SAEDNEWS: Over 400 filmmakers, actors and journalists—including more than 100 anonymous BBC staff—have signed an open letter calling on Robbie Gibb to resign from the BBC board, accusing him of undermining impartiality through his pro‑Israel affiliations.
According to Saed News, a coalition of over 400 cultural figures—from Miriam Margolyes, Alexei Sayle and Juliet Stevenson to Mike Leigh and William Dalrymple—has publicly urged the BBC to force the resignation of board member Robbie Gibb. The letter cites Gibb’s former directorship of the right‑wing Jewish Chronicle and his declared 100 percent ownership of Jewish Chronicle Media as “untenable” conflicts of interest that have led to “opaque editorial decisions and censorship” in the broadcaster’s Israel–Palestine reporting.
Among the signatories are 111 BBC journalists who requested anonymity, underscoring internal alarm at what they describe as “the inconsistent manner in which guidance is applied” by Gibb in his dual capacity on the BBC Board and its Editorial Standards Committee. The group specifically highlighted the BBC’s refusal to air the documentary Gaza: Medics Under Fire, which was subsequently picked up by Channel 4, as evidence of undue interference.
The letter reads: “We, the undersigned BBC staff, freelancers and industry figures, are extremely concerned that the BBC’s reporting on Israel and Palestine continues to fall short of the standards our audiences expect. We call on the BBC to recommit to our values of impartiality, honesty and reporting without fear or favour.”
A recent report by the Centre for Media Monitoring found that BBC coverage devoted 33 times more airtime per Israeli death than per Palestinian fatality, further fuelling accusations of imbalance. With public trust at stake, signatories argue that Gibb’s resignation is essential to restoring the corporation’s editorial integrity.
