KEIR Starmer has called on the BBC to explain why it does not label the Palestinian militant group Hamas “terrorists”.
Veteran BBC foreign correspondent John Simpson said the broadcaster did not use the word because doing so would mean it was “ceasing to treat the situation with due impartiality”.“I said ‘terrorism’ and ‘terrorist’, and to me that’s obviously what we are witnessing.
“The BBC’s job is to place the facts before its audience and let them decide what they think, honestly and without ranting.“That’s why, in Britain and throughout the world, nearly half a billion people watch, listen to and read us. There’s always someone who would like us to rant. Sorry, it’s not what we do.”
“What Hamas have done, as a proscribed terrorist organisation, meaning that they are illegal in Britain, it’s illegal to support them, is to have gone out and slaughtered innocent people, babies, festival-goers, pensioners. Other senior ministers, including Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, have been among those expressing concern about the BBC’s position.The BBC’s editorial guidelines on terrorism tell reporters and editors: “The word ‘terrorist’ itself can be a barrier rather than an aid to understanding.“We should use words which specifically describe the perpetrator such as ‘bomber’, ‘attacker’, ‘gunman’, ‘kidnapper’, ‘insurgent’ and ‘militant’.
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