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| The BBC 'must be fair to Isis': Head of broadcaster rejects calls to stop using term 'Islamic State' | The BBC 'must be fair to Isis': Head of broadcaster rejects calls to stop using term 'Islamic State' |
| (6 months later) | |
| The BBC must be fair to Isis in its coverage of the terrorist group, the head of the BBC has said as he rejected calls to drop the use of the term ‘Islamic State’ in reports. | The BBC must be fair to Isis in its coverage of the terrorist group, the head of the BBC has said as he rejected calls to drop the use of the term ‘Islamic State’ in reports. |
| In a response to a letter signed by 120 MPs demanding that the BBC stop using the term on the grounds it gives undue credibility to the Islamic extremists, Lord Hall of Birkenhead warned that using an alternative would be “pejorative”. | In a response to a letter signed by 120 MPs demanding that the BBC stop using the term on the grounds it gives undue credibility to the Islamic extremists, Lord Hall of Birkenhead warned that using an alternative would be “pejorative”. |
| But he accepted using the term ‘Islamic State’ on its own could be misleading and insisted the BBC would “redouble our efforts” to use caveats such as “so called Islamic State group”. | But he accepted using the term ‘Islamic State’ on its own could be misleading and insisted the BBC would “redouble our efforts” to use caveats such as “so called Islamic State group”. |
| The letter from MPs, led by the Conservative MP Rehman Chishti, asked the BBC to refer to the terrorist group as Daesh, an Arab acronym that has "negative connotations". | The letter from MPs, led by the Conservative MP Rehman Chishti, asked the BBC to refer to the terrorist group as Daesh, an Arab acronym that has "negative connotations". |
| It was signed by influential figures such as Boris Johnson and Alex Salmond and backed by David Cameron, who earlier this week expressed frustration at the BBC's continued use of the term. | It was signed by influential figures such as Boris Johnson and Alex Salmond and backed by David Cameron, who earlier this week expressed frustration at the BBC's continued use of the term. |
| In Lord Hall's response, seen by The Times, he wrote: "The BBC takes a common sense view when deciding how to describe organisations, we take our cue from the organisation's description of itself. | In Lord Hall's response, seen by The Times, he wrote: "The BBC takes a common sense view when deciding how to describe organisations, we take our cue from the organisation's description of itself. |
| "We have recognised that used on its own the name Islamic State could suggest that such a state exists and such an interpretation is misleading. So we have caveated the name "Islamic State" with words which qualify it eg "so called Islamic State"." | "We have recognised that used on its own the name Islamic State could suggest that such a state exists and such an interpretation is misleading. So we have caveated the name "Islamic State" with words which qualify it eg "so called Islamic State"." |
| Responding to reports of the letter, Leader of the House Chris Grayling was scathing of the BBC. | Responding to reports of the letter, Leader of the House Chris Grayling was scathing of the BBC. |
| "I must say that my view of what impartiality means is different from that of the BBC," he said. "During the second world war, the BBC was a beacon of fact; it was not expected to be impartial about Britain and Germany. | "I must say that my view of what impartiality means is different from that of the BBC," he said. "During the second world war, the BBC was a beacon of fact; it was not expected to be impartial about Britain and Germany. |
| "Today, it should be a beacon of fact; it is not expected to be impartial about threats to the security and safety and to the lives and limbs of the people of this nation." | "Today, it should be a beacon of fact; it is not expected to be impartial about threats to the security and safety and to the lives and limbs of the people of this nation." |
| The Prime Minister, making his own call for the BBC to change its policy earlier this week, branded Isis a “poisonous death cult” that is “seducing” young Britons to go and fight for the terrorist organisation in Syria and Iraq. | The Prime Minister, making his own call for the BBC to change its policy earlier this week, branded Isis a “poisonous death cult” that is “seducing” young Britons to go and fight for the terrorist organisation in Syria and Iraq. |
| He urged the broadcaster to refer to the terrorist group as “Isil” – the abbreviation of the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. | He urged the broadcaster to refer to the terrorist group as “Isil” – the abbreviation of the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. |
| The group claimed responsibility for the massacre on a Tunisia beach resort last week that killed 29 British holidaymakers. The gunman, Seifeddine Rezgui, was radicalised by Isis, according to his father Hakinm, who said the group had "ruined my son's brain with horrid thoughts and ideas". | The group claimed responsibility for the massacre on a Tunisia beach resort last week that killed 29 British holidaymakers. The gunman, Seifeddine Rezgui, was radicalised by Isis, according to his father Hakinm, who said the group had "ruined my son's brain with horrid thoughts and ideas". |
