Mick Hartley

Another report of antisemitism at the BBC, this time from the Telegraph:

A whistleblower has said anti-Semitism at the BBC has become “normalised” and accused the broadcaster of failing to take seriously repeated claims of anti-Semitic behaviour and attitudes within the organisation.

The experienced member of staff, who is Jewish, said they had been forced to endure anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli comments on a near-daily basis, only for their concerns to be dismissed by managers.

Writing anonymously for The Telegraph, they said: “Anti-Semitism exists in the newsrooms of Britain’s public service broadcaster. It has done for years, and it is alive and well today, refuelled by the events of Oct 7 and after.

“I have experienced it first hand, too much, in my career at the corporation, both before and since the Hamas attacks.”…

They also accuse Tim Davie, the BBC’s director general, of failing to get a grip on the problem of anti-Semitism within the corporation, despite his emailing all staff in February to say there was no place for racist abuse of any kind within the BBC.

The whistleblower, who has asked for their identity not to be revealed for fear of being “marked out”, writes: “For Jewish staff, the experience of anti-Semitism and Israel bashing is a daily one and Tim Davies’s statement rings hollow. Actions speak louder than words, and sadly when it comes to anti-Semitism or anti-Zionism at the BBC, its actions practically are mute.”

No surprise, sadly.