Read this: Israel and Gaza

BBC sounds music Radio podcasts hello and welcome to Aloe headlines this morning Palace militants have launched a large rocket attack from the Gaza strip and gunman have open fire in parts of Southern Israel will have a latest turn on the ground you if any conflicts are as polarising to listeners as that between Israel and the Palestinians the BBC is judged on every word it uses and indeed on the words it chooses not to use your own experts have this is a terrorist organization therefore those killing Israeli women and children are terrorists.

They are not militants.

You should be ashamed the BBC's reporting of events is heavily as well, Martha Kearney report the 900s.

That is really asmodus oni seconds later.

She reported 700 people in Gaza as having been killed the director of BBC News content is here to respond.

Comment and since we've been off our changes to BBC local radio I started to take shape across England many of you have got in touch.

Where's the answers? Why is this? What is the listening figures? Let's hear the truth and then perhaps people will understand albeit reluctantly.

We're going to get an insight into all of this by someone who knows about the local radio world David Lloyd this is the today podcast where every week.

We're going to take a big story are we going to dig much deeper into my banter entice younger listeners.

We hear the views of to journalism students at Cardiff University in our vauxbox.

The likelihood of people are aged then going to research into who they are that's not going to happen, but first BBC Radio news and indeed other programmes have devoted.

Weeks are time to the Israel Hamas conflict rockets have been fired from Gaza into Israel with reports that Palestinian gunman.

Have also been carrying out shootings in the Southern Israel report two houses in store at having been taken over by government from the islamist group Hamas which governs Gaza have been placed on a war footing with reservist called up Israel has ordered a complete siege of the Gaza strip cutting off suppliers of food water and electricity in response to this how come Saturday by her mask and then I'm sorry it has told to stop this interview because they're in front of the conflict unfolded last weekend with multiple attacks on Israel of unprecedented scale and brutality by Hamas Fighters the death toll already in 2000 is Dudley climbing as Israel retaliate with air strikes on Gaza tragically the human cost of this conflict look set only to rise.

Will the BBC director of news content Richard Rogers children's need to discuss this week's covering Richard welcome to feedback words matter here and David Lee has been in touch your own experts have told us that Hamas is a terrorist organisation therefore those killing Israeli women and children are terrorists.

They are not militants.

You should change Richard David isn't alone in this criticism Grant shapps the defence secretary has said it's Virgin on disgraceful.

Can you just tell us the BBC's position yes and I appreciate that is not alone and the many listeners find this difficult to understand and Bradley some just don't agree with it, but let me try to explain our position and following the BBC editorial guidelines that have been placed over many years and that is that we don't use the word terrorist and that's because it's a load of term.

Highly politicised conflict looking like this one you can just delete people assuming that you have biased that you are on one side or the you are on the other confusing for people there is if they go onto the BBC website the BBC does call other attacks terrorist attacks and it uses that label and its own journalism for example that describe Manchester Arena bomb has the worst terrorist attack in the UK since 77 it describes 77 as the worst terrorist atrocity on British soil and about September 11th.

It's called them terrorist attacks as well.

Who's all on the BBC website today, so you can see why David and other listeners are confused as to why the BBC calls these terrorist attacks when they happening elsewhere, but not these killings by Hamas and Israel I think there is something around a conflict between two Nathan's or two regions which becomes higher.

Exercise which in itself changes the equation a bit but what I would say is that if you listen to Our outputs you have heard consistently that this described as a terrorist attack refer to it on her but other people to hear it with a terrorist organisation by the UK government the British government and other governments the BBC is not calling them terrorist attacks and that is different from the coverage in previous terrorist attacks in the UK and elsewhere in the world the point I want to make Andrea is that for us.

The most important thing is that our coverage are reporting on the ground gets across what actually happened here and truly reflect the horror of the attacks and uses language that really does explain what went on so I saw.

The BBC's most senior correspondent shoes on and she was also having to carry these these attacks I mean when such a major major world events happened does seem that the BBC is kind of mired in the in in a war of words no I mean as I said at the start and we understand that not everybody agrees with this approach.

We feel absolutely fundamentally important that we maintain this impartiality and I think it goes to the recore what BBC News is about about trust and that about us having reporters on the ground with great experience who will report exactly what they're hearing from interviews all-seeing from evidence and using really strong language in Massacre murders war crimes and you've made the ball.

We have regularly refer to on at Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization and the other thing is worth.

Just saying if this is not.

Policy that is the BBC's alone.

