BBC issues grovelling apology as it fails to mention Jews in Holocaust coverage 3 times
The BBC's coverage of Holocaust Memorial Day has been heavily criticised.
The BBC has issued an apology after it omitted the word Jews from its coverage of Holocaust Memorial Day on three separate programmes. The word Jews was not used by BBC presenters yesterday, which marked the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, with at least three hosts saying six million "people" died in the genocide. BBC Radio 4, BBC Breakfast and BBC World News failed to use the word Jews during their reports. The phrasing has been criticised by the Jewish community, who have branded the decision "hurtful, disrespectful and wrong". BBC World News' Martine Croxall said during her broadcast yesterday: "Today marks Holocaust Memorial Day. A day for remembering the six million people who were murdered by the Nazi regime over 80 years ago.' Meanwhile, BBC Breakfast host Jon Kay used a similar line.
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Jews were also left out of a BBC Radio 4 report on Holocaust Memorial Day, which has caused a backlash online.
The BBC has now issued an apology, stating: "In the news bulletins on Today and in the introduction to the story on BBC Breakfast, there were references to Holocaust Memorial Day which were incorrectly worded, and for which we apologise.
"Both should have referred to 'six million Jewish people', and we will be issuing a correction on our website."
They added: "This morning's BBC programming commemorated Holocaust Memorial Day. The Today programme featured interviews with relatives of Holocaust survivors, and a report from our Religion Editor.
"In both of these items we referenced the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust. The Chief Rabbi recorded the Thought for the Day.
"BBC Breakfast featured a project organised by the Holocaust Educational Trust in which a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust recorded her memories."
Major figures in the Jewish community blasted the coverage, with Karen Pollock CBE, Chief Executive, Holocaust Educational Trust, saying: "The Holocaust was the murder of six million Jewish men, women and children. Ignoring that the victims were Jews, widening the figure to include all victims of the Second World War, or attempting to draw in contemporary conflicts, is an abuse of the memory of the Holocaust and an insult to victims and survivors."
