logo
BBC breached editorial policy with Gaza doc narrated by son of Hamas official: internal review

BBC breached editorial policy with Gaza doc narrated by son of Hamas official: internal review

National Post16-07-2025
A BBC report published Monday confirmed the existence of an ethical and editorial issue in a documentary about Gaza that the broadcaster had pulled offline in February, but claimed this was the result of an honest mistake by an external production firm.
Article content
The 31-page review by Peter Johnston, director of the BBC's Editorial Complaints and Reviews department, upheld complaints of misleading audiences of the documentary film 'Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone,' due to the fact that its main narrator, a boy named Abdullah, was later found to be the son of a Hamas government official, Ayman Alyazouri, deputy minister of agriculture in the Hamas-run Gaza government.
Article content
Article content
The London-based production company Hoto Films, which produced the documentary for the BBC, 'had to bring this information to the BBC's attention' but did not and is therefore 'the party with the most responsibility for this failure,' Johnston wrote.
Article content
Article content
'However, I do not consider that the production company intentionally misled the BBC about the narrator's father's position,' he added. Rather, it believed that the father's position 'was a civilian or technocratic one, as opposed to a political or military position in Hamas,' Johnston added. The issue is 'a breach of Guideline 3.3.17 on Accuracy, which deals with misleading audiences,' he added.
Article content
'This is the only breach of the (BBC) Editorial Guidelines I have identified in connection with the Programme,' wrote Johnston.
Article content
All mentions in Arabic of the word 'Jew' were translated in the film as 'Israeli,' but this was not in breach of the guidelines, Johnston wrote, as Gazans often refer to the Israel Defence Forces this way. 'Translating a contributor's words to give the impression they meant to refer to Jewish people generally would therefore also risk misleading audiences,' he claimed.
Article content
Article content
'I do not find there to have been any editorial breaches in respect of the Programme's translation; but I do find that guidance on this topic could be clarified and not just based on previous rulings, as explained further below,' he also said.
Article content
Article content
The inquiry found that the production firm provided payment to the tune of $2,448 and that this was 'reasonable.' An adult earning an average salary in Gaza in 2021 would need to work for 21 months to earn that sum, according to U.N. data. Wages likely dropped even further following the outbreak of war with Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which eliminated many places of employment.
Article content
David Collier, an independent British journalist who exposed the family ties of the narrator Abdullah, dismissed the inquiry's findings as insufficient and criticized the latter's assertion.
Article content
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

EU approves counter-tariffs on U.S. goods, says trade deal within reach
EU approves counter-tariffs on U.S. goods, says trade deal within reach

CTV News

timean hour ago

  • CTV News

EU approves counter-tariffs on U.S. goods, says trade deal within reach

BRUSSELS — The European Commission said on Thursday a negotiated trade solution with the United States is within reach - while EU members voted to approve counter-tariffs on 93 billion euros (US$109 billion) of U.S. goods in case the talks collapse. The 27-nation bloc's executive has repeatedly said its primary focus is on reaching a deal to avert 30 per cent U.S. tariffs that U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will apply on August 1. 'Our focus is on finding a negotiated outcome with the U.S. ... We believe such an outcome is within reach,' an EU spokesperson said in response to reporters' questions. Alongside negotiations, the Commission has pressed on with plans for potential countermeasures, merging two packages of proposed tariffs of 21 billion euros and 72 billion euros into a single list and submitting this to EU members for approval. The rate would be up to 30 per cent, designed to mirror U.S. tariffs, EU sources said. Diplomats said EU countries overwhelmingly approved the measures on Thursday, which the Commission later confirmed. The first package of countermeasures would enter force on August 7, with tariffs on soybeans and almonds delayed until December 1, an EU official said. The second package would enter force in two stages on September 7 and February 7. So far the EU has held back from imposing any countermeasures, despite Trump's tariffs already covering 70 per cent of EU exports. EU member states authorized the first package of countermeasures in April, but these were immediately suspended to allow time for negotiations. Closing on deal The EU and United States now appear to be heading towards a possible trade deal, according to EU diplomats, which would result in a broad 15 per cent tariff on EU goods imported into the U.S., mirroring a framework agreement Washington struck with Japan. Trump would still need to take any final decision. The White House said discussions of a deal should be considered 'speculation.' Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro told Bloomberg News the report from the EU should be taken with 'a grain of salt.' French Finance Minister Eric Lombard and Italian Industry Minister Adolfo Urso told a joint press conference in Paris they were not aware of a draft agreement, Urso adding he would only pass judgment when one was reached. There was little information available about what the EU would offer the United States to secure a deal. One EU diplomat said the bloc was not looking at a pledge of investment in the United States, as Japan has agreed. Another said the EU might reduce some of its own duties. Its current import duty for cars is 10 per cent. Under the outlines of the potential deal, the 15 per cent rate could apply to sectors including cars and pharmaceuticals and would not be added to long-standing U.S. duties, which average just under five per cent. There could also be exemptions for sectors such as aircraft, lumber as well as some medicines and agricultural products, which would not face tariffs, diplomats said. Washington does not, however, appear willing to lower its 50 per cent tariff on steel. --- Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop and Benoit Van Overstraeten, additional reporting by Julia Payne and Leigh Thomas; editing by Tomasz Janowski, Peter Graff and Hugh Lawson