You know many other UK and international media follow the same policy about not referring to come after the terrorist organisation and my dad's from Essex the BBC's reporting of events is heavily biased towards Israel Martha Kearney report the 900s.

That is really as mass murders only seconds later.

She report a 7 hours haven't been killed the contrast the highly emotive word murder with the Amazon word killed is misleading and insights audience for a trip to Richard like to ask you again about that specific you because my understanding is that the BBC doesn't normally called deaths of israelis by Hamas murder and if I just listen back to Jeremy Bowen programme frontlines of journalism where he discovered that very point with the BBC correspondent rush to you and people used to ring me on the phone and say why you are saying that he was killed.

For example and I remember one day an old guy called me in the said you should feel shame you said about my cousin that he was killed Martin and then I told them if we have to say Marta for you do except if and israelis killed tomorrow and we say Martin the bottom in the Lights of these attacks on Israel I think again we are describing on the ground from very experienced reporters what they are seeing at the judgement of Jeremy and others that what they have seen on Ground near to Gaza amounts to murder war crimes Massacre so ultimately I think I use of languages is difficult of course and we need to be careful and sensitive and this you know as this recent conflicts has shown you know it can be highly contested, but I think it's ultimate this all.

To help the audience understand as best as they possibly can I wanted to introduce this comment from listener Eileen and yes, I'm phoning to complain about the BBC headlines on the Today programme this morning in which there was no mention of the beheading of 40 babies Richard I wanted to bring this up because this as I understand it came from one report from the Tel Aviv based 24-hour news channel Sky News and reporter apparently had been told by a soldier that babies have been beheaded know it hasn't been confront anywhere else and it hasn't been confirmed by the Israeli Defence Force itself and in subsequent days.

We've seen no evidence of this story itself has been through this story has been all over social media the story of the beheading of babies and it was retweeted by high-profile and well-known journalist not BBC journalist.

I would say but it is really easy.

How Helena believe that this story is true and also the BBC is not reporting and therefore showing bias.

We had our international editor Jeremy Bowen at the see that Massacre at the cupboards and he spoke to Israeli soldiers and he obviously witness what he saw on the ground and we reported that reported extensively across or out.

What was clear? It was that children were killed babies who killed women were killed and let you know in itself.

Is is it is absolutely appalling on the issue of the beheading you're right, but that was not something that was told to us.

That was not something we were able to stand up nor as you rightly say other media and not reported by the vast majority of Israeli media as well.

So yeah, I think it's there's an assessor tell us to be really careful to maintain a calmness around.

Pulsing at what is obviously a very difficult and emotional type it does show the importance of eyewitness on-the-ground reporting which BBC is doing at the moment.

I have a number of listeners have commented on a few voices were able to hear from Gaza and calling from Dorset for every interview with Israeli family such as the one Martha Kearney did on today on Wednesday morning.

You could do another with the girls and family except you can't reach them, but I think you should remind people regular even after each interview that you can any really talk to one side at the moment.

Hello my name is Maris from the east of England no hard questioning of leaders in Gaza about the industry targeting of rockets in Dunfermline civilians all their opinion about the normalisation of Israel with other Arab States it would be informative to know why this is Richard

Palestinian Israeli crisis it has been hard, but not impossible to get into Gaza at times as a journalist.

I've reported from guards on myself while working in Jerusalem the BBC does have a corresponding rushdi Abu alouf lives in Gaza and his work for the BBC for 20 years now.

He is able to get reports ID but I wonder if you can give listeners and of the kind of constraints that he is under and indeed the challenges that the BBC is having of getting gas and voices on there.

Well.

Obviously, it's an extremely dangerous environment and that goes for Rushdie and his family as well and so they are obviously in a constant state of Readiness in terms of what might happen having to move in order to avoid masala tax so it's really difficult and they're obviously issues over power and ongoing for.

As things stand we are able to maintain contact with Rusty and we have done and we've got a regular on a and as you say we are one of the few medium organisation have a permanent Gaza correspondent on my thanks to director BBC News content Richard Rogers know if you got any comment to make about the BBC's coverage of the Israel Hamas conflict or indeed anything at all that you've heard on BBC audio.

You can email us at feedback at bbc.co.uk you can leave us a voice message on 0330 444 5004 or on social media at BBC R4 feedback no more on the ongoing and controversial decision from the BBC to cut local radio output across England and replace some shows with regional programming the BBC says some of the money saved will be redirected into bolstering local online news.

