Following weeks of backlash the BBC will reportedly no longer refer to Hamas as “militants” opting instead to describe them as "a proscribed terrorist organisation" or simply "Hamas." This shift in policy by the public service broadcaster was announced by the Board of Deputies of British Jews in a press release on Friday, after the

Following weeks of backlash the BBC will reportedly no longer refer to Hamas as “militants” opting instead to describe them as “a proscribed terrorist organisation” or simply “Hamas.” This shift in policy by the public service broadcaster was announced by the Board of Deputies of British Jews in a press release on Friday, after the

  • TWeaK@lemm.eeEnglish
    289·
    1 year ago

    Pretty sure they’ve been calling them a proscribed terrorist organisation for a while now.

    Also, is the Baord of Deputies of British Jews willing to admit Israel’s acts are war crimes, per the definition?

    • ladel@feddit.uk
      24·
      1 year ago

      They were being put under pressure because it has always been their policy to never refer to them (anyone) directly as terrorists, only using that term when quoting someone else calling them terrorists. “Proscribed terrorist organisation” is kind of the same thing, though - someone else has proscribed them as such.

      • TWeaK@lemm.eeEnglish
        236·
        1 year ago

        They were put under pressure because Israel pressures everyone to support them, usually with some form of threat.

          • WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world
            52·
            1 year ago

            According to Israel, because of historic persecution, no jew can ever be racist, genocidal, nationalist, fascist, corrupt, a war criminal… or anything else that’s considered bad… and if evidence results in you believing otherwise, you’re an anti-semite!

          • emax_gomax@lemmy.world
            3·
            1 year ago

            Well terrorism isn’t purely a threat, its actual violence with the goal of demotivating or convincing an enemy to submit to your demands. But I get your point.

      • Billiam@lemmy.world
        12·
        1 year ago

        “We’re not calling them terrorists; we’re just saying others call them terrorists.”

  • Doug Holland@lemmy.world
    279·
    1 year ago

    BBC being the only outlet to avoid using the loaded term ‘terrorist’ was solid journalism, so of course that had to go.

    That said, Hamas certainly is a terrorist group by any sane definition, and so’s the Israel Defense Forces.

    • atx_aquarian@lemmy.world
      3·
      1 year ago

      Help me see if I’m missing something, but I don’t think they generally were avoiding using a loaded term.

      I linked below a handful of examples of them describing, in their own words, acts as terror acts and even people and organizations as terrorists.

      https://lemmy.world/comment/4719039

      It seems to me like they’ve probably made sure to only use the term when a conviction or official designation has been made, but, as I understand from BBC’s own words, Hamas is already in that boat, too.

  • PugJesus@kbin.social
    72·
    1 year ago

    It’s really repulsive that a news organization trying to be factual and relatively neutral is badgered into changing its speech.