History of Sorts

The title “What the Hell Just Happened?” was not only the name of the UK’s entry for Eurovision 2025—it was also a question likely echoed in newsrooms and broadcaster offices across Europe. In this blog, I’ll focus specifically on the UK’s BBC and Ireland’s RTÉ, both of which were particularly vocal in their calls to have Israel removed from the contest. RTÉ, in fact, was even more outspoken than the BBC.

Yet, as the voting results show, the public in both countries clearly disagreed with the stance of their national broadcasters.

In the UK, the professional jury awarded Israel’s Yuval Raphael zero points. In stark contrast, the British public gave her the full 12 points—the maximum possible.

In Ireland, the jury gave Yuval Raphael 7 points, while the Irish public awarded her 10 points, making Israel their second-highest choice.

The irony is hard to ignore: the UK received zero points from the public vote—none from any of the 36 participating countries. Ireland, for its part, didn’t even qualify for the final.

If ever there were a case of poetic justice, this might be it.

Another noteworthy point: Azerbaijan, a country that is approximately 97% Muslim, gave Israel full points from both the jury and the public.

These numbers should serve as a wake-up call for broadcasters and media outlets across Europe—and beyond. It’s time to reconsider the often one-sided coverage of the conflict in Gaza. Rather than sensationalist headlines and polarized narratives, journalism must return to balanced, fact-based reporting that reflects the complexities of both sides.

Clearly, the public is beginning to see through the distortion.