Open Letter to the BBC, from licence-fee payers

(as delivered on 21 Feb. 2023; later signatories should sign the form on 
https://www.campain.org/open-letter-from-bbc-subscribers )
 

Dear Mr Davie

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We, the undersigned, greatly value the BBC in terms of its declared mission and public purposes. We all pay the licence fee or have done so most of our working lives.
 

Precisely because of this, we are deeply disturbed by the way the BBC has been reporting allegations about the scale of antisemitism in the Labour Party since the middle of the last decade.

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We do not write on behalf of any party-political grouping. The group coordinating this effort is called CAMPAIN [i], a resolutely non-partisan body that includes people of all political parties and none. Its aim is simply to improve truthfulness and raise standards in public life. Our complaint is rooted in the belief that the BBC should uphold its Charter in terms of accuracy and impartiality.

Here are just a few examples of the BBC’s shortcomings in its coverage of this topic:
 

• The BBC has repeatedly reported the narrative about Labour antisemitism as a fact, without checking the veracity of the underlying allegations [ii]. This was evident, for example, in Laura Kuenssberg’s reporting during the 2016 local election campaign and her statement on News at Ten immediately following the Panorama documentary Is Labour Antisemitic? of July 2019 [iii]. See also Kirsty Wark’s repeated interruptions on Newsnight of Jewish interviewees who, based on their own experience, denied the existence of widespread antisemitism within the Labour Party and complained that the concept had been weaponised to undermine Jeremy Corbyn [iv].
   

• The Panorama documentary fell far short of the BBC’s own standards, as shown in the Media Reform Coalition’s catalogue of reporting failures regarding impartiality and accuracy [v].  Notably, the documentary withheld from viewers the facts that: (a) at least nine of the ten uncaptioned people testifying to antisemitism had played leading roles in anti-Corbyn and pro-Israeli organisations and could in no way be considered typical Party members [vi] (b) there was a lack of balance in the selection of expert witnesses [vii]. Furthermore, Panorama relied on Ben Westerman’s testimony upon which a recording casts serious doubt, and a statement from Izzy Lenga that stretched credibility beyond reasonable bounds [viii]. The documentary also showcased interviewees’ erroneous claims that the Corbyn leadership had interfered in disciplinary cases involving allegations of antisemitism [ix].
   

• The BBC failed to meaningfully respond to the very serious allegations in the Al Jazeera’s Labour Files documentary series about the shortcomings of the Panorama documentary.
   

• The BBC has consistently failed to shine an investigatory light on the interest groups and lobbyists behind the stream of accusations about antisemitism, and the relentless push for the adoption of the highly contested IHRA working definition of antisemitism. For this coverage, the public has had to rely on foreign broadcasters like Al Jazeera and principled independent journalists like Peter Oborne. Hence, our national broadcaster has defaulted on its responsibility.
   

• By these actions and lack of action, the BBC has missed a historic opportunity to play a positive role in the functioning of British democracy in accordance with its Charter.  Had it properly investigated these matters, it could have enlightened public discourse in the run-up to a general election while calming unjustified fears among many Jewish voters [x] and others. Instead, it became complicit in a campaign of misinformation. We fear that if this lesson is not learned, history will repeat itself.

We ask the BBC to respond to each of these points, taking account of the evidence in the endnotes and links below.  We look forward to receiving a thorough and well-evidenced reply.

Kind regards

The undersigned (see below endnotes)

Endnotes

[i] Campaign against Misrepresentation in Public Life, Information and the News, www.campain.org 
 

[ii] The questionable nature of these allegations has long been evident from information in the public domain – see summary articles here and here. Available statistics in no way supported the thesis that the Labour left was a hotbed of rampant antisemitism, and showed that prejudice towards most if not all minorities, including Jews, was higher on the right of the political spectrum.

[iii] See BBC News at Ten, 10th July 2019. Political editor Laura Kuenssberg intoned gravely: Many party members have left, and if Labour can’t get a grip of racism in its own ranks, what might they lose next?

[iv] This is demonstrated in two clips from the Not the Andrew Marr Show, the first called Is it worth appearing on mainstream TV? and the second called How Newsnight stitched up key debate. 

[v] MRC’s statement can be seen here.

[vi] At least eight were officers or former officers of the Jewish Labour Movement. Another, Phil Rosenberg, had worked for 8 years and 8 months as Director of Public Affairs at the Board of Deputies of British Jews.

[vii] One witness was employed by the British-Israel Communications and Research Centre (BICOM), a privately-funded campaign to strengthen Israel's image and support in the UK, and that treats opposition to Zionist ideology as practically the same as antisemitism. The other was a deputy director of the Community Security Trust (CST) who has written a book entitled ‘The Left’s Jewish Problem: Jeremy Corbyn, Israel and Antisemitism’, containing views disputed by many Jewish Labour members and academics. Panorama did not interview any of the latter.

