This BBC Conversation this morning started as a story about the life of many Jewish families in the UK, but as is normal nowadays with BBC interviews, they rarely expand outwards in an attempt to introduce some perspective into what otherwise would just be half of what most stories are actually about.When BBC Reporting Creates An Incomplete Picture - All listeners, readers and viewers of any of their multiple platforms lose the true value that comes from fair and balanced news reporting, once treasured?
I heard a lengthy discussion about the very real threats faced by British Jews, and quite rightly those threats should be reported on fully. But unfortunately the problem is the conversation led by biased BBC reporter Emma Barnett descended into a one-sided conversation about the 'UK disgrace of threats to British Jews'.
But there's another part of the national conversation that deserves equal attention. British Muslims are being threatened too - but with British Right Wing Media you would never know it.
GB2GB, being a prominent voice for Fair and Balanced Media is always considerate of both sides of a dispute - not biased one-way ones - unlike the BBC who now since 2024 'specialize' in one-sided conversations.
Home Office figures for the year ending March 2025 show anti-Muslim religious hate crime increased by 19% in the comparable police-force data.
Other reporting of the Home Office data gives 4,478 religious hate crimes targeting Muslims and 2,873 targeting Jews. Per head of population the position reverses dramatically, with Jewish people experiencing the much higher rate. Both facts matter equally.
So why does our public conversation so often seem capable of discussing one threat without seriously examining the other?
And there's an even more uncomfortable question.
When atrocities, wars and perceived injustices involving communities overseas generate enormous grievance, isn't some resulting increase in hatred and extremism elsewhere foreseeable?
Predictable does not mean justified. Explaining violence does not mean excusing violence.
That's precisely why serious journalism should investigate causes rather than merely condemn consequences.
ONE THING ABOUT RIGHT WING NEWS - IT'S NEVER TWO SIDED?
British Jews are not responsible for the Israeli government's actions, but British Muslims are not responsible for Hamas or any foreign government or organisation either - so lets look at both sides.
Journalists should be capable of examining how events abroad affect relations between people here in Britain. In Fact 'journalists ARE capable of examining how events abroad affect relations between people here in Britain' - SO THE QUESTION BECOMES - WHY DO THEY CHOOSE TO IGNORE IT - OUTSIDE OF BIAS MAYBE?
Well, extremists get something exceptionally useful out of it: an apparently selective public narrative which they can themselves exploit as evidence that some victims matter more than others.
The answer is not less reporting about antisemitism. It is equally let the public have more serious reporting about anti-Muslim hatred also, combined with grown-up analysis of the causes of both.
Our media should be making difficult subjects easier to understand, not leaving the most difficult parts of human behaviour left to fester deliberately into even more division than the UK already has.
“When multi billionaires own the news, the news only serves multi billionaires aims and ambitions.”
TW George (GB2GB Founder)
Always Fighting For Fair and Balanced Media - Not Of One From The Right Wing 'Media Mafia'