This week on the BBC: rows over Gaza, alleged bullying and Kneecap
More than 200 BBC staff have signed a letter saying the corporation's refusal to air Gaza: Medics Under Fire shows 'the BBC is not reporting 'without fear or favour' when it comes to Israel'. One insider whispered: 'The BBC's news coverage of Gaza has been terrible. And then to drop this film for no good reason beyond upsetting the Israelis shows utter cowardice by management.' In a statement, the BBC said it was 'determined to report all aspects of the conflict in the Middle East impartially and fairly'. Broadcasters are now battling to air the documentary after the BBC handed back rights to the independent production company Basement Films.
Breakfast TV host Naga Munchetty may have earned a reputation for fortitude by standing up for junior female staff in the face of a 'tyrannical' show editor, but she was outgunned in the latest vicious BBC briefing war. While pressure mounted over Richard Frediani's alleged 'aggressive management style', the Sun claimed Munchetty made a 'crude quip about a sex act' off-air at Radio 5 Live in 2022 and had allegedly been reprimanded for bullying a junior staffer. Rumours are that Munchetty has designs on the LBC weekend breakfast show but these have been hampered by concerns over her 'reputation for being tough'.
Like a JCB churning through a field of daisies, JD Vance has joined BlueSky, the social network for lefties exhausted by the fury of X. After being temporarily expelled due to verification issues (no one could believe it was actually him), he posted a rage-baity thread about trans youth to prove it absolutely was. Within hours he had been blocked by more than 110,000 accounts. The daisies fight back.
How grateful Martine Croxall must be that BBC bosses are 'intensely relaxed' and backing her after she changed an autocue that mentioned 'pregnant people' to say simply 'women'. Presumably they're the same bosses who just four months ago reached a settlement with her over claims she was among those being discriminated against for their age and sex.
It was perhaps not the publicity the BBC might have wished for when Kneecap's Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, newly bailed after a court appearance on terror charges for flying a flag supporting Hezbollah, told fans: 'For anybody going to Glastonbury, you can see us there at 4pm on the Saturday. If you can't be there, we'll be on the BBC.' Insiders say Kneecap's set will be aired after the event, rather than live, and only if there are no guideline breaches.
Greatest Hits Radio is to rebroadcast the full ten hours of Live Aid, 40 years on, despite criticism of the event's harmful impact on perceptions of Africa. One 1985 participant unlikely to be tuning in is the Rolling Stones' Keith Richards, 81, who later questioned the organisers' motives: 'I know the music business, and it isn't that pure.'
A profile of Mark Zuckerberg in the Financial Times reveals Trump discussed the Meta boss taking a role in the White House. Meta staff apparently refer to their boss as 'Maga Mark', although the firm's chief technology officer insists the world is seeing 'authentic' Zuckerberg. How fortunate this chimes with Trump's agenda, just as Meta begs for backing in potentially catastrophic regulatory and legal battles.
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This article appears in the 25 Jun 2025 issue of the New Statesman, State of Emergency
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