[viii] Here are clips about Ben Westerman and Izzy Lenga from the Al Jazeera Labour Files documentary. Richard Sanders provides further information about Izzy Lenga in this article, saying that her statements ought surely to have set alarm bells ringing at the BBC for anyone with even the remotest familiarity with the internal culture of the Labour Party. In a carefully worded entry on the BBC's "Corrections and Clarifications" page of 14 December 2022, the Corporation said that if Lenga's testimony was ever shown again, it would include comments to give viewers "further context" about her experiences. Coming more than three years after the broadcast, this posting has been widely interpreted as an admission that Lenga's contribution was deliberately edited in such a way as to maximise the damage to Labour.

[ix] For information on this and other matters cited under this bullet, see Al Jazeera, The Labour Files, The Crisis, from 41:50 mins to 48.40 mins. Far from what was stated in the Panorama documentary, the Labour leader’s office did not intervene to protect members under investigation.

[x] This article contains abundant evidence about Corbyn’s anti-racist credentials and shows that anti-Jewish feelings are low in Britain relative both to other countries in Europe and to feelings against other minority groups. It quotes Antony Lerman, former Director of the Institute of Jewish Policy Research saying that there is probably no place more secure for Jews anywhere else in the world.

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Signatories

Disclaimer: we have enabled a double opt-in function to check the identity of signatories. However we are unable to exhaustively check all details on all signatories, for which reason we rely on the truthfulness of the information they provide. Sometimes we have added details that are in the public domain.
 

Jonathan Coulter, Secretary of CAMPAIN, www.campain.org

Tim Llewellyn, former BBC Middle-East Correspondent, now member of Labour Party, Balfour Project Executive Committee and CAMPAIN

Dr Peter Shambrook, historian and Balfour Project Trustee

Dr Swee Ang, orthopaedic surgeon and co-founder of Medical Aid for Palestinians, member of CAMPAIN

Sir Iain Chalmers, from Oxford, leading health services researcher, worked in Gaza for two years as UNRWA medical officer 

Ghada Karmi, a Palestinian-born academic, physician and author living in London, and "signing as an individual Palestinian much harmed by the witch hunt of pro-Palestinian sympathisers using antisemitism as a pretext"

Kenny MacAskill, Alba Party MP for East Lothian

Crispin Blunt, Conservative MP for Reigate, and Chair of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee 2015-2017

Rev. Mark Battison, member of CAMPAIN committee, former Chair of Sabeel-Kairos

Ken Loach, film director

Holly Loach, script reader and personal assistant to CEO, Voltage TV

Paul Laverty, screenwriter

Miranda Pinch, Producer  of the film 'From Balfour to Banksy', member of committees of CAMPAIN and Lib Dem Friends of Palestine

Dr. Tom Mills, of Aston University, signing on behalf of the Media Reform Coalition (MRC) which he chairs

Riaz Meer, Vice-Chair, Media Reform Coalition

Natalie Fenton, Professor of Media and Communications, Goldsmiths College, London

David Cannon, Chair of Jewish Network for Palestine (JNP)

Haim Bresheeth-Zabner, Professorial Research Associate at SOAS, member of BRICUP and JNP, signing on behalf of JNP

Linda Speight, member of steering group of Jewish Network for Palestine (JNP)

Paddy French, Editor Press Gang, worked as independent TV producer (programmes for C4, BBC Wales and ITV Wales) and 10 years as staff producer of 'Wales this Week' for ITV Wales

Professor Ilan Pappe, an Israel historian working at the University of Exeter

Jonathan Rosenhead, Chair, British Committee for the Universities of Palestine (BRICUP), of Hackney, London

Mike Cushman, Membership Secretary, Jewish Voice for Labour (JVL)

Richard Kuper, Web Editor, JVL

Tony Booth, Environment Officer, JVL

Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi, Media Officer, JVL

Leah Levane, Co-Chair, JVL

Tony Greenstein, blogger (https://azvsas.blogspot.com/) and member of Unite
Asa Winstanley, journalist with the Electronic Intifada

Anna Chen, former freelance writer and presenter for the BBC

Sarah Sheriff, signing in her personal capacity. as co-Chair of South-East London and Lewisham Friends of Palestine, and in representation of Muslim Community Helpline (MCH)

Naeem Malik, Chair of West Midlands Palestinian Solidarity Campaign (PSC)
Lesley McGorrigan, UCU National Executive Committee (signing in personal capacity)

Marc Wadsworth, black rights campaigner, journalist and BBC filmmaker; editor of the-latest.com. Ex-Labour Party.

