Outrage as one of Britain's Most Respected BBC Muslim Journalists is Denounced as “Pro-Palestinian Reporter of the Year” by Israeli Spokesman For Questioning Latest Gaza School Bombing Killing Almost 100

Following a shocking accusation from a UK Israeli spokesman that BBC Radio 4 Today presenter Mishal Husain was "blindly parroting terrorist propaganda," the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has joined the British broadcasting giant in unequivocally backing one of the nation’s most highly regarded journalists. 

The NUJ accused David Mencer of behaving in an “abusive” manner and of displaying “ double standards” during an interview which aired yesterday. In a scathing response the union said, “Proclaiming that it’s right to smear the BBC and making ridiculous accusations against his interviewer and other journalists was desperate stuff. Abusing and hectoring journalists is always a bad look, particularly so when it is an official response from a government that seeks to make much of its democratic credentials." 

Mencer had facetiously suggested that Husain should be the "pro-Palestinian Reporter of the Year" after she pressed him about allegations that an IDF airstrike on a Gaza school compound had claimed nearly 100 lives, including women and children.

He insisted Israel was winning the "very dirty war" in Gaza on the military front and "destroying Hamas," but the media was impeding their success. “You do this subject no justice when you repeat their figures,”  he claimed.

Husain challenged Mencer on the Israeli government banning international journalists from reporting in Gaza, a restriction imposed since the conflict escalated last October. 

"There is no shortage of news coming out of Gaza. For heaven’s sake, it’s the most reported conflict of modern times," said Mencer. “You as the BBC, you do no credit to ordinary Gazans by just blindly repeating what terrorist organizations, Isis-like organizations, the information which they feed you. It simply doesn’t bear any resemblance to the truth.”

Controlling the media narrative has been a key feature of Israel's deadly 10-month siege of Gaza which has centered on consistently underestimating the death toll of Palestinians killed by Israeli bombs. 

However, the UN, WHO, relief agencies and multiple other impartial sources have backed the current figure which stands at over 40,000 Palestinians killed thus far. Britain's leading peer-reviewed health journal The Lancet has said the actual numbers of dead is likely much higher.

In its statement defending Husain, the NUJ called out Mencer's evident "contempt" for journalists. “The hypocrisy of condemning news reports coming from Gaza, including the latest figures of civilians killed, as speculation and baseless propaganda, whilst refusing to let the world’s media in to report was laid bare in this morning’s interview with David Mencer.” 

Husain, a celebrated television interviewer renowned for her unique blend of tenacity and grace, now finds herself in the crosshairs of controversy. Critics say she is the latest target in a troubling pattern, where reporters, including Muslim journalists, are sidelined for scrutinizing Israel's actions, despite having deserved reputations for fairness and ethical reporting. 

A term coined by netizens, ‘#Gazawashing’ has been used to define this systematic attempt to smear or silence those who speak out against the IDF’s conduct in Gaza or who dare to question Israel’s military strategy. 

Such fears were first sparked with MSNBC's suspension of three Muslim anchors—Mehdi Hasan, Ayman Mohieddine and Ali Velshi last year leading to a contentious debate over media ethics and religious identity amid the raging Gaza war. 

Hasan's outspoken criticism of Israel's military actions and “apartheid” policies toward Palestinians, coupled with his opposition to U.S. Middle East interventions, distinguished him in a media landscape and is cited as one reason why MSNBC went on to announce the cancellation of his popular show. 

He has since launched an online independent media platform called Zeteo. 

In another controversy, outrage erupted after reports surfaced that a pro-Israel PR group, with ties to the Democrats and President Biden, allegedly orchestrated a smear campaign against Louisa Loveluck, the Washington Post's former Baghdad bureau chief.

The campaign reportedly targeted Loveluck for failing to adopt Israeli government talking points seeking to justify the ongoing bombing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. 

In the UK, British journalist Sangita Myska was abruptly taken off-air from her LBC Global radio show last April, soon after she questioned an Israeli representative over violating international law by attacking the Iranian consulate in Syria. The network later announced her termination. 

Like Myska, British Sky News anchor Belle Donati became conspicuously absent from the network following a tense exchange with former Israeli diplomat Danny Danon. During the interview, Donati used the term "occupation" about Palestinians and invoked the Holocaust, prompting Danon to berate her and demand her resignation. Her bosses at Sky swiftly issued an apology, condemning the interview as wholly inappropriate. 

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) had also come under fire for allegedly retaliating against journalist Antoinette Lattouf. She was terminated in January after posting comments stating the Israeli government was "using starvation of civilians as a weapon of war in Gaza." The timing of her dismissal sparked accusations of censorship and retaliation. 

Meanwhile, two Canadian Muslim reporters have also claimed retaliation for activities outside of work. Palestinian journalist Yara Jamal disclosed that she was dismissed from CTV News after voicing her opinions on Palestine and Zionism at a protest. 

Similarly, Palestinian journalist Zahraa Al Akhrass revealed that she was fired from Global News, another Canadian TV channel, for comparable reasons. 

Following her dismissal, Al-Akhrass claimed, “I was fired for posting about Palestine on my social media. This is not about me but about us Palestinians. I feel disappointed that this organization has failed me as a Palestinian, racialized journalist.” 

An Intercept study analyzing 1,000 stories from the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times reveals a stark disparity in coverage of Israel's war on Gaza. The findings highlight a clear bias, with Israeli and pro-Israel voices receiving significantly more favorable treatment compared to Palestinian and pro-Palestinian perspectives.