BBC editor accused of Israel bias set to sue Owen Jones

In December 2024, Owen Jones wrote an article for Drop Site News titled The BBC’S Civil War Over Gaza. His piece accused the BBC of bias on the issue of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, with a particular focus on editor Raffi Berg. Nearly 12 months later, Berg has launched legal proceedings against Jones. It follows earlier reports in January that Berg was considering taking Jones to court:

BBC editor hires former director of UK Lawyers for Israel to sue Owen Jones for alleging his pro-Israel bias. You couldn’t make it up! pic.twitter.com/6LGBVwL3dr

— Rivkah Brown (@rivkahbrown) January 14, 2025

Watering down

In Jones’ long and detailed piece, he opened with the following passage:

The BBC is facing an internal revolt over its reporting on Israel’s war on Gaza.

Their primary battlefield has become the online news operation. Drop Site News spoke to 13 current and former staffers who mapped out the extensive bias in the BBC’s coverage and how their demands for change have been largely met with silence from management. At times, these journalists point out, the coverage has been more credulous about Israeli claims than the UK’s own Conservative leaders and the Israeli media, while devaluing Palestinian life, ignoring atrocities, and creating a false equivalence in an entirely unbalanced conflict.

The BBC journalists who spoke to Drop Site News believe the imbalance is structural, and has been enforced by the top brass for many years; all of them requested anonymity for fear of professional retribution. The journalists also overwhelmingly point to the role of one person in particular: Raffi Berg, BBC News online’s Middle East editor. Berg sets the tone for the BBC’s digital output on Israel and Palestine, they say. They also allege that internal complaints about how the BBC covers Gaza have been repeatedly brushed aside. “This guy’s entire job is to water down everything that’s too critical of Israel,” one former BBC journalist said.

There was a great deal of commentary on Jones’ article after it came out, including this from journalist Jonathan Cook:

Raffi Berg, who tightly controls the BBC’s Israel-Palestine output, earned his spurs working for a CIA front group, counts Mossad agents as close friends, and frames pictures of Netanyahu on his wall like a starstruck teenager.

More here: https://t.co/HInungYkua

— Jonathan Cook (@Jonathan_K_Cook) January 5, 2025

BBC’s online Middle East editor, Raffi Berg, seems to have a framed letter from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a framed picture with former Israeli ambassador to the UK, Mark Regev, proudly displayed on his wall at home.

Here is the editor behind THOSE headlines. pic.twitter.com/eXbfImwbNA

— Lowkey (@Lowkey0nline) December 31, 2024

Cook added:

The BBC’s website is by far the most-visited online news source.

As becomes clear in the article, Raffi Berg is there because he serves a purpose. He limits the backlash the BBC would otherwise receive from Israel, and he carefully shapes the BBC’s coverage to hide British government complicity in Israel’s genocide.

Reputation in the toilet

As reported by the Telegraph, Berg’s barrister John Stables has said that:

The claimant’s reputation has been seriously damaged and he has been caused substantial fear, anxiety, humiliation, upset and distress.

The question will be whether Berg warrants the reputational damage he suffered.

Dr Harold Shipman suffered tremendous reputational damage after the state convicted him of murdering women, but it would have been difficult for him to libel anyone reporting on that. In any legal proceedings which follow, Berg will have to demonstrate that Jones’ article was meritless. If that wasn’t how it worked, journalism in the UK would be an impossible endeavour (and Berg himself would be out of a job along with the rest of us).

Jones himself is seemingly confident in his case, stating:

I strongly disagree with Mr Berg’s claims, and, if necessary, I look forward to vigorously defending my reporting in court.

NHS consultant Niz Mhani, meanwhile, said the following:

Solidarity with @owenjonesjourno

Raffi Berg is BBC online MiddleEast editor.

He saw fit to hang photos & letters up from Israeli officials including Netanyahu (wanted for crimes against humanity)

If a BBC editor had a photo up of Yasser Arafat there would be a national outcry! https://t.co/H8ktaWBoK0

— Niz (@NizMhani) November 6, 2025

If the case goes to court, we look forward to learning more about what’s been going on at the BBC under Berg’s watch.

Featured image via Owen Jones (YouTube)