Glyn Secker, a leading member of Jews for Justice for Palestinians (JfJfP)

Clare Cape, Chair, Liberal Democrat Friends of Palestine (LDFP)

Andy Daer, Vice Chair, Lib  Dem Friends of Palestine

John Kelly, Secretary, Lib  Dem Friends of Palestine

Steve Walker, Editor of Sqwawkbox

Prof David Mond, mathematician, member of CAMPAIN committee

Jerry Headley, University Director, member of CAMPAIN committee

David Plank, retired local authority CEO and Director of Social Services. Member of CAMPAIN

Rodney Watts, founder member of CAMPAIN

Alan Maddison, member of CAMPAIN

Ruth Gould, member of CAMPAIN

Prof James Dickins, University of Leeds, member of CAMPAIN

Roshan Pedder, member of CAMPAIN, from West Molesey, Surrey

Eddie Powell, CAMPAIN member

James Turner, CAMPAIN member

Ken Mapley, member of Labour Party and CAMPAIN

Pamela Manning, Lib Dem from Cambridge, and member of CAMPAIN

John Hall, CAMPAIN member

Catherine Mackenzie, CAMPAIN member
Jan Deckers, CAMPAIN member, from Rothbury, Northumberland 

John Coates, Industrial Engineer

Nick Elvidge

Angie Mindel

Adrian Grant

Howard Harris

Gregory Harris

Norman Wright

Emrys Jenkins, retired senior Academic

Ivan Wels, active with National Education Union, Nottingham City  

Illinois Cook

Brian Steedman

Kitty Warnock, retired Overseas Development official

Alex Wardle

Rex Smith

Stewart Whitehead, ex-Labour Party member

Ben Lowe

Brendan O'Brien

Jane Collier

Teresa Grover, supporter of Jeremy Corbyn

Denise Fowler, member of Amnesty International

Peter Last

Averil Parkinson

Chris Selsby

Lesley Cooke

J.W. Freeman, Senior Maths Lecturer, Bradford College, retired. Member of PSC

Teresa Devereux

Amjad Al-Dajani

Jennifer Runham

Richard Comaish, member of Coop Party

Colin Clews

Joanna Mingham

Kevin White

Susan Buckingham

John Davey

Ananda Ramamurthy

Richard Seaford

Iaian Crawford

Steve Kinneavy, Palestine campaigner from Sheffield Hallam

Janet Watson, University of Leeds

Sangeeta Lyons

Derek Perkins

Jennifer Jones

Robert Boyce, works for LSE

Paulina Palmer

Mary Wyatt

Eddie Dougall, Membership Secretary, Mid Suffolk District Branch Labour Party

Dodie Carter

Bob Stiff

Sue Stiff

Keith Midgley

Lorcan Smith

Anne Pascall

Dina Glouberman, Founding Director, Skyros Holidays

Stewart Eames

Thomas Sheerin

Peter Morgan

Susan King

Kenny Fryde, Jewish Labour Party member

Jenny Hardacre

Kathleen Hamilton

Kathlyn Porteus, retired marketeer

Kathleen Young

Chris Proffitt

Trevor Hoyle, writer of novels and radio drama

Simon Cohen

Jane McArthur

Stan Grycuk

Caroline Routledge

Omar Shamma

Stephen Wagg

Stephen Wyatt

Roland Laycock

David Blow

Abbas Hussain, retired human-rights lawyer from Hinkley

Mark Lewinsky-Grende

Stephen Kind, ex-Labour Party, resigned

Nat Lindo

Joseph Cairns

Anthony Hall, retired engineer

Cliff Jones, writer

Rachel Crowcroft

Rachel Peto 

John Ward

Sharon Browne

Amirah Raheem, student

Eller Everett, PhD student

Susan Blackwell

Kate Langton

Annie O'Gara

Brian Holland

Margot Brown

Gerald Gardiner

Leon Rosselson, writer of satirical songs and children's books

Angela Martin, retired UCU member; ex-Sheffield Hallam University; Labour Party member

John Purcell

Leon Carvallo-Phillips, freelance EFL teacher

Eileen Stapleton

Andy Hamilton, retired consultant to the European Commission

Anthony Baldwin

Martin Golding

Keith and Francis Armes

Colin Lomas

Noel Nowosielski, former Liberal Party member

Fiona Leach 

Linda Whittern

Alison Aiken

Richard von Abendorff

Brian Precious, active with Unite community

Malcolm Bride

Lindsey Colvin-Fox

Tippu Sheriff

Amina Mangera

John Tilley, life-long liberal, and majority Lib Dem leader of Kingston Council 1994/97

