Reviewing BBC Reporting of Vehicular Attacks in France and Israel

After a shaky start BBC News was soon able to provide its audiences with an accurate description of the horrendous attack on Bastille Day revellers in Nice on the evening of July 14th.

Attack Nice Tweet 1

Attack Nice Tweet 2

BBC News website 'World' page

BBC News website ‘World’ page

BBC News website 'Europe' page

BBC News website ‘Europe’ page

Terror attacks using vehicles have not been afforded the same clarity of description by the BBC when perpetrated against Israelis.

In August 2014 BBC News reported Suspected ‘attack’ on bus with digger in Jerusalem”.

Bus Reynolds filmed

On October 22nd 2014 a vehicular attack in Jerusalem in which two people were murdered was described as a “car ‘attack’”.  

Pigua Jerusalem version 2Pigua art 26 10

BBC reports on vehicular attack in Jerusalem on November 5th 2014 in which two people were murdered were headlined “Driver hits pedestrians in East Jerusalem” and a follow-up report described a “van attack”.

Pigua 5 11 report

Pigua 5 11 2nd victim

A fatal vehicular attack in Jerusalem on April 15th 2015 did not receive any coverage from the BBC and neither did a fatal vehicular attack at Halhoul Junction on November 4th of that year. Numerous additional attacks have either been ignored or reported without use of the word terror. In one case, not only did the BBC not tell audiences that a terror attack had taken place but even amplified anonymous hearsay suggesting it had not.

Once again the BBC’s double standards when reporting terrorism are all too apparent.

Related Articles:

Radio 4 gives insight into BBC avoidance of the use of the term ‘terror’ in Israel

BBC Complaints: terror attacks in Jerusalem and Tunisia are “very different”

The BBC, terrorism and ‘consistency’

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