A report about a compensation payment by the BBC to an Israeli family would hardly have deserved attention—were it not an expression of a much larger problem.

The fact that a public broadcaster is paying for having filmed a destroyed home after October 7 without the consent of those affected is no marginal issue. It is a symptom.

For me, this case highlights not only journalistic misconduct, but a structural problem that many Israelis have perceived for years—often quietly, sometimes openly. The BBC’s decision to compensate an Israeli family after a camera team filmed their destroyed home without permission is more than a legal settlement. It is an admission.

The affected family lived in the border town of Netiv HaAsara, directly on the border with the Gaza Strip. On the morning of October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists attempted to murder them. They barely survived. In the hours and days that followed, normal life was unthinkable: evacuation, shock, uncertainty about the fate of neighbors, friends, and relatives.

It was precisely during this phase that a BBC team entered the family’s home—without...

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