How BBC's Gaza documentary ‘scandal' highlights criticism of its war coverage

Indian Express

3 days ago

A BBC documentary about Gaza has come under fire for reportedly breaching editorial guidelines on accuracy, 'by failing to disclose the [film's] narrator was the son of a Hamas official,' according to the news organisation's review.
On Monday (July 14), it found that the independent production company, Hoyo Films, bears 'most of the responsibility for the failure', adding that the BBC also 'bore some responsibility and should have done more in its oversight.'
Here is what to know.
What is the film in question?
GAZA: HOW TO SURVIVE A WARZONE was released on the BBC's UK-specific video and streaming service, iPlayer, in February this year. Its description on the film database website IMDb says, 'Following the lives of four young people trying to survive the Israel-Hamas war as they hope for a ceasefire – a vivid and unflinching view of life in a warzone.'
However, it was pulled from the platform days later. At the centre of the controversy is a 13-year-old boy named Abdullah al Yazouri, featured in the film. The BBC only later 'discovered' that he was the son of the deputy minister of agriculture in Gaza, in the Hamas government.
Hamas is the militant Palestinian organisation that came to power in the enclave in 2006, following elections. It went to war with the rival organisation Fatah, after the latter refused to accept its victory. Since then, Hamas has controlled Gaza while the Palestinian Authority (PA) controls the Palestinian territories in the West Bank.
Countries like the United Kingdom and the United States have classified Hamas as a terrorist organisation. On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched strikes against Israel that killed over 1,200 people and abducted around 250 others.
Israel almost immediately launched a brutal military response in Gaza, which has continued to date. Major cities have been flattened, and over 58,000 people have been killed (a majority being women and children), according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
So, what did the BBC find?
The BBC said it had not been informed of the family connection in advance by the film's production company. The review found that three members of the production company knew of the father's position.
Peter Johnston, Director of Editorial Complaints & Reviews, wrote in the review report that the BBC team had not been 'sufficiently proactive' with initial editorial checks. The UK's media watchdog Ofcom has now said it will conduct its own investigation to ensure that 'factual programmes must not materially mislead the audience.'
Notably, Johnston wrote, 'I do not consider that anything in the Narrator's scripted contribution to the Programme breached the BBC's standards on due impartiality. The content of the narration is factual and carries balance where required.' There was no evidence to suggest that the narrator's family influenced the film, he added.
The BBC said it was taking several steps to prevent a similar breach being repeated. Hoyo Films said it took the review findings 'extremely seriously' and that it 'apologises for the mistake that resulted in a breach of the editorial guidelines'.
In early July, the BBC was also criticised for allowing the punk group Bob Vylan's performance at the Glastonbury Festival to continue streaming online. The duo chanted 'death to the IDF (Israeli Defence Forces)' and 'Free, free Palestine' during their set.
What is the fallout so far?
The NGO Campaign Against Antisemitism said the BBC's recommendations were 'frankly insulting'.
More than 40 Jewish television executives, including a former BBC content chief and JK Rowling's agent, Neil Blair, previously wrote to the BBC with questions about editorial failings surrounding the film. More broadly, the media organisation is being criticised for keeping its viewers in the dark, leading to allegations of bias.
However, the BBC has also been criticised in recent months for a skewed coverage of the events unfolding in Gaza by another group of people. Earlier this month, more than 120 BBC employees anonymously wrote an open letter to the management, signed by other media professionals.
That letter came after the BBC restricted another Gaza-related documentary, Gaza: Medics Under Fire. 'We're writing to express our concerns over opaque editorial decisions and censorship at the BBC on the reporting of Israel/Palestine… It demonstrates, once again, that the BBC is not reporting 'without fear or favour' when it comes to Israel.'
The letter added, 'A recent statement from the BBC said broadcasting the film 'risked creating the perception of partiality'. This illustrates precisely what many of us have experienced first hand: an organisation that is crippled by the fear of being perceived as critical of the Israeli government.'
It said senior BBC staffers often made decisions without discussion or explanation. 'As an organisation we have not offered any significant analysis of the UK government's involvement in the war on Palestinians. We have failed to report on weapons sales or their legal implications. These stories have instead been broken by the BBC's competitors,' it added.
'This hasn't happened by accident, rather by design. Much of the BBC's coverage in this area is defined by anti-Palestinian racism… All too often it has felt that the BBC has been performing PR for the Israeli government and military. This should be a cause of great shame and concern for everyone at the BBC.'
Finally, it called on the BBC to 'do better for our audiences and recommit to our values of impartiality, honesty and reporting without fear or favour.'