SES and the Luxembourg Government to Develop and Launch New Defence Satellite for GovSat
SES and the Luxembourg Government to Develop and Launch New Defence Satellite for GovSat

National Post

timean hour ago

  • National Post

SES and the Luxembourg Government to Develop and Launch New Defence Satellite for GovSat

Article content GovSat-2 is aimed at meeting growing demand for highly secure, flexible MILSATCOM services Article content LUXEMBOURG — SES and the Luxembourg Government today announced their plan for development of a second satellite for GovSat (LuxGovSat S.A.), the public-private partnership and 50/50 joint venture between SES and the Luxembourg Government that provides secure, reliable and accessible satellite communication services for governments. Article content GovSat-2 will be positioned over the European satellite arc. It will join GovSat-1 in augmenting reliable connectivity services for government customers over the region. The satellite will be built by Thales Alenia Space on its Spacebus 4000B2 platform. Article content Since launching in 2018, the joint venture's first defence satellite, GovSat-1, operated by GovSat from a secure missions operations centre in Luxembourg, has supported the Luxembourg Directorate of Defence, EU and NATO nations, the U.S. Department of Defense, and other governmental users. It has been providing connectivity for theatres of operation, interconnection of institutional as well as defence sites, border control, Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance, and various other types of communications for air, land and maritime missions. Article content The state-of-the-art GovSat-2 satellite will extend the coverage and scale of GovSat, and is designed to address the needs of defence users at the highest Security and Service Assurance Level. The satellite will add new ultra-high frequency (UHF) channels, X- and military Ka-band, and will include other security features such as dedicated hardening, an advanced anti-jamming system, and embedded geolocation. Article content The investment in GovSat-2 is in line with SES's stated financial policy criteria, and also in line with prior combined company CAPEX guidance. The satellite will be co-funded by SES and the Luxembourg Government, subject to approval of the corresponding draft law by Parliament. Article content 'The procurement of GovSat-2 underscores the success of the GovSat public-private partnership to provide Luxembourg, our allies and partners with secure military satellite communications that supplement their national systems and support a wide range of critical military, defence and civilian security applications,' said Yuriko Backes, Minister of Defence of Luxembourg. 'With GovSat-2, Luxembourg will once again demonstrate its significant impact in the field of Space.' Article content 'With geopolitical shifts and an increased need for scalable national security and defence capabilities, we are seeing growing demand for secure, reliable geostationary (GEO) connectivity with comprehensive coverage across Europe, the Middle East and Africa as well as the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, the Mediterranean and the Baltic Seas,' said Adel Al-Saleh, CEO of SES. 'As governments across Europe look to bolster their sovereign satellite communications for defence and intelligence needs, GovSat-2 gives GovSat additional MILSATCOM capacity to address this strategic area of growth.' Article content 'GovSat-2 reflects the growing demand in military satcom, allowing our GovSat public-private venture to scale and broaden the services we have been providing since 2018. For this brand new satellite, we are adding more frequency bands along with innovative functionalities for it to be well-positioned to address the future connectivity challenges the NATO and partner nations face,' said Patrick Biewer, CEO of GovSat. Article content Twitter Article content | Article content Facebook Article content | Article content YouTube Article content | Article content LinkedIn Article content | Article content Instagram Article content Read our Blogs > Article content Visit the Media Gallery > Article content About SES Article content At SES, we believe that space has the power to make a difference. That's why we design space solutions that help governments protect, businesses grow, and people stay connected—no matter where they are. With integrated multi-orbit satellites and our global terrestrial network, we deliver resilient, seamless connectivity and the highest quality video content to those shaping what's next. Following our Intelsat acquisition, we now offer more than 100 years of combined global industry leadership—backed by a track record of bringing innovation 'firsts' to market. As a trusted partner to customers and the global space ecosystem, SES is driving impact that goes far beyond coverage. Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content

Trump tariffs would hit Hungary hard despite warm relations with MAGA-friendly Orbán
Trump tariffs would hit Hungary hard despite warm relations with MAGA-friendly Orbán

