The BBC moved on Wednesday to contain months of internal turmoil by ordering all employees to complete mandatory training on antisemitism, alongside a separate module on Islamophobia. The directive landed in staff inboxes as the broadcaster continued to face sharp criticism over its coverage of Israel’s war against the Hamas terrorists in Gaza and a string of scandals that forced the resignations of its Director-General and the head of BBC News.
A note from Director-General Tim Davie gave staff six months to finish the e-learning courses. Davie wrote that the BBC “stands united against any form of discrimination, prejudice, or intolerance,” a message that followed months of tense negotiations with the Board of Deputies of British Jews. The Board had raised concerns about coverage on BBC Arabic, repeated editorial missteps involving antisemitic incidents, and growing mistrust among Jewish staff.
Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies, said the announcement came at a critical moment. “The BBC finds itself in a moment of challenge and opportunity. It can continue in the same vein, with the same problems, or it can make changes that restore trust and pride in the central place of our national broadcaster in an ever-more fraught and fractious media and societal landscape. We hope that today’s announcement on antisemitism training to all staff is the start of a more positive journey.”
The move came just weeks after Davie announced he would step down once a successor is appointed, following a leaked impartiality memo that accused the broadcaster of repeated editorial failures in its reporting on the Israel–Hamas war, its editing of a speech by US President Donald Trump, and its handling of transgender issues. The memo also highlighted selective reporting by BBC Arabic, including its avoidance of stories about Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
The decision to impose compulsory antisemitism training emerged from a long chain of controversies. Media regulator Ofcom previously faulted the BBC for “significant editorial failings” in its reporting of a 2021 antisemitic attack on a bus of Jewish students in London. The broadcaster inaccurately claimed that an anti-Muslim slur had been shouted from the bus; later evidence indicated the audio was a Hebrew phrase, a mistake critics said amounted to victim-blaming.
During the current war, the BBC faced backlash after a correspondent speculated on-air that Israel struck the Al-Ahli hospital—an explosion later assessed as caused by a misfired Palestinian rocket. The broadcaster also aired claims of “summary executions” of Palestinians by Israeli forces without corroboration. More than 200 Jewish staff and contributors from the film and television industry signed a letter accusing the organization of “systemic problems” and “gaslighting” employees who raised concerns.
BBC programming decisions generated additional outrage, including live-streaming a performance at Glastonbury in which the act Bob Vylan led a chant of “death, death to the IDF,” and airing Gaza: How to Survive without disclosing that the 13-year-old narrator had family ties to Hamas.
Davie’s email to staff on Thursday described the new training as part of a broader effort to repair workplace culture. “The BBC is for everyone, and we are clear that everyone working here should feel they belong,” he wrote. “The BBC Academy has spent the last few months developing new anti-discrimination training. We’re starting with e-learning modules on antisemitism and Islamophobia, which we expect staff across the BBC to complete.”
The antisemitism module, already completed and released, was developed with the Community Security Trust (CST), the Antisemitism Policy Trust (APT), and the BBC’s Jewish Staff Network. It includes real-world examples of anti-Jewish hatred and a framework for identifying and responding to antisemitism. The Islamophobia module is still being finalized and is expected in February.
Danny Stone, chief executive of the Antisemitism Policy Trust, said the training was urgently needed. “Against a backdrop of rising antisemitism in the UK and across the globe, staff at our national broadcaster must understand how to spot and tackle anti-Jewish racism and support colleagues who face it. This training will assist in that effort.”
Dave Rich, policy director of CST, said the collaboration with the BBC represented “a meaningful step towards deeper understanding, improved awareness, and a more consistent approach to tackling antisemitism and supporting Jewish staff across the organisation.”
