Gaza appeal - BBC finds BBC not guilty BBC Trust decides BBC director general Mark Thompson did nothing wrong by not showing the DEC humanitarian appeal for Gaza, indeed he had "acted correctly throughout". Notwithstanding the fact that at the last count the BBC has received 40,000 complaints - was anyone really expecting the trust to come out with anything else? But journalists and other staff at the Beeb are not taking it lying down. They launched a petition against Thompson. From Media Workers Against the War BBC workers petition Thompson on Gaza appeal Following the decision by BBC Trust yesterday to back Thompson on his refusal to broadast the DEC Gaza aid appeal, a petition signed by almost 400 staff was handed to the director general’s office in White City today (Friday Feb 20) at 13.00. A copy of the petition was also be simultaneously delivered to the BBC Trust in Marylebone High Street. The petition, in part, states: We strongly disagree with your assessment about ...

From Press TV Ireland BBC advisor quits over Gaza appeal A member of the BBC advisory panel on charity has resigned in protest to the broadcaster's decision not to air a Gaza crisis appeal. Niaz Alam, who was appointed to the BBC's Charity Appeals Advisory Committee in 2004, said in his resignation letter that he "strongly believed the BBC had made the wrong decision" in refusing to broadcast the Disasters Emergency Committee's appeal for Gaza, the British Third Sector reported. According to Alam, the BBC had done great harm to its reputation by ignoring the DEC view that the situation in Gaza was critical and warranted an emergency appeal. more

Today: Gaza protest at BBC in Aberdeen About 25 protestors gathered outside BBC Scotland's Aberdeen office over a decision by the corporation not to air an aid appeal for the people of Gaza. On Friday in Reading, south-east England, the Evening Post reports: BBC boss greeted by protesters over Gaza By Chine Mbubaegbu 4/ 2/2009 Protesters angry about the BBC’s decision not to air a Gaza appeal staged a demonstration when the broadcaster’s director general visited Caversham on Friday. Beeb boss Mark Thompson was in Reading to open a new operations room at BBC Monitoring in Peppard Road.

As of 27 Jan over £1m has been raised through the Disasters Emergency Committee. Keep giving. From Student - apparently the UK's oldest student newspaper BBC: Blind Blundering Controversy The Red Cross, and the other 13 humanitarian agencies that the DEC umbrella group unites, currently operating in response to the crippling humanitarian disaster in Gaza, can better judge whether the aid will get through than a sedate corporate ‘fat cat’ sitting safely in a plush London office. In fact Mark Thompson may be surprised to note that since the appeal launched, CARE has distributed fresh food, medical supplies, heaters, blankets and plastic sheeting to hospitals, families and feeding centres in Gaza, reaching more than 160,000 people; Save the Children have reached 44,000 people, delivering food (packages that are enough to feed a family of 7 for two weeks), water, baby kits - with thousands of nappies and hygiene kits. Oxfam are providing drinking water to 20,000 households per day an...

From the Guardian today: "Sources have said there was "fury" at the BBC News morning meeting today about the decision, with news editors saying they had not been consulted on the move to not show the Disasters Emergency Committee appeal, which is to be broadcast tonight on ITV, Channel 4 and Channel Five." "Sources within the BBC have questioned whether its internal Balen report into its Middle East coverage, which the corporation has refused to publish, has influenced its decision on the DEC appeal. An appeal to the House of Lords to force the BBC to publish the report is currently ongoing" Director General Mark Thompson is turning the BBC into a laughing stock around the world