Ofcom Weighs In On ‘Gaza: How to Survive A Warzone' Row: Tells BBC It Has 'Ongoing Concerns About The Nature & Gravity Of These Failings'
Ofcom has written and published a letter to BBC Chair Samir Shah this morning. For what many deem to be a light touch regulator, it did not hold back, communicating 'ongoing concerns about the nature and gravity of these failings and the negative impact they have on the trust audiences place in the BBC's journalism.'
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The BBC is investigating the saga, which erupted around 10 days ago after it emerged that the Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone documentary was narrated by the son of a Hamas minister. Ofcom today said it could still step in if it is not satisfied with how the BBC is going about things.
'We will continue to keep the situation under close review and will expect regular updates from the BBC regarding both timeframes and progress and reserve the right to use our powers to step in should we feel it necessary to do so, given that the BBC Board has decided these to be internal investigations,' added the letter, which was penned by Ofcom Chair Michael Grade, a former BBC One Controller and BBC Chair.
Ofcom said it is crucial that the 'causes of those errors are investigated, and that systems are put in place to ensure they can not recur.'
Russell Brand reviewer Peter Johnston is leading the BBC's probe. In an extraordinary statement last week, the BBC said the producers of the doc, HOYO Films, and its director Jamie Roberts, were aware of the narrator's links to Hamas and kept this information from the corporation. On commissioning the in-depth review, the BBC said it identified serious flaws in the doc, with some of the flaws made by the production company and some the responsibility of the BBC.
The doc has proved enormously controversial and has attracted open letters from both sides of the debate along with stern criticism from Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy.
Tomorrow, Shah alongside Director General Tim Davie will go up in front of the UK's Culture, Media & Sport Committee, and this row will top the agenda. Shah, a former BBC current affairs boss, is understood to be frustrated at the way in which the situation has been handled so far.
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