A UK employment tribunal has heard claims that the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) imposed restrictions on its journalists during coverage of the Gaza war and misled its audience, the Middle East Monitor reported on March 22.
The allegations emerged in a case brought by five journalists of Arab origin, who accuse the broadcaster of discrimination and unfair dismissal. Four of them were reportedly dismissed after objecting to what they described as racist and discriminatory practices within the BBC’s Arabic service.
The claimants, Ahmed Rouaba, Dima Odeh, Nahed Najar, Mohamed El-Ashiry, and Amer Sultan, are represented by solicitor John Barnes. The case is being described as the first of its kind involving multiple journalists from the BBC World Service’s Arabic division taking legal action against the organisation.
Amer Sultan, a veteran journalist and one of the claimants, told the tribunal that his dismissal was partly linked to his reporting of what he called serious breaches of BBC editorial guidelines in the early weeks of the Gaza war, which began on October 7, 2023.
Court proceedings revealed that Sultan, who worked for 17 years with BBC Arabic across digital and television platforms, had raised concerns with senior management about these alleged breaches. He cited “legal and editorial restrictions” communicated internally, which he said limited the team’s ability to report fully on certain incidents, including an alleged assault by Israeli police on a BBC Arabic crew on October 13, 2023.
According to case documents, former World Service director Liliane Landor held internal “listening sessions” to review the BBC’s early coverage of the conflict. Sultan testified that Landor acknowledged shortcomings during these discussions, saying the organisation had “misled the audience,” and promised an investigation. However, Sultan stated he was never informed of any findings before leaving the BBC in October 2024. Landor resigned several months after the sessions.
Sultan also raised concerns about editorial decisions regarding claims that Hamas fighters committed atrocities during the October 7 attacks. He told the court that his proposal to produce an in-depth, evidence-based report examining such claims was rejected by editors.
In response, the BBC’s legal representative did not dispute Sultan’s account but argued that the issues raised did not meet the legal threshold for whistleblowing, as they did not amount to a breach of the corporation’s legal obligations. Sultan countered that misleading the public constitutes a clear violation, particularly for a publicly funded broadcaster, and stressed that the matter is of significant public interest.
He has also called on the BBC to release records of the internal discussions, though no response has been provided by the defence so far. The hearing is ongoing.
