Trump attacks BBC over Gaza misreporting

[Twiglets1]

The White House has attacked the BBC’s coverage of the Gaza conflict, accusing the broadcaster of taking Hamas’s word as “total truth”.

Ms Leavitt said US officials were trying to confirm what happened after reports that Israeli security forces shot dead Palestinians queuing for food. She then pivoted to attack the BBC.

“Unfortunately, unlike some in the media, we don’t take the word of Hamas as total truth,” Ms Leavitt told a White House briefing on Tuesday. “We like to look into it when they speak … unlike the BBC.”

She brandished a printout of stories published on the BBC website a day earlier, and described how the headlines changed from claiming an Israeli tank had killed 26 people, to 21 people, to gunfire killing 31.

“And then, oh, wait, they had to correct and take down their entire story, saying we reviewed the footage and couldn’t find any evidence of anything,” she said.

“So we’re going to look into reports before we confirm them from this podium or before we take action. And I suggest that journalists who actually care about truth do the same to reduce the amount of misinformation that’s going around the globe.”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/politics/2025/06/03/donald-trump-scolds-bbc-over-gaza-misreporting/

From the same article:

The final version of the story remains on the BBC website, citing the death toll as 21.

The broadcaster separately published a BBC Verify report in which it said a widely-circulated video believed to be captured in the aftermath of the shooting at the aid point was actually taken at a different location at a different time.

Ms Leavitt’s attack is the latest criticism of the BBC’s coverage of the conflict. The broadcaster was forced to pull a documentary about Gaza and apologise for “serious flaws” in its making after it was revealed that the narrator was the son of a Hamas government minister.

The broadcaster has refused to refer to Hamas as terrorists, instead describing members of the group as militants. Grant Shapps, then the defence secretary, branded the policy as “verging on disgraceful”, while Sir Keir Starmer said the BBC “needs to explain why it isn’t” using the term terrorists.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/politics/2025/06/03/donald-trump-scolds-bbc-over-gaza-misreporting/

I never thought I would agree with Trump about anything but here we are.

The BBC aren't even the worst offenders amongst UK media re reporting things told to them from Hamas organisations and relaying it as fact. However, they should do better considering their stated values:

• TRUST is the foundation of the BBC - we’re independent, impartial and truthful

https://www.bbc.com/aboutthebbc/governance/mission#:~:text=BBC%20Values&text=AUDIENCES%20are%20at%20the%20heart,kind%2C%20and%20we%20champion%20inclusivity

I listened to a very thought provoking interview on the BBC with Jeremey Bowen. Israel does not let people into Gaza. Therefore they need to rely on trusted sources. Add to that the confusion given the state of Gaza “the fog of war” and no wonder things are not clear and change.

Trumps mouthpiece wouldn’t recognise the truth if it hit her in the face. I’d take the word of the bbc over hers any day.

It'll be a dark day when anyone listens to a Trump rep over the BBC. Not saying the BBC is spotless of course. But everything Trump is tainted with money. It's all about what benefits him personally.

I agree, did Trump have anything to say about the video the IDF released and got caught lying about? The one they said was civilians being shot outside the aid centre by supposedly Hamas members to absolve themselves from blame. But was geo located by sky and bbc to be a video from khan younis and nothing to do with the incident of the civilians being shot at by the IDF whilst trying to retrieve aid.

Maybe if Israel allowed in independent journalists they wouldn't have to rely on individuals and the IDF inside Gaza. It's quite obvious why they don't.

If the media were allowed in and guaranteed safety in Gaza there would be no confusion over the truth.
it would be there for us all to see
They don’t which makes you wonder what exactly are the IDF hiding

I think Israel may have been better off letting in journalists as the Hamas Propaganda machine has been allowed to run riot.

Though they would equally get criticised if foreign journalists got killed by them in the war zone.

But basically, the BBC should be more neutral in their reporting until the facts of an incident are known - or at least until they have heard both sides - rather than just keep changing the story.

They had to keep changing their story everytime the IDF would change their story for previous incidents like murdering medics and burying them and their ambulances. Every day the IDF would come up with new lies and everyday the media would have to report on the new lies but I didn't see them complaining then.

All media sources have bias.

The fact that the BBC cannot call out Hamas as the terrorists they are speaks volumes for the senior controlling team at the BBC.

Exactly

Is it only me or would trump having a go at a story make you think that he is the one lying ?

I remember there was a lot of discussion amongst the media in the early days of this war over what to call terrorists.
When October 7th happened the media definitely called Hamas terrorists. However, since the IDFs incursion and actions against the people of Gaza and the start of the war that is no longer the case
Perhaps the BBC chose to look at the definition of the word Terrorist in terms of Hamas actions within Gaza

I can’t find news pieces on the early discussions on terms

We’ll agree.
If you don’t do what Trump wants he has a hissy fit.
Hes like a baby throwing his toys out of his pram

Hes full of lies, people only listen if he says what they want him to.

BBC Verify have proven the way the story was originally presented by BBC news to be wrong.

The BBC have had to change the way they are reporting this story in the light of this, so on this occasion Trump is correct.

Can you post where they said they were wrong and changing the way they are reporting. I can't find it.

So you don’t think Hamas are terrorists? Interesting.

I don’t think the bbc think they are in terms of the Gaza war.
Which, if you read my post, is quite clear I think.

Here us one bbc article on the BBC’s reasoning behind not using the term terrorist
Tap if you can’t see it all

I think this seems fair and any media using the term terrorists, by this very description, is in fact being biased

I don’t agree with their decision.

Hamas are a proscribed terrorist organisation by the UK government.

You aren’t the media ( I’m guessing)
The bbc have chosen not to use what they say is an inflammatory term and are required, by their own standards of reporting, to be unbiased.

I prefer to engage in articles on the news which uphold these standards.

Its here

Wondering if Trump will block another UN proposed resolution being voted on today.
If he does it again I think that speaks volumes.

@Twiglets1 - even if the figure was 1 person killed, that was 1 too many.

And here you are quibbling about semantics, disgraceful.

Bbc clarify a fast moving story- move on...Trump using it to further his agenda is no surprise