Letter: ​Censorship of Gaza war coverage is damaging reputation of BBC

Banning the voice of elected politicians, however abhorrent their views, seemed undemocratic. Back then, the National Union of Journalists organised a one-day strike in protest that the BBC's independence was being undermined and in May 1994 the NUJ launched a legal challenge with the European Commission of Human Rights.

The BBC’s John Simpson said, ‘When I worked in Baghdad, officials there always used to mention our Sinn Féin ban if you criticised their censorship. I don't like to see this country appearing on the same side of the dividing line as Saddam Hussein on anything at all.’

Thirty years later, we have the ridiculous situation where the BBC has independently decided to ban a film about the experience of Palestinian children during the conflict, not because it interviewed a Hamas politician, but because it is narrated by a 13-year-old boy who is the son of a Hamas politician.

I believe that ending our censorship of Sinn Fein ban just after the 1994 IRA ceasefire allowed Sinn Fein’s influence with the IRA to grow; republicanism slowly moved away from violence and within four years Northern Ireland achieved peace through the Good Friday Agreement.

Similarly, if Palestine and Israel are ever to find peace, efforts to grow the political wing must continue hand in hand with efforts to suppress the armed wing of Hamas.

Despite growing up during the Northern Ireland Troubles where political reporting was at its most contentious, the first time I felt forced to make a complaint about biased coverage was in 2023 and that was about the coverage of Gaza where the voices of Palestinians are restricted.

I sympathise with BBC journalists who are under pressure not to report anything that might upset Israel, but do they realise the damage their censorship is doing to the reputation of the BBC?

Arnold Carton, Belfast BT6