Latest news with #Gaza:HowToSurviveAWarzone
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
BBC 'capitulated to lobbying' over removal of Gaza documentary, says Gary Lineker
GARY Lineker has said the BBC "capitulated to lobbying" over the removal of a documentary it aired on Gaza. Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone was removed from BBC iPlayer after it emerged that the 13-year-old narrator, Abdullah, is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, who has worked as deputy minister of agriculture in Gaza's government, which is administered by Hamas. Abdullah later spoke out about the incident, saying that he holds the BBC responsible for his fate. Lineker (above), 64, was asked about his decision to join more than 500 media figures in a letter condemning the decision to withdraw the documentary. Speaking to Amol Rajan on BBC Radio 4's Today show, he said he would "100%" support the documentary being shown again. Lineker said: "I think you let people make their own minds up. We're adults. We're allowed to see things like that. It's incredibly moving." He added: "I think [the BBC] just capitulated to lobbying that they get a lot." READ MORE: Green MSP 'breached law' in attack on Supreme Court over sex ruling, top lawyers say Lineker said he does not see Abdullah as an issue, and maintained that the corporation should not have admitted to "a number of serious failings in their commissioning and editorial processes". The broadcaster was also questioned on his decision to post a tweet in March 2023 comparing the then Tory government's asylum policy with 1930s Germany. Lineker was briefly taken off air, and other sports journalists and presenters walked out in solidarity, before he returned to fronting Match Of The Day (MOTD). He is set to leave the BBC after fronting its coverage of the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The tweets sparked a row about BBC presenters expressing political views on social media, leading to enhanced rules for BBC flagship presenters, including a ban on making attacks on political parties. Asked about the rules, Lineker questioned why he had to be 'impartial', saying he was a 'freelancer', and the rules were for 'people in news and current affairs – they have subsequently changed'. READ MORE: UK Government panned over 'dangerous' migrant crime league table plans He added that this 'left me, who always gave these honest opinions about things', having to be impartial which, he said, 'didn't make any sense', and called it a freedom of speech issue. 'I think this is the mistake… the BBC tries to appease the people that hate the BBC, the people that always go on about the licence fee, attack the BBC. They worry way too much about that, rather than worry about the people that love the BBC, which is the vast majority,' he said. 'Why shouldn't I have an opinion on things? I'm a bloody footballer who's turned into a sports presenter.'
The National
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Gary Lineker: BBC 'capitulated to lobbying' over Gaza documentary
Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone was removed from BBC iPlayer after it emerged that the 13-year-old narrator, Abdullah, is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, who has worked as deputy minister of agriculture in Gaza's government, which is administered by Hamas. Abdullah later spoke out about the incident, saying that he holds the BBC responsible for his fate. Lineker (above), 64, was asked about his decision to join more than 500 media figures in a letter condemning the decision to withdraw the documentary. Speaking to Amol Rajan on BBC Radio 4's Today show, he said he would "100%" support the documentary being shown again. Lineker said: "I think you let people make their own minds up. We're adults. We're allowed to see things like that. It's incredibly moving." He added: "I think [the BBC] just capitulated to lobbying that they get a lot." READ MORE: Green MSP 'breached law' in attack on Supreme Court over sex ruling, top lawyers say Lineker said he does not see Abdullah as an issue, and maintained that the corporation should not have admitted to "a number of serious failings in their commissioning and editorial processes". The broadcaster was also questioned on his decision to post a tweet in March 2023 comparing the then Tory government's asylum policy with 1930s Germany. Lineker was briefly taken off air, and other sports journalists and presenters walked out in solidarity, before he returned to fronting Match Of The Day (MOTD). He is set to leave the BBC after fronting its coverage of the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The tweets sparked a row about BBC presenters expressing political views on social media, leading to enhanced rules for BBC flagship presenters, including a ban on making attacks on political parties. Asked about the rules, Lineker questioned why he had to be 'impartial', saying he was a 'freelancer', and the rules were for 'people in news and current affairs – they have subsequently changed'. READ MORE: UK Government panned over 'dangerous' migrant crime league table plans He added that this 'left me, who always gave these honest opinions about things', having to be impartial which, he said, 'didn't make any sense', and called it a freedom of speech issue. 'I think this is the mistake… the BBC tries to appease the people that hate the BBC, the people that always go on about the licence fee, attack the BBC. They worry way too much about that, rather than worry about the people that love the BBC, which is the vast majority,' he said. 'Why shouldn't I have an opinion on things? I'm a bloody footballer who's turned into a sports presenter.'
