket?’.[33] Despite the premise of the article maintaining the position that “determining responsibility was effectively impossible”, the article ends by quoting the founder of Bellingcat as saying that the evidence points to the missile or rocket fired as having a “pretty small payload.” This quote has been used to suggest that the firing came from within Gaza. The use of the word “rocket” in the headline itself seems to verify the position that Hamas was responsible for the attack, with no evidence to support this other than the quote from Bellingcat. Despite mentioning Israel’s initial claim of responsibility for the attack, the article does not press this point, nor does it mention that bombing a hospital is a war crime under international law.  

On 23 October 2023, in referring to the “Palestinian issue”, Senior International Correspondent John Irvine commented that Hamas’ actions were a result of “cut-throat anti-Semitism” and “vile racism posing as something else.”[34] On the date that this article was published, over 5,000 Palestinians had been killed by Israel, nearly half of them children.[35] In addition to dehumanising Palestinian lives, this article ignores the history of Israel’s illegal and brutal occupation of Palestine, suggesting that anti-Semitism has been the cause of the violence. As well as not providing any sources for this claim, the comment fuels the trivialisation of the occupation as a sectarian conflict, as opposed to a system of military occupation as it exists today. Further down in this article, Irvine suggests that the comment of a senior IDF commander in calling the violent attack on the Palestinian village of Huwara a “pogrom” could be justified by Israeli arguments that Palestinians “never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.” The use of and framing of this language presents racist statements of Israeli officials as trivial, and their violations of international law as justified.  

ITN’s Editorial Policy

ITN, which makes the daily news programming for ITV, states in its editorial policy that programming is regulated and produced to standards which include “due impartiality in the reporting of news events” and “an accurate reporting of the facts”.[36] Despite this, ITV has consistently misrepresented information to viewers and readers when reporting on Palestine in recent weeks. The starting point for ITV’s reporting has been the attack carried out on 7 October 2023 without situating it within Israel’s history of illegal occupation of Palestine. The effect of framing reports in this way has facilitated political and public support for the current human rights and international law violations committed by Israel, which are viewed as acts of “self-defence” or “retaliation”.  

Summary 

We strongly urge you to report fairly on the crisis unfolding in Gaza, by challenging official statements along with their source, and ensuring particulars are clear, verified and evidenced. 

We request that you cease any journalistic malpractice and adhere to the ethical standards of responsible journalism. By reporting inaccurately you have helped enable the genocide of innocent Palestinian civilians and , thus far, have been complicit in war crimes. 

We urge that you implement the following steps: 

1.     Issue a statement apologising for your role in disseminating false information and inhibiting understanding of the situation both domestically and internationally. 

2.     Utilise your resources as an independent media outlet to conduct proper research and report on the crisis truthfully. 

3.     Include critical context of Israel’s 16-year siege of Gaza, their 56-year military rule, and over 75-year long occupation of Palestine.  

4.     Meaningfully include the voices and lived experiences of Palestinians and their supporters in your reporting rather than utilising the segment to repeatedly request that they condemn Hamas. 

5.     Stop immediately the unfair and discriminatory way in which you are reporting on this crisis. 

6.     Hold the Israeli Government, its supporters including the UK Government, accountable for their war crimes in both Gaza and other Palestinian territories.  

7.     Challenge Israeli officials and representatives on how their purported mission to eradicate Hamas is a justification for the war crimes that are being inflicted on the Palestinian people. 

We thank you for taking the time to read this letter and anticipate your response. You will see below a large number of signatories to this letter and this letter will continue to be circulated post-dating this letter. We hope that you will action this letter appropriately. 

Yours faithfully 

 
[1] The New Arab, https://www.newarab.com/news/gaza-israel-war-western-media-still-biased 
[2] UN, https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/10/gaza-un-experts-decry-bombing-hospitals-and-schools-crimes-against-humanity 
[3] https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/broadcast-codes/broadcast-code/section-five-due-impartiality-accuracy
[4] Ibid
[5] Ibid
[6] https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/broadcast-codes/broadcast-code/section-seven-fairness
[7] Ibid.
[8] For example, refer to the ‘summary section’ of the “BBC correspondents answer your questions on Israel-Gaza war” livestream “It’s more than two weeks since Hamas launched its deadly attacks on Israel, and Israel began its retaliatory campaign in Gaza.”
[9] Amnesty https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2017/06/israel-occupation-50-years-of-dispossession/ 
[10] Al Jazeera https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/8/what-is-the-group-hamas-a-simple-guide-tothe-palestinian-group
[11] Estimate by Gaza Health Ministry. See https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2023/10/16/israel-hamas-war-live-iran-warns-resistance-front-may-attack 
[12] BBC, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-67258466/page/2
[13] BBC Summary, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-67258466 
[14] Human Rights Watch, 12 October 2023, accessed at https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/10/12/israel-white-phosphorus-used-gaza-lebanon 
[15] See, for example, post on social platform X on 9 October 2023 at 12:19pm.
[16] BBC, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-67258466
[17] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/19/israels-war-against-gazas-children-explained#:~:text=More%20than%20100%20children%20have,Palestinian%20enclave%20on%20October%207.&text=One%20child%20is%20killed%20every,war%20has%20exacted%20on%20children 
[18] See, for example, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-67204951;​ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-middle-east-67258466 
[19] Section 1: The BBC’s Editorial Standards, accessed at https://www.bbc.co.uk/editorialguidelines/guidelines/editorial-standards#introduction ; and The Broadcasting Code, accessed at https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/broadcast-codes/broadcast-code/section-five-due-impartiality-accuracy 
[20] Section 1: The BBC’s Editorial Standards, accessed at https://www.bbc.co.uk/editorialguidelines/guidelines/editorial-standards#introduction 
[21] Section 5.1-5.7 of the Broadcasting Code, accessed at https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/broadcast-codes/broadcast-code/section-five-due-impartiality-accuracy
[22] This claim was first made by during a live broadcast on Monday 16 October by BBC anchor Samantha Simmonds. It was repeated by Maryam Moshiri later that day. Later that day, the BBC issued a retraction, accepting that this was “poorly phrased and was a misleading description of the pro-Palestinian demonstrations.”

 
[23]Sky news (link here)
[24] Sky news (link here) 
[25] Sky news (link here) 
[26] Middle East Monitor,  https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20231011-uk-press-regulator-urged-to-intervene-over-sky-news-journalists-israel-had-it-coming-remark/ 
[27] Real Clear Politics, https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2023/10/08/palestinian_diplomat_israel_knew_this_was_coming_every_single_legalpolitical_avenue_is_blocked.html  
[28] https://news.sky.com/video/israel-hamas-war-time-for-hamas-to-pay-the-price-12985373 
[29] https://news.sky.com/story/its-important-to-separate-the-facts-from-speculation-what-we-actually-know-about-the-viral-report-of-beheaded-babies-in-israel-12982329 
[30] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-tcY_9V3bI 
[31] UN,  https://ochaopt.org/data/casualties 
[32] ITV,https://www.itv.com/news/2023-10-07/echoes-of-yom-kippur-war-as-hamas-launches-surprise-offensive 
[33] ITV, https://www.itv.com/news/2023-10-18/how-can-you-determine-who-fired-the-gaza-hospital-rocket
[34]I TV,  https://www.itv.com/news/2023-10-23/israelis-may-have-forgotten-about-the-palestinian-issue-but-the-world-has-not 
[35] Al Jazeera,  https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/23/gaza-death-toll-exceeds-5000-as-israel-continues-daily-bombardments 
[36] ITN, https://www.itn.co.uk/editorial-policy

Photo credit to @motaz_azaiza