Just Journalism reports on what ostensibly looks like another outrageous example of bias from a BBC reporter.

Then when you dig deeper, it looks like even more outrageous.

Jeremy BowenBBC Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen has admitted in an analysis article for the BBC News website that the recent strain in relations between Israel and the US has been ‘enjoyable’.

In ‘Analysis: Bleak climate for Mid-East talks,’ published on Sunday 9 May, the head of Middle East coverage at the BBC examined the background to the recent resumption of (indirect) talks between Israel and the Palestinians. In an undeniably candid move, Bowen wrote the following:

‘It has been an unusual and enjoyable new experience to be able to look on as the Israelis argued with their most important ally. The fact that the dispute is over Jewish settlements is even better for the Palestinian [sic].’

His choice of words here reveals a strong personal sense of satisfaction at Israel’s diplomatic difficulties, not in line with the BBC editorial policy that:

‘our journalists and presenters, including those in news and current affairs, may provide professional judgments but may not express personal opinions on matters of public policy or political or industrial controversy. Our audiences should not be able to tell from BBC programmes or other BBC output the personal views of our journalists and presenters on such matters.’

It seems unlikely that the readers of this BBC article would not be able to tell the personal view of Jeremy Bowen in this instance. The fact that he claims openly to have enjoyed watching Israel struggle in its relations with its most important ally more or less precludes the possibility of an interpretation of neutrality.

Whilst the BBC does allow for ‘the authored view of a specialist or professional including an academic, scientist, or BBC correspondent’, it is not clear what is meant by ‘authored view’ and whether this would permit a journalist to openly express happiness when one side in an incredibly controversial conflict suffers a setback.

UPDATED as of 4.45pm on 12 May 2010: Jeremy Bowen responded to our report via email, saying that there was a ‘glitch in [his] editing process’ and that when calling a chill in U.S.-Israeli relations ‘enjoyable’ he had meant to attribute this view to the Palestinians. The article was subsequently amended on the BBC News website but no acknowledgement of an error was made.

I am calling BS on Bowen’s excuse. For a start, the offending words clearly sound like they are being expressed from the point of view of an outsider “looking on”, rather than the palestinians, a party to the conflict. Then there’s the update without acknowledgment of error, suggesting the BBC did not want to draw any attention to this since the “technical glitch” argument seems so far-fetched. Throw in the fact that Bowen has a history of anti-Israel bias, and I think it is patently clear that a technical glitch exists not in the BBC’s editing process but rather in their hiring and firing process.

8 thoughts on “Bowen Arrow Against Israel”

  1. Does anyone but lefties and Muslims actually read the BBC anymore? I know they've also excluded Hindus, Christians etc in their effort to apologise for all things Muslim

  2. The self-styled upper classes in England are into sadistic private practicies. This guy has allowed his fetish to leak into the public domain.

    Must have been some ride at his boarding school.

  3. wELL THE SLIMY LIMIES HAVE A HISTORY OF ANTI SEMITISM AND EXTREME ANTI ISRAEL BIAS. THAT IS HOW THE BOZOS ON THE LEFT WORK. hERE IS AN INDEPENDANT DEMOCRACY FACED WITH THREATS FROM ALL SIDES FOROM TERRORISTS ANS THE ASSOCIATED GOVTS AND WHAT DOES THIS LIMEY POS DO, SUPPORT THE TERRORISTS. iTS SAD TRHE bbc HAS FALLEN FROM AN INPORTANT SOURCE OF INFO TO A LEFT WING MUSLIM FALSE VOICE. IT BODES BAD FOR eNGLAND AND FREE DEMOCRACIES. iSLAM MUSRT BE STOPPED AS cHARLES maRTREL ONCE DID BEFORE IT DESTROYIES ALL FREE NATIONS. tHIS IS A WAR THE aRABS FOISTERED ON US STARTING IN THE LATE 600'S ADE AND HAVE REFUSED TO STOP. IF THIS IS NOT SEEN AS A WAR FOR SURVIVAL OF OUR VALUES FAITH AND FREEDOMS, WE WILL ALL END UP WITH A CONVERT OR DIE CHOICE. i HAVE SEEN MOST aRAB WOMEN. tHEY CAN KEEP THEIR 70 VIRGINS

  4. Slimy Limies have a history of anti-Semitism, you must be joking. To name only 2 my own MP is Jewish, and Kaufman holds a very senior position within new labour, I'm sure there are many others but it's a question that does not need to be asked of an Limey MP as it's immaterial. However, there has been a reluctance by succesive governments to be even-handed and the government has been the lapdog of the USA backing Israel when they have deserved condemnation. Israel only exists because the Limies were not willing to do to the Jewish people what they have done to the Palestinians. Jewish people in the UK hold a huge number of very senior positions all through society and your comment is bigoted beyond belief and an insult to one of the few places that gives equal rights to all races and creeds and is particularly sensitive to anti-Semitism. The Limies support of human rights is beyond question, it fought a world war to defend those rights..

  5. “He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty, he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself. “ (Thomas Paine on the Rightsof Man) For Jewish rights to be protected, it is necessary to give Muslims the same rights.
    The very first immigration act in the UK, followed the end of the 2nd World war
    It gave 10,000 Polish Jews the right of citizenship. Google Jewish MP's UK, currently quite a few lefties in there.

  6. Many of these comments across the pages are racist and insulting not only against Muslims, but British, and against Arab women and if these comments were applied to Jews they would be considered the worst of anti-semitism.
    There is a note below pretending to condemn racism but there are clear messages of bigotry and twisted hate thoughout the site It is clear from the writings that any reporter acceptable for worthy news here would have to work for the IDF and be called Rubber Stamp.

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