Egyptian journalist Mohad al-Sharkawy never expected that an old video he posted two years ago, documenting Hamas strikes against Israel, would pose an obstacle to his new job at the BBC even after he had successfully qualified for it.
After passing the written exam and formal interviews with four network managers, and deciding on a date to assume his duties as senior producer for the program “Dars” (Lesson) from the Cairo bureau, he received shocking news – accusations of anti-Semitism, the withdrawal of his job offer, and the termination of his current contract as a freelance producer for the program “By Egypt Time.”
How an old post destroyed his future
Sharkawy explained in a post on his Facebook page that everything began when the program’s deputy editor in London, an Arab national, searched his private Facebook account and found an old video he had posted in October 2023 documenting Hamas strikes against Israel, at a time when he was not a BBC employee.
The video was accompanied by a screenshot and sent to the London administration, and he then lost his current job and promised new job offer.
Sharkawy was shocked by the actions of an institution he described as his “second home,” especially since he had worked at the BBC for more than five years (2015-2019) as a radio journalist, program producer, newsreader, and reporter, without any professional or personal complaints.
He asked, “Is it in accordance with the institution’s principles that a colleague—on my list of friends—invade my privacy and forward my closed posts to the administration? If my performance does not align with its values, has my five years of work there not sufficiently demonstrated my professionalism?”
Not the first time
The case brought to the fore a troubling record of complaints against the BBC’s handling of the Israeli war on Gaza.
In recent months, some of its employees, including Arab and British journalists, have faced investigations simply for liking or commenting on pro-Palestinian content.
In October 2023, it was revealed that some journalists received internal warnings for interacting with content describing the events in Gaza as “war crimes.”
In February 2024, reports emerged of increasing administrative pressure on BBC Arabic correspondents in London and the Middle East to maintain “neutral language,” sometimes to the point of investigating old posts on Twitter and Facebook.
Outraged reactions
Sharqawy’s post sparked widespread solidarity on social media, with colleagues and friends expressing support towards him. Some called the incident a “blatant injustice” and a “professional loss for the organization before it was a personal one.”
Others expressed a deepening crisis of trust between the Arab journalists working for the organization and its management, especially given the persistent and recurring accusations that the BBC will harshly crack down on content deemed “pro-Gaza,” while leniently addressing coverage or opinions that favor Israel’s narrative.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
