Julia McFarlane is beside herself with joy! “O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! The BBC has gone to town with my colourful but moving report on the gruesome injuries in Gaza, complete with graphic images.”
Next up, Julia McFarlane takes her camera to Kobane to capture poignant images of civilians caught in the battle between the Kurds and ISIS. Not.
Okay, so there’s nothing wrong with highlighting the courage and hard work of those doctors who had to struggle with an overwhelming number of casualties in extremely difficult circumstances. But it does seem gratuitous to open it all up again at a time when there are other, possibly much more violent things happening right now.
I know Lyse Doucet explained why journalists are unable to cover events in Iraq and Syria, unlike in Gaza, where they are welcomed with open arms. And I realise that the BBC loves a colourful tale about suffering in Gaza, and Gaza loves the BBC in return, but is it really necessary for the BBC to pick at this particular scab rather than leaving it to heal in good time, by itself.
“The amateur video showed scenes of chaos - tens of doctors jostling from wounded to wounded; journalists with bulky TV cameras swarming around beds where dark red patches bloomed through patients' dressings.”
A bit like Holby City. (But I don’t suppose Holby City is a Hamas headquarters.)
