David Cameron urges BBC to describe Hamas as terrorist organisation ( www.theguardian.com )

Foreign secretary’s call comes after group releases video of British-Israeli hostage it says died after being wounded in Israeli airstrike

David Cameron has urged the BBC to describe Hamas as a terrorist organisation, reviving an accusation that the corporation shies away from a valid description of the Islamist group that is holding Israeli hostages.

The UK foreign secretary told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg that the organisation should reconsider its guidelines in light of a video released by Hamas showing the British-Israeli hostage Nadav Popplewell, who the group said had died in Gaza.

Hamas released a statement on Saturday saying the 51-year-old had died after being wounded in an Israeli airstrike a month ago. The video showed him with a black eye.

aard ,
@aard@kyu.de avatar

Making an exception for one organisation, pressured by politicians, would be harmful. BBC has the following policy about neutral reporting:

We don't use loaded words like "evil" or "cowardly". We don't talk about "terrorists". And we're not the only ones to follow this line. Some of the world's most respected news organisations have exactly the same policy

Murvel ,

Hamas is a terrorist organization

Dkarma ,

You spelled Israel wrong.

FlyingSquid Mod ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

Both can be true. But that doesn't mean the BBC should give up its neutral stance.

Murvel ,

If Great Britain labels Hamas a terrorist organization, why shouldn't the BBC then to the same?

FlyingSquid Mod ,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

Because the BBC is not the PR arm of the British government. It is supposed to be an independent and impartial entity.

Murvel ,

It's the official stance of the country from their own government, by extension the british people. Are you saying that's not what the BBC represents?

Noel_Skum ,

No. They’re saying the BBC is not the government’s mouthpiece. It is an impartial public broadcaster. The same BBC that has reported on both IRA bombings and Sinn Féin elections. If you understand that last sentence you may realise why the BBC speaks as it does.

Murvel ,

BBC is regulated by the government in the form of Ofcom according to:

https://www.bbc.com/aboutthebbc/governance/regulation

Noel_Skum ,

Ofcom is a “government approved regulator” as opposed to the “government regulating approval.“ There is a difference. It’s a .org not .gov domain.

Murvel ,

They regulate the BBC that's all you need to focus on.

Noel_Skum ,

Ofcom regulates EVERY television broadcaster, every radio broadcaster, all the phone providers, all the broadband providers, the postal providers and the wireless providers in the UK. That’s a lot more companies than just the BBC. That is what I’ll be focusing on; rather than your suggestion. Thanks all the same.

Murvel ,

Yeah, so the BBC is government regulated....

Noel_Skum ,

Wow. Believe whatever you want - don’t let facts get in the way of your opinions. You are so colossally misunderstanding what the phrase “government approved regulator” means. Thanks for the laugh.

Murvel ,

They're regulated, you for some reason don't belevie they are, that's it, not sure what else to add.

Noel_Skum ,

I’m not questioning that they’re regulated and never have - you absolute ham sandwich. I’m correcting you in your mistaken belief that the regulator is the government. Ofcom is not the government - regardless of what you want to believe. It doesn’t matter how loud you shout - you’re wrong when you say the BBC is regulated by the government. It is regulated by Ofcom. Please do some research.

Murvel ,

Ofcon, British government agency

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ofcom?wprov=sfla1

First fucking words of the article.

Lmao ffs dude. The only reason I keep going is to see where this will take us. You cannot have this fragile an ego...

Noel_Skum ,

You definitely need to work on your reading comprehension… but try the bit further down your quoted article where it says that Ofcom is a “statutory corporation”. And then read the article on that phrase. Still convinced Transport For London is a government agency? Hell, with your (incorrect) argument that would make the actual BBC a government agency as it itself is a statutory corporation. So why would the government need Ofcom? Hmmmm

Murvel ,

It says it a government agency on the wikipedia page, in the summary no less! Are you really this petty, my god dude!

Noel_Skum ,

To quote your own source again: “…government-approved regulatory and competition authority…” If you think that is synonymous with being a part of the UK government then that is on you and no amount of help will change that. On a side note - are you interested in replacing Ofcom with an industry approved regulator instead?

Murvel ,

Your ego really don't allow you to be wrong once?

mindlight ,

Wikipedia first lines summarizes the 7th of October quite well:

Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims.

Hamas still haven't released the civilian hostages. Hamas hides among civilians. The list goes on and on.

The only sad part is that the Palestinian people once voted for a terrorist organisation to represent them.

People can call Hamas for "Freedom Fighters" all they want but it doesn't erase the fact:

Hamas is a terrorist organisation.

absquatulate ,

How this dickwipe managed to get in the spotlights again after what he did I'll never understand. He's right though, they should be called terrorists because they are. And bbc while you're at it also call the genocide of remaining Palestinians a genocide.

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