I think we need to be really careful not to throw the term ‘anti-Semitism’ around too casually when it’s not justified. It is not in anyone’s interests to cheapen that term.

True, but there are times when BBC journalists actually seem to jeer at Israel.

Bialik 27 September 2009, 7:33 pm

Yes, that’s exactly what got me about Lustig’s blog title.

Slightly related, the BBC also generally calls the Lebanese government the ‘US’ or ‘Western-backed’ Lebanese government. Either all the other governments in the world are on bad terms with ‘the US/the West’ or there is more than one Lebanese government. What I’m saying is, the BBC’s middle-east coverage is lazy across the board and doesn’t stop at the stereotyping of Israel. The stories have to fit predetermined structures.
I blame groupthink rather than conspiracy of incompetence.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8271249.stm

It is the first time that the voter statistics have been made public.
“Nine per cent is a significant portion,” said Andreas Wuest, project director at the Mannheim Centre for European Social Research and the only German academic who focuses on migrants as political actors
“In one way or another, this share of the population can have an effect, especially in constituencies with higher levels of migrant voters, for instance in the bigger cities in the West.”
So all the major political parties are fielding candidates from the fast-growing migrant communities.
There is a new leaflet out, in German and Turkish, explaining in simple language how the political system works here, and plans to publish one in Russian for the next election.
One of its promoters is Gabriele Guen Tank, the commissioner for immigrants in Berlin’s Schoeneberg district.
Almost half of the youngsters in Schoeneberg, she said, come from a migrant background. Soon they will be eligible to vote.
“It’s a big group coming,” Ms Tank said. “And if we don’t give them the chance of participation, we will have more problems in the future. So there has to be a change.”

What we see at the BBC seems to be more related to the culture which exists in the media industry in general in this country. What is sad is that no-one seems to want to challenge that culture’s pre-conceptions.
I know that it’s a pretty cut-throat industry and that particularly in times of economic instability people naturally go with what is safe, but all the same, this conservative approach is doing nothing for the industry’s credibility or its future health. If all you have within your industry are a load of ‘yes-men’ who carry on down the accepted route, you’re going to find yourself in big trouble at some point down the line.
There just do not seem to be many brave, innovative journalists or film-makers out there who are prepared to challenge the status quo as far as reporting on the ME is concerned. Ironically, the BBC is best placed to lead the way on this as it is financially independent, but it seems to be the most fossilised of all in its approach. I really believe that this stagnant thinking on the subject of Israel will be to the BBC’s creative detriment in the long run.

What we see at the BBC seems to be more related to the culture which exists in the media industry in general in this country. What is sad is that no-one seems to want to challenge that culture’s pre-conceptions.
I know that it’s a pretty cut-throat industry and that particularly in times of economic instability people naturally go with what is safe, but all the same, this conservative approach is doing nothing for the industry’s credibility or its future health. If all you have within your industry are a load of ‘yes-men’ who carry on down the accepted route, you’re going to find yourself in big trouble at some point down the line.
There just do not seem to be many brave, innovative journalists or film-makers out there who are prepared to challenge the status quo as far as reporting on the ME is concerned. Ironically, the BBC is best placed to lead the way on this as it is financially independent, but it seems to be the most fossilised of all in its approach. I really believe that this stagnant thinking on the subject of Israel will be to the BBC’s creative detriment in the long run.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8277040.stm

Maybe someone at the BBC reads Harry’s Place?

This singling out of the Jewish state is indeed anti-Semitism.

It’s fairer to say it could be or is likely to be anti-Semitism. It is equally likely to be a journalist simply falling into line with the fashionable and unthinking anti-Israel mode of reporting rife in left wing media circles.

Sometimes, however, it does appear that BBC journalists are straining at the leash to write the most stinging criticism of Israel they can get away with. Is that anti-Semitism? Probably. It also could be an overpowering need to come out of the closet and show one’s proud lefty credentials as an unwavering supporter of the poor, downtrodden Palestinians.

Whatever the case, BBC reporting on the Israeli-Arab conflict is abysmal.

This is not to say that the majority of BBC journalists are necessarily ‘in’ on this deception, but their very mindset makes it easy for the BBC hierarchy to steer them in the ‘right’ direction, and will tolerate wilful abuse of facts to maintain their mindset rather than attempt to be balanced.