BBC, which recently shared fake news about Gaza hospital attack, publishes a primer on how to spot disinformation on Israel-Hamas war

BBC had refused to call Hamas as ‘terrorists’ (Image Source: CNN/BBC)

On Sunday (22nd October), the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), which is very well known for spreading disinformation, published a video sharing basic facts about how to spot disinformation on social media. The video said that after the terrorist organisation Hamas from Palestine attacked the Jewish state, several videos could be seen on social media that attempted to spread disinformation regarding the attack.

“The conflict between Israel and Gaza has been full of claims and counterclaims from both sides about what is happening on the ground. Those claims have been turbocharged by social media, which has been flooded with pictures and videos. There’s lots of misleading and false information, and conspiracy theories too,” said Marianna Spring who claims to be the disinformation and social media correspondent at BBC.

Interestingly, the BBC has been notorious for sharing fake information and fake news. In the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, BBC had spread misinformation by claiming that Israeli airstrike was responsible for the rocket attack at the Gaza hospital in which the initial reports claimed that around 500 people had died.

The BBC later admitted that one of its live air correspondents incorrectly suspected that the rocket attack on a Gaza hospital was the result of an Israeli airstrike.

Interestingly, the BBC has been notorious for sharing fake information and fake news. In the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, BBC had spread misinformation by claiming that Israeli airstrike was responsible for the rocket attack at the Gaza hospital in which the initial reports claimed that around 500 people had died.

The BBC later admitted that one of its live air correspondents incorrectly suspected that the rocket attack on a Gaza hospital was the result of an Israeli airstrike.

The IDF presented aerial photographs as evidence during a press briefing, showing that the damage was primarily concentrated outside the hospital, specifically in the parking lot. They also showcased pictures of the hospital’s scorched parking lot and explained that this damage was caused by the rocket’s impact and the large amount of rocket fuel present in the projectile when it fell short of its intended target.

The BBC has already been under fire for refusing to name Hamas as a terrorist organisation, despite the fact that it is marked as such by the UK, the US, the EU, and Israel. Earlier, the BBC had defended its stand on not calling Hamas a terrorist organisation saying that calling someone a terrorist would mean taking sides.

Since Hamas terrorists unleashed a wave of strikes along Israel’s border with Gaza on 7th October, thousands have been killed in Israel. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the BBC in London on October 16th evening, demanding that the corporation name Hamas as terrorists.

https://www.opindia.com/2023/10/bbc-israel-hamas-war-fake-news-disinformation/