Telegraph
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
‘Arrogant' BBC bosses rejected anti-Semitism training for staff
Tim Davie, the BBC's director general, refused anti-Semitism training for the broadcaster, the Government's adviser on anti-Jewish hatred has revealed. Lord Mann, Sir Keir Starmer's independent adviser on anti-Semitism, said he had visited BBC bosses to offer training on three occasions since taking up his role in 2019. However, he said senior figures, including Mr Davie himself, turned down his repeated offers despite growing fears of an anti-Semitism problem at the BBC. In a strongly worded condemnation of the broadcaster, Lord Mann accused it of failing to take seriously allegations of anti-Semitism and alleged anti-Israel bias in its reporting, saying there was an 'arrogance at the top'. He called for senior executives of the news corporation to be sacked for signing off on a controversial documentary. Titled Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone, it attempted to tell the story of children living in the Gaza Strip during the war between Israel and Hamas. However, revelations that the narrator was the child of a Hamas government official in Gaza caused an uproar in February. Hamas – which is a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK – orchestrated and carried out the biggest atrocity against Jews since the Holocaust on October 7 2023. An internal BBC review found 'serious flaws' in the making of the documentary, which was pulled from iPlayer shortly after broadcast. Referring to the scandal, Lord Mann said: 'Heads should roll. And the heads that roll shouldn't just be the little heads. You know that's always the danger with organisations the size of the BBC. Oh hey, there's something wrong, let's get rid of a few of the people at the bottom. No, let's get rid of some at the top, would be my view. 'Someone at the top should carry the can. It's not acceptable and I've been in there several times, I've offered them training, they've never accepted it. I think there's often an arrogance there.' He told The Telegraph: 'Tim Davie and others who I've met, they've had those offers. And I challenge and question why they have not accepted it. More fool them. They haven't done. They should have done.' 'Heads must roll' Lord Mann said he would push the Government to establish a broader public inquiry if a senior figure did not take responsibility for failures over the documentary. He said: 'If heads don't roll there will be [an inquiry]. They won't be allowed to sweep it under the rug, by me and others. I will not be ignoring this. I will not be sweeping it under the carpet.' Lord Mann also claimed there was widespread 'ignorance' of anti-Semitism at the corporation. He said: 'I think they have got an ignorance. They have got, I think, particularly, a generational problem of people who really don't understand it. I think it's got a generation who haven't been challenged with that and haven't been educated.' His broadside follows a report by lawyer Trevor Asserson, published in September, which alleged that the BBC breached its own editorial guidelines more than 1,500 times during the height of the Israel-Hamas war. In its response to the Asserson report, the BBC said: 'We do not think that its methodology leads to reliable conclusions.' Danny Cohen, a former BBC executive, has said previously that there was an 'institutional crisis' at the corporation over 'consistent bias against Israel'. Samir Shah, the corporation's chairman, has described the scandal over the documentary as a 'dagger to the heart' of its credibility and called it 'a really, really bad moment'. Of the documentary, a BBC spokesman said: 'We take these issues incredibly seriously, which is why we have commissioned Peter Johnston [the BBC's director of editorial complaints] to lead a full fact-finding review. That work has commenced. It is vital that this work moves quickly, but it must also be thorough and get to the answers we are seeking.' Senior figures at the corporation have sought to shift blame onto Hoyo Films, the independent production company that made the documentary, for the embarrassment over the identity of the narrator. When questioned by MPs, Mr Davie said 'we were not told' by Hoyo about the family connection between the boy and Hamas. Responding to Lord Mann's allegations, a BBC spokesman said: 'As an organisation, the BBC stands united against any form of abuse, prejudice, or intolerance. The welfare of our staff is paramount, and as such we have strengthened the range of training and support available to all of the organisation's employees and communities in the past 18 months. 'We have well-established and robust processes in place to handle any issues, concerns or complaints raised with us.' The corporation is developing in-house anti-Semitism training and plans to roll this out more widely.