CTV News

time3 hours ago

  • CTV News

Trump tariffs would hit Hungary hard despite warm relations with MAGA-friendly Orbán

President Donald Trump, left, welcomes Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to the White House in Washington, on May 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File) BUDAPEST, Hungary — Hungary's populist prime minister has spent years building a close political relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump and aligning himself with the MAGA movement. But despite Viktor Orbán's success in gaining favor with the culturally conservative and nationalist wing of Trump's administration, his country is poised to be among those hard hit by Trump's tariffs against the European Union. Trump earlier this month announced he would levy tariffs of 30 per cent against Mexico and the EU beginning Aug. 1 — a move that could cause massive upheaval between the United States and the 27-member EU, of which Hungary is a member. As a small, export-oriented economy with major automobile, pharmaceutical and wine industries — some of the main categories of products Europe exports to the U.S. — Hungary will be particularly vulnerable to Trump's tariffs. The duties 'would put the Hungarian economy in a very, very difficult situation, because then the entire possibility for Hungary to export to America would be essentially eliminated,' Péter Virovácz, chief analyst at ING Hungary, told The Associated Press. 'Not the best way to make money' Hungary's largest trading partners are other EU countries like Germany, Italy and Romania, as well as China, but many Hungarian companies export their goods across the Atlantic. Outgoing trade to the United States represents around 15 per cent of all Hungarian exports to countries outside the EU. One such enterprise, a Budapest-based company specializing in Hungarian wine, said it will likely cease doing business in the U.S. altogether if the 30 per cent duty is levied on its products. 'If it's really going to be 30 per cent, then there is no more shipment ... We might just call it a day at the end of the year,' said Gábor Bánfalvi, co-owner of Taste Hungary. Bánfalvi's company has been shipping around 10,000 bottles of premium Hungarian wine per year to the U.S. for about half a decade. With a base in Washington D.C., it exports a range of red and white wines to clients in numerous U.S. states including specialty wine shops and bars. Until now, 'it's been a thin profit margin, but it's been fine because we want Hungarian wine to be available' to U.S. consumers, Bánfalvi said. 'Then came 2025,' he said. When Trump began imposing tariffs on EU exports earlier this year, the cost of Taste Hungary's shipments tripled, Bánfalvi said — price hikes he had to build into the sticker price of the wine. The imposition of 30 per cent tariffs would make exporting 'unsustainable.' 'You just start to think, why are we doing this? Is it really worth it? It's just not the best way to make money,' he said. In total, the value of EU-U.S. trade in goods and services in 2024 amounted to 1.7 trillion euros (US$2 trillion.) Doubts that political ties could soften the blow Hungary's government, a vocal proponent of Trump's 'patriotic' foreign policy prioritizing national interests, has acknowledged that the tariffs would present a challenge. But, careful not to criticize the Trump administration, it has instead blamed the EU, a frequent target of Orbán's scorn, for failing to reach a comprehensive trade agreement with Washington. Confident that his right-wing populist policies would help win him favor with Trump's administration, Orbán said in an interview in April that while tariffs 'will be a disadvantage,' his government was negotiating 'other economic agreements and issues that will offset them.' But Péter Krekó, director of the Budapest-based Political Capital think tank, expressed doubt that political affinities could play a meaningful role in mitigating damage to Hungary's economy caused by Trump's trade policy. 'The unquestionably good bilateral relations simply cannot compensate for the trade conflicts between the EU and the U.S., and as a consequence, Hungary will suffer the tariffs the same way that the EU will,' Krekó said. 'Mutual nationalisms cannot be coordinated in a way that it is going to be a win-win situation.' Car manufacturing and pharmaceuticals Virovácz, the economist, pointed out that Hungary is home to numerous automobile factories for major automakers like Audi and Mercedes. The manufacturing of cars and motor vehicle parts represents an 'overwhelming majority' of the country's total exports, he said. Pharmaceuticals make up an even larger share of Hungarian exports to the United States — an industry on which Trump this month threatened to impose 200 per cent tariffs. That 'will essentially kill European and thus Hungarian exports to America,' Virovácz said. 'It's impossible for tariffs to be levied on EU products but not on Hungarian ones,' he said. 'A theoretical option is that Trump could somehow compensate Hungary because he's on good terms with the Hungarian political leadership, but if that only starts happening now, it's way too late.' Krekó, the political analyst, said Trump's administration 'gives practically nothing for free. If Hungary ... cannot fulfill the interests of the U.S., then I think Hungary is not going to receive gifts.' 'Hungary just doesn't have the cards, to use Trump's terminology,' he added. Justin Spike, The Associated Press

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store