Will in the last month while we were off air these changes have begun to come into effect and some regions and England and listeners are not hearing those new regional afternoon and evening shows not surprisingly many of you have been in touch to say you're unhappy and miss your local programs and presenters music show had a worldwide audience ever been running for 30 years and I really did not understand why the BBC have taken it off we did ask the BBC to come on to respond, but they declined I spoke to David Lloyd has a background in BBC local radio he writes extensively about the audio world and is founder of boom radio he's been following this story closely, what impact this is having on listeners at the moment when they turn on their local radio, what is it that they're hearing that they weren't hearing 3 months ago.

We are friends.

I've lost probably the presenter.

Had become very close to them for years maybe decades that person has gone from their lives there having somebody they don't know probably from somewhere a long way away who doesn't understand where they loves us and the listeners that feeling that they are grieving the way they speak on social media.

This is a big blow to human beings a value that companionship but also it sounds shadi on are we hearing 2-minute gaps? We hearing radio stations identified wrongly and also we're not hearing what we used to in terms of local coverage when we had the floods in Devon a couple of weeks ago.

You could turn on that radio station.

It was not responding as a radio station in Devon should in times of adversity and also it from the data.

I've seen the listening anymore either their zoning out the tuning out of those radio stations because they no longer serving them well.

David David Margaret's a train from Liverpool she's blind and no freezing a few.

Night my radio Merseyside late night local friends who have been removed from my life.

It feels as if I'm suffering a bereavement just feel like the BBC fundamental understood the strength of feeling and the connection to local radio when they propose these changes.

I think the radio that under the sun the connection of radio they have suggested that BBC Radio is simply a provider of news and the way that people are increasingly getting NewsNow is online at that's true.

That's absolutely true but BBC local radio was so much more than that and then the BBC zone research and in fact every bit of research.

I've ever seen about any radio station ever is that Radio has an emotional benefit people turn it on for emotional reasons even the new station to keep them company Shelly from Cambridgeshire she's decried the changes as many of our other listeners.

I've always loved the radio and listen most days.

It's so sad to hear the scene.

Talented and much-loved presenters have been cast aside in this advised exercise the original reasons given to me by the BBC management when they came here and feedback and also the reasons they gave MPs at Select Committee hearings were twofold.

Really one was simply cost-cutting the budget constraints that we all know that the BBC is under it's had his licence frozen and there is a massive budget gap to be filled the other is a digital first strategy and that's a much bigger strategy that the BBC has across the board is that work are you seeing any evidence of at high is the BBC going to actually implement a digital first strategy when it comes to local radio? I haven't seen a great deal of it and it's early days to BBC Crediton in bed playing together teams in a different way, but I go on a page for a particular BBC local radio area and I see a handful of stories.

I went on the Twitter or x.

On Wednesday morning, just to see what was happening about the lutan fyah, and there'll be nothing posted even the previous night when that fire was rating and not doing digital first day.

They tried out the words but they are not asking us about audience figures mind I live in Norfolk where's the answers.

Why is this happened to come on you claim? You've done your research.

Let's hear the truth and then perhaps people will understand all been it reluctantly basically.

Do you think BBC could have handled this to keep listeners on board a bit more radios a very simple business you work out what the list of wants and you generated and you work backwards with because it seems completely the opposite end and therefore.

They don't understand what makes a good presenter.

Why is it that this particular person is really working in this area and I look at someone.

BBC local radio Cumbria 20% of people in Cumbria listen to that radio station 80% of the people in Derby I interviewed the head of nations and tell me about the audience to be like really who were that he didn't know how can you have the architect of a plan not understanding who he is spending millions of pounds targeting.

We are getting huge outpouring of of anger and of grief from our listeners, but there have been cross-party MPs letters that have been listeners petition presenters, please on social media and he's on there.

This is is all happening anyway.

It doesn't appear the any of this is making a difference to the BBC's plans.

Is this just too late and we're just going to have to get used to whatever it is we've now got it's not too late.

I would welcome Tim Davies standing up and he must support.

And saying we got it wrong if he wants to say BBC local radio and let's face it you need public money to provide great local radio with significantly influence is not something the commercial sector can do this is BBC should be doing and if the BBC does what the BBC should be doing it should stop this now now as I said the BBC decline the request for an interview, but they did send us this statement all 39 BBC local radio stations continue to provide local programming throughout the week local news bulletins on the hour and I fall local sports programming we continue to get audiences Voice account people in power where they live we are proud of our schedules across the country.