The Independent
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
RTS to present special honour for journalists in Gaza at its Programme Awards
Journalists covering the Gaza conflict will now be recognised at the Royal Television Society's Programme Awards, following an announcement that the presentation of the honour would be paused. 'The RTS will be making the Special Award for Journalists in Gaza at the Society's Programme Awards on March 25,' a spokesperson said on Tuesday. The award was due to be presented at the Television Journalism Awards on March 5, but 'it was felt strongly that there was potential at the ceremony on the night for the recent controversy around some Gaza coverage to overshadow the award', a spokesperson for the RTS said previously. Last week, current affairs veteran Jonathan Dimbleby, Channel 4 News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Sky News journalist Alex Crawford were among those who signed a letter expressing their 'shock and disgust' at RTS for not recognising the journalists of Gaza. It comes after the BBC apologised for and removed the documentary Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone from iPlayer, saying it had 'identified serious flaws' in the making of the programme. Channel 4 News admitted that the son of a Hamas official, who featured in the BBC Gaza programme, was briefly part of its daily coverage of the Israel-Hamas war. At the weekend, a spokesperson for RTS announced the society had met as part of a review process, following the decision to pause the presentation of the award, and added that the society would 'be making the special award' and 'discussing how this will take place'. The UK Screen Industry, which co-ordinated a letter signed by more than 300 media figures, said it welcomed the 'U-turn', but said the 'charity's statement does little to address or allay our concerns'. The BBC said it is 'seeking additional assurance' from production company Hoyo Films after it admitted 'they paid the boy's (Abdullah) mother, via his sister's bank account, a limited sum of money for the narration'. Other accusations have been made that parts of the documentary were mistranslated and more children who appeared in it were linked to proscribed terrorist organisation Hamas. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has accused the BBC of failing to show enough urgency in its review of the documentary. However, presenters Gary Lineker and Anita Rani, and actors Riz Ahmed and Miriam Margolyes, were among more than 500 media figures who condemned the withdrawal from iPlayer.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
BBC Axing One Of Its Longest-Running Shows But Ploughing More Money Into Scottish Drama
One of the BBC's longest-running shows is being axed in Scotland but nearly £100M ($130M) will be spent on drama in the nation over the next three years, an increase of around 25%. Soap River City, which has aired since 2002, will end next fall, the BBC has just announced, with actors union Equity and Directors UK reacting angrily to the news. More from Deadline Former Paramount Strategy Boss Heading To BBC BBC News Presenters Settle Three-Year Dispute Over "Sham" Hiring Process 'Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone' Gets Hundreds Of Complaints Amid BBC Investigation Into Hamas Links But with the criticism that canceling long-running shows attracts front and center of its mind, the corporation has already said that its investment in Scottish drama will rise to more than £95M cumulatively between 2026 and 2028, an average of at least £30M per year. A spokeswoman for BBC Scotland said this figure has been around the £25M mark for the past five years. BBC Scotland content boss Louise Thornton has already unveiled three new dramas: darkly comic thriller Grams from Line of Duty producer World Productions, The Young Team adapted from Scottish author Graeme Armstrong's debut novel and Counsels, which is being co-created by Skins creator Bryan Elsley. 'River City has been a wonderful adventure and of course we'll all be sad to see it go,' said BBC Scotland Director Hayley Valentine. 'The team have done a brilliant job and I know they have some big plans for the finale next year. But as viewing patterns change and competition intensifies, this is the right time to invest in the next generation of high-impact drama series from across Scotland showcasing storytelling across the UK.' Created by Stephen Greenhorn and produced by BBC Studios, Scottish soap River City has aired since 2002 and is set in the West End of Glasgow, following a cast of entertaining characters and winning a wealth of awards down the years. 'A disaster for Scottish television' The move to axe River City follows recent cancelations of long-running BBC dramas Holby City and Doctors, both of which attracted criticism. Regardless of the BBC's rising Scottish drama spend, Equity and Directors UK reacted immediately with annoyance. Equity General Secretary Paul Fleming called the cancelation 'short sighted' and 'a disaster for Scottish television.' 'Axing River City would have a devastating effect on acting and production roles for Scottish talent,' he said. 'There is simply no equivalent to a regular soap for getting your foot in the door of this notoriously cutthroat industry, especially for the many aspiring actors from working class backgrounds. The regular opportunities and wages simply do not exist in other show formats.' Directors UK boss Andy Harrower said the move is a 'killer blow to our members based in Scotland for whom the last couple of years have been really challenging in terms of having enough work to sustain a living.' 'The BBC has indicated that the money saved will be reallocated to other Scottish production,' he added. 'This must happen, and it must translate into work opportunities for Scottish talent. We will hold the BBC to account on this.' Scottish TV production has been in the spotlight of late over The Traitors, after the BBC and producer Studio Lambert were accused of painting a 'truly shocking picture' when it comes to the number of people working on the show who are based in Scotland. The accusation from a local director sparked a major debate. Best of Deadline Epic Universe: The Latest Images Of The New Universal Orlando Theme Park Which Colleen Hoover Books Are Becoming Movies? 'Verity,' 'Reminders Of Him' & 'Regretting You' Will Join 'It Ends With Us' The 25 Highest-Grossing Animated Films Of All Time At The Box Office
