Name the Breach: 'Violation', Not 'Despite Ceasefire'

Western headlines call Israeli strikes on Lebanon 'amid' or 'despite' a ceasefire. Lebanon, the UN and Al Jazeera call them what they are: violations. Demand accurate, agentive language.

Live tally

complaints sent in this campaign · and counting

Support us. Each accuracy complaint costs us money to deliver. Help us hold the BBC, Reuters, NBC and the Washington Times accountable for the language they choose.

Donate

Send Accuracy Complaints

Enter your details below and we'll send a personalised accuracy complaint to each outlet listed — quoting that outlet's specific headline, walking through why the substituted preposition is a factual misframing, and asking four on-the-record editorial questions. Routing is automatic: BBC complaints API for the three BBC articles, direct complaint email for everyone else.

Your details

Review & send

Done

How this works

Enter your details below
Verify your email with a one-time code
We send the email on your behalf — done!

Have a NewsCord account? Sign in to autofill

First Name *

Last Name *

Email Address *

Postal address (required only for the BBC complaint)

These fields are needed only for the BBC complaint. Fill them in and your BBC complaint is filed; leave them blank and no BBC complaint is filed, while every other complaint still sends as normal. We pass them straight to the BBC's official complaints API; we don't store them. Outside the UK? Choose your location below and we'll only ask for the fields the BBC needs (no postcode or phone).

Address line 1 (BBC only)

Address line 2 (optional)

House name or number (BBC only)

City / Town (BBC only)

Postcode (BBC only)

Location (BBC only)

Phone number (BBC only)

Headlines being complained about (6)

📰

BBC News

“Deadly Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon despite ceasefire”

→ BBC complaints API

📰

BBC News

“Israeli attacks kill dozens within days in Lebanon despite ceasefire”

→ BBC complaints API

📰

BBC News

“Israeli strikes kill 14 in Lebanon amid ongoing ceasefire”

→ BBC complaints API

🌐

Reuters

“Israeli strikes hit east Lebanon, expanding scope despite ceasefire”

→ Direct complaint email

📺

NBC News

“Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon kill 7 despite ceasefire”

→ Direct complaint email

📰

Washington Times

“Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon kill 7 despite ceasefire”

→ Direct complaint email

One complaint per headline — each quotes the specific outlet's headline.

Email me if they respond, and about future NewsCord campaigns

Skip the review and send my complaint straight awayThis is ticked, so we file your complaint as soon as you verify your email. Untick it if you would rather read the finished wording and change anything first, before it goes out in your name.

I already filed this but didn't verify it in time. Tick this only if you submitted before and the BBC verification email expired (the link is valid for about 60 minutes). We'll re-file your BBC complaint so the BBC sends you a fresh verification link.

We'll send a 6-digit code to verify your email before proceeding.

About this campaign

On 17 April 2026, Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a 10-day US-brokered ceasefire (later extended by three weeks). In the weeks since, Israel has carried out repeated airstrikes on southern and eastern Lebanon, killing dozens of civilians.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, the Lebanese Health Ministry, the Lebanese Army, the Committee to Protect Journalists and multiple UN officials have publicly described the strikes as continuing Israeli violations. Outlets such as Al Jazeera and Democracy Now! routinely use the word violation in their headlines.

Yet headlines on the BBC, Reuters, NBC News and the Washington Times consistently substitute 'amid', 'despite', 'as', or 'ongoing ceasefire'. These constructions remove Israel as the named agent of a breach. 'Despite' reframes the ceasefire as a passive obstacle Israel pushes through; 'amid' demotes it to ambient context; 'ongoing ceasefire' is the most distorting of all — it asserts the ceasefire is functioning even as the headline reports the killing that disproves that claim.