BBC journalist melts down after David Cameron makes demand over Hamas | UK | News | EUROtoday

A BBC journalist has sounded off about David Cameron’s demand for his organisation to name Hamas terrorists.

The BBC’s Nick Robinson was slammed yesterday, Monday, May 13, after he fell in need of branding Hamas as terrorists on Radio 4’s Today programme when discussing Israel’s navy operations in southern Gaza.

It got here after the Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron pleaded with the BBC to vary its coverage in order that it used the phrase when speaking about Hamas.

Now a fellow BBC journalist John Simpson – world affairs editor of BBC News – has waded into the dicussion and ranted on social media platform X about what Lord Cameron is asking.

He mentioned: “Telegraph headline: ‘BBC’s Robinson fails to call Hamas terrorists despite Cameron demand’. I’m sorry — what sort of democratic government ‘demands’ that a major broadcasting organisation toes its political line?

“And what sort of newspaper seems to think that’s a good thing?” The tweet has had a giant response – with greater than 6,000 folks liking it and over 1,000 folks have commented.

One of those that reacted to the tweet was actor James Dreyfus – well-known for TV sitcoms together with The Thin Blue Line and Gimme Gimme Gimme. He now options on a podcast for the Spectator.

He replied to Mr Simpson asking: “What major broadcasting organisation wouldn’t call Hamas exactly what they are? That’s the real issue here.”

But Mr Simpson doubled down saying: “ITN, Sky and plenty of other broadcasters and newspapers prefer not to call Hamas ‘terrorists’. The BBC gets the heat because ministers know this plays to a particular school of thought in the Conservative Party.”

On the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme Lord Cameron condemned Hamas for releasing a video displaying Nadav Popplewell, a British-Israel hostage. Hamas say Mr Popplewell died in Gaza after being wounded in an Israeli strike.

Lord Cameron mentioned: “Maybe it’s a moment, actually, for the BBC to ask itself again, shall we describe these people as terrorists? They are terrorists.”

But the BBC received’t be altering its coverage. It issued an announcement to Express.co.uk yesterday from a BBC spokesperson.

It mentioned: “No one consuming BBC News can be left unaware of the horrific nature of Hamas’s acts. We’ve made our long-standing position on this matter very clear. We use the word ‘terrorist’ when it is attributed to others, such as the UK Government.”