We are modernising our local services, so that however licensee pairs choosing at the local information will be there across television and online this means more original journalism across all platforms in-depth investigations 130 additional journalist across the country and a clearer more creative on demand.

BBC sounds next the today podcast launch last week hoping to engage people who don't normally follow the news agenda.

They kicked off with Nick Robinson today interview straight after his Conservative conference speech and then a relaxed analysis of the interview you've known an interview a lot of politicians over very long period there is a second short program followed getting to know the podcast stew presenters today regulars, Nick Robinson and Amal Raja my number to a future Prime Minister if you don't mind.

Thank you very much.

It's not the first time that today have a podcast first.

There was the daily spin off podcast beyond today it launched in 2018 what finished after 2-years and there's also the best of today a compilation podcast that's also available on BBC signs the BBC says the new weekly offering is a bar.

Commitment to continue to build on the today brand but with so many news programs already available on podcast platforms will appeal to New Digital listeners.

Well done Emma Winfield and Lucy Kildare from Cardiff University entered or vauxbox to give very action interesting.

I thought it was very different to other pop that I've listened to informative news podcast good way to engage young people.

I think you're starting off as a podcast it facilitates strong to Bay it mobiliser discussion, so I think the podcast Avenue was a strong decision to go down because I feel like with the podcast it can feel unsalted which I think he was more to our age group is if it's unfiltered it's like that curtains been drawn back a bit more.

It's not necessarily like the drawbridges.

Are you get a bit more insight into what people are thinking? It's humanizing politics.

Which effort which is good way to engage young listeners, which one of the points was to try and engage young people into news.

She said this before I came off had planned to go you don't get a fry up to celebrate under I cried wow really we discussed how we're not sure how effectively it actually will engage young listeners.

Yeah, I think the potentials there.

Everything's there.

It is where you go from here.

I liked how obviously the humanizing element bring it more talking about stuff.

You wouldn't necessarily here on the political chat show saying about Rishi asking for a cup of coffee and stuff and happy which is he didn't have his number.

I don't know he had mine you clear the other staff to track down my number and it actually did you it was like casual.

Lot of humans, are there as well which was good.

I think as the structure went through the park as well.

We both listen to it.

I felt slightly unsure as to where it was good points.

I didn't feel as structured as I think I would have liked when I'm trying to listen to informative news, but then it's like that like that button isn't it feels like on time between keep it casual keeping it impartial keeping it as well, and it means that it's almost imposes limitations on the podcast because it can't fly because then it becomes analysis and there's loads of information and then the whole like they said was the and about the digitisation of politics in sensationalism and all that at the end of the day.

We've got to accept.

That's what politics is now media has.

How old is it to come over dramatised people want that so if you're just putting out a podcast that's like analytical discussion at the end about the digitalisation of everything really well, because when they were going on about Rishi his background.

It was like a bit of a tummy get to know your p.m.

What's good about us as well, and I love about podcast is the critique and is the Open night stand and Adele vintage discussion I listened to today in Focus which is a guardian spinach and I really enjoyed this thing to that.

I think the flow of the podcast is really good feels raised seamless and it also gives a really good critique of the content plagiary similar peace and it was really strong.

I thought the problem is it is oversaturated.

There's a lot of political podcast out there, but I feel like where they trying to make up the issue of being.

All the time is it did feel a bit like they were straining with that is there making up by giving more than inside like the bonus podcast talking about I'm already talked about panic attacks.

Yeah, it's not like they to counteract that limit their making it more insight for more human have to step outside the comfort zone of what Radio 4 usually is for introduction which is Which is the issue when they're trying to engage young listeners and I read a few articles about the house as well and there was a lot about their political expertise about the KNOWHOW and the past jobs and experiences in the industry and if that is well and good and it's good to have expertise on a podcast but and yes maybe there's no names within Radio 4 listeners, but for our demographic as we're both students.

I haven't heard of them before.

Anything about and I mean the likelihood of people are aged then going to research into who they are and what they stand for or is not going to have to start especially with the content that was discussed.

I felt as if there was a lot of attack on C-Max character V his policies that he just spoken in his conference but it's very much a sink or swim territory, isn't it? Because I think it's how what what angry you choose to go from the Day podcast is available on BBC signs that is all from feedback for this week from me.

Thank you so much for listening and for giving us your feedback by what do you see when you look at the numbers on a graph the Guilt of a serial killer that global climate change?

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