BBC bosses are taking the scissors to veteran programmes in a bid to save cash “in a tough financial climate“. Finally it’s been confirmed that Newsnight is getting the snip, losing 10 minutes of airtime along with its investigative department. More studio debates will replace them. The BBC is hoping that’ll save £7.5 million. It needs to save £500 million thanks to the two-year licence fee freeze…

The Newsnight team is reportedly cutting over half of its 60-strong team because “It simply no longer makes sense to keep a bespoke reporting team dedicated to a single news programme with a small and declining audience, however good that programme is”. BBC Verify is being expanded and BBC News at One is getting extended to an hour, along with a boost to digital content. In typical BBC style this cut will end up adding a net 20 jobs…

The BBC has been forced to update its latest “counter-disinformation” piece on how fatality figures are calculated in Gaza. Puzzled readers pointed out the story made no reference to the fact the Gaza health ministry is run by Hamas until the last paragraph, where the BBC deigned to quote the IDF who “said the health ministry was a branch of Hamas and that any information provided by it should be ‘viewed with caution‘”. This was after directly quoting figures from the Hamas-run health ministry nine times without caveat. You’d have thought they would have learned by now…

Anything connected to the Israel/Hamas War seems to be fair game for BBC misreporting. Last night’s article on Labour’s ceasefire rebellion got the outcome of the vote the wrong way round. Never attribute to malice what can be explained by stupidity…

Are unpaid interns running BBC reporting?

Just in from the BBC following Guido’s report earlier. The BBC have issued an on air apology for their false reporting about the IDF’s actions inside Gaza’s main Shifa hospital this morning. A BBC News presenter has just said:

“An apology from the BBC…we said that medical teams and Arab speakers were being targeted. This was incorrect and misquoted a Reuters report.”

They should wear their reading glasses next time…

BBC News last night stated Reuters were reporting that the IDF in the Shifa Hospital were

“targeting Arab speakers and medical staff”

Shocking if true.

Reuters actually reported:

The Israeli military said on Wednesday: “We can confirm that incubators, baby food and medical supplies brought by IDF tanks from Israel have successfully reached the Shifa hospital. Our medical teams and Arabic speaking soldiers are on the ground to ensure that these supplies reach those in need.”

The BBC twisting the story to paint Israel in the worst possible light. This is beyond propaganda, it is demonstrably reporting incompetence driven by credulous BBC reporters ready to believe the worst of Israel.

BBC Breakfast’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas war this morning features a highly emotive and clearly staged lingering shot of a young boy gazing at rubble whilst holding a Qur’an above his head. Questions will be asked as to whether this was filmed by a BBC-employed local cameraman or is sourced from an agency with Hamas sympathies. Co-conspirators will remember the criticisms over the BBC’s coverage of the Iraq war. Deja vu? 

Pressure has been mounting against the BBC over its refusal to label Hamas terrorists, and this particular shot resembles emotively framed propaganda designed to incite Islamist anger. The BBC’s institutional sympathies are all too clear. 

Another victory for Guido’s co-conspirators, as the BBC has finally admitted to a “biased” attack on GB News on Newsnight last month, conceding they breached their own editorial standards. The programme received multiple complaints – Guido let co-conspirators know how they could complain about the show – and Philip Davies MP wrote an official letter to the BBC. It only took a month for a reply…

Davies told GB News:

“I complained on their behalf to the BBC and it has taken precisely one month to get their final response with a mealy-mouthed, grudging acceptance that the programme was indeed in breach of rules of impartiality, although it is disappointing that their final decision spent more time seeking to justify their actions than apologising.”

Davies has referred the issue to Ofcom to investigate further, hoping they can use their “powers” to ensure Newsnight doesn’t just have three people nodding in agreement again. No wonder the show is facing a £5 million budget cut…