John Payne, Liberal Democrat member, Epsom & Ewell party

Mujahid Islam

Megan Povey

Susan Fletcher

Jackie Wrafter, Director, Kianh Foundation

Tom Salmon

Simon Attwood

Terry Froud

Sue Woodsford, Amnesty International member from Cambridge

Jane Lee, Keighley’s Independent Voice

Diana Lloyd

Clare Dove, artist, former Labour Party Member, Unite member

Peter Hague, ex-Labour Party member

Simon Craig, Unite member

Susan Craig, Unite member

Bernard Spiegal

John Dunn

Mary Holmes

Kathy McCubbing

Alan Dale

Judith Blaker

Alan Falconer

Terry Savage

Peter Blaker

Ian Malcolm-Walker

Rimone Newman

Peter Feenan

Colin Horwood, from Chigwell, Essex, member of CAMPAIN

Brian Nicholson

Lindsay Baker, former Labour supporter

Chris Helm

Diane Beck

David Lloyd

Lesley Marshall

Dugald Craig

Stan Was

Heather Stuttard

Stephen Wakefield, pensioner and gardener

Yvonne Davies

Ian Finn

Sue Coyle

Nicolas Weaver

Julie Yates

Karen Power

Alex Hall

Martin Burslam

Clare Willison

Miles Unsworth

Drew Taylor

David Goldbery, member of Jews for Justice for Palestinians

Daniel Vulliamy

Rafique Miah

Brian Parkinson

Robin Lockyer

Gerard Smyth

Peter Freeman, psycotherapist & gardner, former Labour Party member 

Owen Plunkett

Graham Sabino

Graham Fattorini
Barbara Cairns

Amrah Khan, data architect

Mihai Martoiu Ticu

Jacob Butler, member of Unite

Kim Johnson

Patricia Marsh

Pamela Butler 

John MacKinnon, retired teacher

Peter White

Prof. Ellie Palmer, Prof. Emeritus: Law/Human Rights, University of Essex

Rosemary Mackenzie

Anne Holden

Donald Sassoon, Queen Mary University of London, member of Jewish Voice for Labour

Patricia Mitchell

Anthony Sperryn

Naomi Keep

Peter Slevin

Kevin Riley

Jacqueline Menzies

Hugh Wallis

Elizabeth York

Rachel Woodward

Stephen Simpson

Eveline van der Steen

Rita Mendelson

James Bergier

John Earle

Emma Simmons

Annie Blindell

Peter Jones

Nigel Haines, ex-member South Leicester CLP

Jenny Bracey

Christian De La Croix

Robert Castell

Scarlett Martindale, quality technician

Steven Kirby

Ian Griffin

Jackie Walker

Graham Atkinson

Adrie Breugelmans, Labour Party Member

John Hodkinson

Michael Davies

Clair Holmes

Sue Smith

Elizabeth Cutter

Rob Mathews

Philip Glaysher

Geoff Taylor, solidarity member of JVL

Charlotte Williams, member of Labour Party and JVL

Susan Curtis

Elliott Hughes

Paul Thorne

Shaun Pye

Chris Lacey

Susan Thompson

Shabab Ahmed

John Potts

Sean Fitzpatrick

Adrian Pantlin

Cllr Martin Abrams, Lambeth Labour Councillor
Mike Scott, JVL

Hamish Coubrough

Dr Martin Segall

Viera Taylor

Thomas Darrer

Ben Capewell, of no political affiliation

George Hughes

David Cullen

Susan Fitzpatrick

Caroline Raine, Jewish Labour Party member

Jeremy Richardson

Chris Stone, founding Editor, Whitstable Views: https://whitstableviews.com/

Thomas Stocking

Pat Melia

Shuna Watkinson

Robert Atkins

Thomas Stackhouse

Stephen Kennedy

Rev Mike Dixon, retired Anglican priest

Marty Climenhaga

Christina Katic

Hanna Khamis, member of Warwick & Leamington CLP

Michael Clarke, former Labour Party member

Michael Herring

Anya-Nicola Darr, a Unite member with relatives in Israel

Linda Lefevre

Stephen Hayes

Roger Day, former Labour Party member

Steven Bliss

Stephen Whiting, member of Unite (retired), former member of the Labour Party, Quaker.

Damian Swarbrick

Roberto Navarrette

Joseph Gorniak

Chris Main, retired socialist

Mike Harling

Stuart Dye

John Gallagher

David Rose

Glenn Martin

Sonia Davey 

Chris Chilton, Chair, Bolton Socialist Club, signing on behalf of the organisation

Madelaine Brierley

Richard Lockwood, member of Fire Brigade Union

Ronald Webster

Marc Beishon

Karen Hall

Gertrude Chilton

Andy Hockley