powerofislam
Junior Member
A protest is to be held outside the BBC's London HQ over its refusal to broadcast a charity appeal for Gaza.
The BBC says it cannot show the appeal by the Disasters Emergency Committee because it does not want to compromise its commitment to impartiality.
But health minister Ben Bradshaw, a former BBC journalist, said it was "an inexplicable decision" and that the reasons given were "completely feeble".
ITV and Sky have also said they will not show the appeal, with an ITV spokesman saying that no consensus could be reached.
The government has already asked the BBC to reconsider its position.
The International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander had urged all the broadcasters to reconsider this decision in light of what he called "the great human suffering still taking place in Gaza".
Mr Benn will say: "The decision of the BBC to refuse to broadcast a national humanitarian appeal for Gaza, which has left aid agencies with a potential shortfall of millions of pounds in donations, is a betrayal of the obligation which it owes as a public service.
"To deny the help that the aid agencies and the UN need at this moment in time is incomprehensible and it follows the bias in BBC reporting of this crisis,
He added: "The BBC should be ashamed for its coverage of the Israeli aggression which failed to address the catastrophic suffering on the Palestinian side, and now it's concerned about its impartiality.
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BBC NEWS | UK | Protest over BBC Gaza appeal veto
The BBC says it cannot show the appeal by the Disasters Emergency Committee because it does not want to compromise its commitment to impartiality.
But health minister Ben Bradshaw, a former BBC journalist, said it was "an inexplicable decision" and that the reasons given were "completely feeble".
ITV and Sky have also said they will not show the appeal, with an ITV spokesman saying that no consensus could be reached.
The government has already asked the BBC to reconsider its position.
The International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander had urged all the broadcasters to reconsider this decision in light of what he called "the great human suffering still taking place in Gaza".
Mr Benn will say: "The decision of the BBC to refuse to broadcast a national humanitarian appeal for Gaza, which has left aid agencies with a potential shortfall of millions of pounds in donations, is a betrayal of the obligation which it owes as a public service.
"To deny the help that the aid agencies and the UN need at this moment in time is incomprehensible and it follows the bias in BBC reporting of this crisis,
He added: "The BBC should be ashamed for its coverage of the Israeli aggression which failed to address the catastrophic suffering on the Palestinian side, and now it's concerned about its impartiality.
this is the true face of media
BBC NEWS | UK | Protest over BBC Gaza appeal veto