BBC Chair denies plea from 200 Jewish staffers calling for formal probe into antisemitism at the newsroom

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has reportedly denied an internal request to formally investigate allegations of "systemic problems of antisemitism and bias" at the company.

A group of 200 Jewish employees, contributors and suppliers requested the company launch a formal probe into persisting antisemitism in a letter sent to BBC Board members and Chairman Samir Shah on July 19, Deadline reported. The group detailed their "anguish and disbelief because we fear we have now exhausted the process of raising our very serious concerns about anti-Jewish racism with BBC Management," according to the report. 

"When it comes to racism and discrimination at the BBC, ‘Jews don’t count,'" a portion of the letter reads.

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The group provided the board with a list of "impartiality breaches in matters of public controversy relating to Israel and Gaza," broadcast errors that they say "suggest bias" and personal details "of the fear and mental health toll on Jewish BBC staff, their feelings of isolation and alienation from their bosses and experiences of prejudice and racism at work," according to Deadline. They say there have been blatant breaches of the BBC’s social media guidelines without sufficient discipline.

"Unless its professed opposition to racism is untrue, BBC Management seems to think it is better placed than Jews themselves to identify and define what does and doesn’t constitute anti-Jewish racism," the group said in the letter. "And it is repeatedly failing to take any meaningful action."

Shah turned down their request for a formal investigation on Thursday, stating that the board "holds the [BBC] Executive to account through the assurances we seek and the questions we ask of the decision-making process," Deadline reported. He said he feels "great concern" that "some colleagues feel the way you describe in your documents," adding that he has requested the BBC executive to review the list the group sent to "see if there’s anything included that has not been previously considered.

The letter's signatories reportedly include "9/11: Inside the President’s War Room" Executive Producer Neil Grant, Fulwell 73 managing partner and former "Cinderella" Executive Producer Leo Pearlman, former BBC One controller Danny Cohen, and former ITV executive Claudia Rosencrantz, according to JewishNewsUK.

The letter cited social media posts from Dr. Asif Munaf, "Match Of The Day" host Gary Lineker, and BBC Arabic staff and others. 

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Munaf was a contestant on the broadcaster's "Apprentice: You're Fired" until he was dropped from the show and suspended from the medical register pending an investigation for making anti-Semitic remarks on social media, the Daily Mail reported.

Lineker, one of the broadcaster's most well known faces, faced intense backlash after he shared a post from the BDS movement which said the Palestinian Football Association was calling for "all regional and international sports bodies to take an urgent stance on Israel’s grave violation of human rights and subject it to legal accountability measures." He reportedly attributed the share to a mistake.

BBC director-general Tim Davie said in March that some tweets by BBC Arabic staff were "unacceptable," and said that the broadcaster was "acting fairly and judiciously," JewishNewsUK reported.

The BBC has been plagued with embarrassing gaffes, apologies and corrections related to the Israel-Hamas war, prompting critics to dismiss the corporation as simply too "woke" to accurately cover the conflict.

In January, the BBC was forced to apologize for airing an unverified December radio report that accused Israel Defense Forces troops of executing Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Much of their coverage has raised eyebrows with inaccurate reports that erred on behalf of Hamas and Palestinians. 

In November, BBC News Channel aired a report that claimed Israeli forces had descended on Al Shifa hospital in Gaza and targeted "medical teams and Arab speakers" inside. While reports did indicate the IDF had entered the hospital, none corroborated the claim that soldiers had targeted those inside. The error led the BBC to issue an on-air apology, retraction and a written statement.

Following Hamas' invasion of Israel on October 7, the BBC repeatedly referred to the organization as "freedom fighters," "gunmen" or "militants" rather than terrorists. As the situation escalated into a war, viewers became increasingly frustrated with the news organization's refusal to use the term "terrorists," particularly after reports of Hamas' brutal actions against civilians. 

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In his response to the letter, Shah reportedly acknowledged "mistakes and we have not always got it right" while admitting that "on a small number of occasions, staff conduct has fallen below expectations."

When reached for comment, a BBC spokesperson told Fox News Digital, "The BBC Chairman has responded to this letter directly. It is a great concern to us if anyone does not feel supported at work and we have well-established and robust processes in place to handle any concerns or complaints raised with us confidentially. We have highlighted these to the signatories of the letter. As an organization, we stand united against any form of abuse, prejudice or intolerance.

"Editorially, we are committed to the highest standards of impartiality in our journalism and in a small number of cases where there have been mistakes we have acknowledged this," the spokesperson added. "Where staff conduct has fallen below expectations, we have taken action."

Fox News' Brian Flood contributed to this report.