BBC admits their Gaza documentary was propaganda, Hamas leader’s son was used as narrator
On 14th July (local time), the BBC admitted that its documentary titled “Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone” was a propaganda. The broadcast claimed that it breached editorial guidelines as it failed to disclose a critical conflict of interest. The child who narrated the documentary was the son of an official linked to Palestinian terrorist outfit Hamas, the review has found. BBC director general Tim Davie commissioned a damning review in which the corporation found that the programme should never have been approved for broadcast in the first place.
The documentary was produced by an independent company named Hoyo Films. It was removed from iPlayer in February this year after concerns emerged about the boy’s background. The review has now confirmed that at least three members of the production company were aware of the fact that the boy’s father is serving as deputy minister of agriculture in the Hamas-run Gaza government. Notably, not a single person within the BBC was made aware of this fact before the documentary went live.
The review has strongly criticised the BBC for failing to conduct basic editorial checks. It highlighted a “lack of critical oversight” on key questions during the programme’s production and approval stages. Though the review has concluded that there was no evidence of direct editorial interference by the narrator’s family, it has been stated that using the child under these circumstances was “not appropriate”.
CEO of BBC News, Deborah Turness, said in a statement that the broadcaster has “owned” its mistakes and confirmed a series of corrective measures including new oversight rules, tighter narrator vetting, and an internal compliance “first gate” before any high-risk documentary is released.
Notably, the Campaign Against Antisemitism has labelled the documentary a blatant misuse of public money and accused the BBC of attempting to whitewash the issue. Following the statement, a formal investigation has been launched by the regulator Ofcom to investigate if the BBC misled viewers in breach of broadcasting rules.
Former regulator questions what BBC was told
While the BBC has admitted it failed to put facts in place before releasing the documentary, former CEO of ITN and ex-content regulator at Ofcom, Stewart Purvis, has raised serious concerns about the production company’s transparency.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s World at One, he pointed out that there have been at least two instances where the BBC asked direct questions that should have prompted Hoyo Films to disclose the boy’s Hamas-linked parentage. Furthermore, he noted that while the BBC enquired about any “paper trail” on Hamas connections, it was reassured that social media checks came out “clean”.
Purvis further added that the broadcaster failed to follow through when answers remained vague, leading to this editorial lapse.
What the documentary showed and what it hid
The documentary “Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone” was directed by Jamie Roberts and Yousef Hammash. It followed the lives of four young people living amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The film was produced by Hoyo Films and commissioned by the BBC. It relied on remote direction from London as Israel has imposed restrictions on international media access to Gaza.
The film was narrated by a 13-year-old boy, who was later found to be the son of a Hamas official. It presented a child’s-eye view of life under siege. The documentary’s credibility crumbled when the identity of the boy was revealed. As the fact of his parentage was not disclosed, it was in breach of the BBC’s editorial guidelines. The film was pulled down in February this year.
Second Gaza documentary pulled over impartiality concerns
Following the mess surrounding the said documentary, Deborah Turness also addressed a separate controversy involving a documentary titled “Gaza: Doctors Under Attack”. It had also been withdrawn before broadcast due to impartiality concerns. It faced internal red flags after a journalist involved displayed problematic social media activity. The film was later aired by Channel 4.
In a statement, Turness explained that the lead journalist, Ramita Navai, used language on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that was “incompatible” with the BBC’s impartiality standards. She said, “It made it impossible for us to continue with the project.” She further added that no BBC journalist could have said what she said on air.
Notably, on 4th July, Ramita had said on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that Israel is “a rogue state that’s committing war crimes and ethnic cleansing, and mass-murdering Palestinians”.
Turness admits BBC failed to pursue key questions
Turness has emphasised accountability while speaking to BBC Radio 4. She admitted that the broadcaster failed to “run those questions to ground”. She added that the BBC took the matter seriously and conducted a full investigation. She claimed that no one at the BBC knew about the narrator’s Hamas-linked father and conceded they should have known. She said, “The questions were asked but not answered.”
Hoyo Films apologises, promises to improve editorial process
Hoyo Films, the production company behind the documentary, has issued a statement accepting the findings of the BBC’s internal review. It has apologised for the breach of editorial guidelines and said it has taken the report “extremely seriously”. The company has, however, denied any intent to mislead the BBC and pledged to improve internal processes. The company added that it is working with the BBC to potentially release a revised version of the documentary for iPlayer.
BBC director general promises action to restore trust
The BBC director general, while acknowledging the failure, called it a “significant failing in relation to accuracy”. He apologised for the lapse and said the BBC would act on two fronts, holding those responsible to account and implementing immediate steps to prevent similar breaches. The BBC Board has claimed in a statement that “nothing is more important than trust and transparency in our journalism”.
Loss of trust led BBC to pull Gaza documentary
Not to forget, in March this year, Davie told the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee that he made the “very difficult decision” to pull the documentary from iPlayer after losing trust in the film. He said repeated questions about the boy’s family went unanswered by the production company. Although the film drew around 500 complaints of anti-Israel bias and 1,800 over its removal, Davie stressed editorial accountability was of utmost importance in such sensitive productions.
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