| The Tunisian government says it has arrested 12 suspects in connection to the shooting of 38 people at a hotel in Sousse. | The Tunisian government says it has arrested 12 suspects in connection to the shooting of 38 people at a hotel in Sousse. |
| A BBC spokesman said: "Anyone listening to what we say can be in no doubt as to what kind of organisation this is. We also use the terms 'extremist' and 'fighters' alongside it." | A BBC spokesman said: "Anyone listening to what we say can be in no doubt as to what kind of organisation this is. We also use the terms 'extremist' and 'fighters' alongside it." |
| "We call the group by the name it uses itself, and regularly review our approach. We also use additional descriptions to help make it clear we are referring to the group as they refer to themselves, such as ‘so-called Islamic State’.” | "We call the group by the name it uses itself, and regularly review our approach. We also use additional descriptions to help make it clear we are referring to the group as they refer to themselves, such as ‘so-called Islamic State’.” |
| In pictures: Tunisia hotel attack 32 show all In pictures: Tunisia hotel attack 1/32 Tunisia The coffin of Denis Thwaites is carried from an RAF C-17, which repatriated the bodies of eight British nationals killed in the Tunisia terror attack, at RAF Brize Norton near Oxford in Britain 2/32 Tunisia The coffin of John Stollery is carried from an RAF C-17, which repatriated the bodies of eight British nationals killed in the Tunisia terror attack, at RAF Brize Norton near Oxford in Britain 3/32 Tunisia The coffin of Elaine Thwaites, one of the victims of the terrorist attack, is taken from the RAF C-17 aircraft at RAF Brize Norton in Tunisia 4/32 Tunisia Hearses carrying the victim's of last Friday's terrorist attack arrive at Tunis Airport Getty Images 5/32 Tunisia An RAF C17 transport aircraft arrives at RAF Brize Norton Airport in Oxfordshire carrying the bodies of 8 British people killed in the Tunisia gun attack Getty Images 6/32 Tunisia Ambulances carrying the victim's of the terrorist attack arrive at Tunis Airport Getty Images 7/32 Tunisia Armed police continue to patrol Marhaba beach in Sousse Getty Images 8/32 Tunisia National guard members patrol at the beach near the Imperiale Marhaba hotel, which was attacked by a gunman in Sousse 9/32 Tunisia Military personnel attending to injured British nationals on board an RAF C-17 aircraft en route back to the United Kingdom, in Tunisia 10/32 Tunisia Military personnel attending to injured British nationals on board an RAF C-17 aircraft en route back to the United Kingdom, in Tunisia 11/32 Tunisia Holidaymakers lay flowers on Marhaba beach Getty Images 12/32 Tunisia Tourists pay tribute to the victims of the Sousse attack at a makeshift memorial on the beach at the Imperial Marhaba resort Reuters 13/32 Tunisia The Home Secretary Theresa May pays her respects with her counterparts, France’s Bernard Cazeneuve, left, Germany’s Thomas de Maiziere, second left, and Tunisia’s Najem Gharsalli, in Sousse Reuters 14/32 Tunisia Two tourists pay respects to victims of IS attack on beach in Sousse, Tunisia Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP/Getty 15/32 Tunisia Many people remain unaccounted for and many of their relatives have taken to social media in the hope of obtaining information about those who are still missing (Getty) Getty 16/32 Tunisia A boy holds a Tunisian flag at the spot on the beach where the attack took place Reuters 17/32 Tunisia A man kisses a Tunisian flag at the site of a shooting attack on the beach in front of the Riu Imperial Marhaba Hotel in Port el Kantaoui, on the outskirts of Sousse 18/32 Tunisia The front of the Marhaba hotel Getty 19/32 Tunisia Tunisian Ennahdha party member and former minister Houcine Jazir speaks with Belgium survivor couple Corman (R) and Claude Pesser after a mass shooting in the resort town of Sousse 20/32 Tunisia The bloodstained belongings of a tourist are seen on the sand in the resort town of Sousse AFP/Getty Images 21/32 Tunisia A broken glass window of the Imperiale Marhaba hotel is seen after a gunman opened fire at the beachside hotel in Sousse Reuters 22/32 Tunisia Blood stains cover the ground at the Imperial Marhaba Hotel in Sousse, Tunisia after mass shooting Fethi Belais/AFP/Getty 23/32 Tunisia Policemen patrolling the beach in front of the Riu Imperial Marhaba Hotel in Sousse where tributes have been laid to the dead AFP/Getty 24/32 Tunisia People stand in silence next to flowers during a gathering at the scene of the attack in Sousse, Tunisia Getty 25/32 Tunisia Messages and flowers are left on Marhaba beach where 38 people were killed in a terrorist attack in Souuse Getty Images 26/32 Tunisia Police officers control the crowd while surrounding a man suspected to be involved in opening fire on a beachside hotel in Sousse, Tunisia 27/32 Tunisia Medics help an injured man in Sousse 28/32 Tunisia A body lies on a street in Sousse 29/32 Tunisia Members of the Tunisian security forces in an armoured vehicle patrol a street in Sousse 30/32 Tunisia The beach where the massacre took place Lionel Tunisiano/Twitter 31/32 Tunisia A general view of the deserted pool and deck chairs at the Imperial Marhaba Hotel EPA 32/32 Tunisia A woman looks toward a glass door shattered by a bullet at Imperial Marhaba Hotel EPA |