The BBC has said that its rolling news channel broke editorial rules after a presenter described Hamas as a “terror group.”
The BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) ruled that it was wrong of the unnamed presenter to use the phrase during a broadcast on June 15.
Published on Thursday, the ruling will likely re-ignite an impassioned debate about how the UK national broadcaster characterizes Hamas.
Since the atrocities of October 7 in Israel, during which around 1,200 people were killed by Hamas militants, the BBC has steadfastly refused to call the group “terrorists.”
The BBC’s editorial guidelines state: “The term ‘terrorist’ should only be used with attribution, ie when quoting or citing its use by others”.
Instead, BBC presenters often describe Hamas as being “designated as a terrorist organization.” Other variations include “Palestinian armed group.”
The position has been attacked by prominent lawmakers, including former Prime Minister David Cameron when he served as foreign secretary last year, and members of the Jewish community, such as former BBC television chief Danny Cohen.
The BBC has maintained that if it adopted the UK government’s language, it could be perceived as an arm of the state, which would be damaging to its efforts to report impartially on the crisis in Gaza.
Following the BBC’s ECU ruling, the findings were discussed with the management of BBC News and the editorial team responsible.