BBC Gaza Doc Fallout Continues as Former Chief Accuses Corp of Being 'Manipulated by Terrorists'
Earlier this week, the corporation apologized and removed Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, about the lives of three children caught in the Israel-Gaza war, from its streaming service BBC iPlayer. It was discovered that one of the 13-year-old subjects, Abdullah Al-Yazouri, is the son of Hamas' deputy minister of agriculture.
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A statement from the corp said it takes 'full responsibility' for 'unacceptable flaws' in commissioning the program, stating that production company behind the doc Hoyo Films acknowledged that the BBC were not informed of Abdullah Al-Yazouri's Hamas ties. The Sunday Times reported that the child was paid around £700 for his part in the film, given to him via his sister's back account.
Director-general Tim Davie has requested that Peter Johnston, the director for editorial complaints and reviews who carried out the investigation into Russell Brand's behavior, lead a fact-finding review of the episode, also according to the newspaper.
While the documentary has been permanently removed from iPlayer, industry figures such as actors Riz Ahmed, Khalid Abdalla, Miriam Margolyes and director Mike Leigh are among the 900+ signatories of an open letter published by Artists for Palestine U.K. demanding it be reinstated on the platform. 'Beneath this political football are children who are in the most dire circumstances of their young lives,' the letter reads. 'As programme-makers, we are extremely alarmed by the intervention of partisan political actors on this issue, and what this means for the future of broadcasting in this country.'
Now, the former controller of BBC1 has weighed in. Danny Cohen, who was in the top job from 2013-2015, told The Sunday Times that the BBC has allowed itself to be 'manipulated by terrorists'. He called on U.K. culture secretary Lisa Nandy to ensure 'wider systemic issues of anti-Israel bias' are explored at the BBC in an independent investigation, rather than allowing it 'to mark its own homework'. Nandy has insisted there was a 'robust' exchange with BBC chair Samir Shah.
Cohen added: 'Given the scale of the BBC's failings, it feels absolutely appropriate for the culture secretary to ensure this [independent investigation] happens. The ultimate failing here is by the BBC's leadership. They should not be allowed to just investigate themselves… the journalistic failings of this programme are part of a wider system failure at the BBC.'
The BBC Board released a statement on Thursday addressing the controversy: 'The subject matter of the documentary was clearly a legitimate area to explore, but nothing is more important than trust and transparency in our journalism. While the Board appreciates that mistakes can be made, the mistakes here are significant and damaging to the BBC.'
Further issues around the documentary have come to light painting a grim picture for the BBC. A second child who appeared in the documentary, 11-year-old Zakaria, was photographed holding a gun besides a Hamas fighter. Additionally, a camera operator on the doc appears to have shown support on social media for the Oct. 7 massacre in 2023, when Hamas killed around 1,200 people. The operator shared a video of the killing of an Israeli soldier on X (formerly Twitter), saying it should be watched 'a million' times.
When contacted for comment by The Hollywood Reporter, the BBC redirected THR to their Thursday statement, which can be read in full here.
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