Latest news with #Gaza:MedicsUnderFire
The Age
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
BBC faces MasterChef UK scandal as regulator flags Gaza doco probe
Earlier this year, UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy questioned why no one at the BBC had lost their job over the program's airing. The broadcaster's director-general, Tim Davie, had told lawmakers that the BBC received hundreds of complaints alleging that the documentary was biased against Israel – as well as hundreds more criticising the program's removal from its streaming service. Directors Ken Loach and Mike Leigh and actor Riz Ahmed were among 500 media figures who signed a letter published by Artists for Palestine UK saying a 'political' campaign to discredit the program risked dehumanising Palestinian voices in the media. BBC director-general Tim Davie is fighting criticism of the broadcaster on several fronts. Credit: AP Davie said that the report identified 'a significant failing' in relation to accuracy in the documentary. Hoyo Films apologised for the mistake. Both firms said they would prevent similar errors in the future. Separately, more than 100 BBC journalists wrote a letter to Davie earlier this month criticising the broadcaster's decision not to air another documentary, Gaza: Medics Under Fire . They expressed concerns it wasn't reporting ''without fear or favour' when it comes to Israel'. The decision suggested that the BBC was an 'organisation that is crippled by the fear of being perceived as critical of the Israeli government', that letter said. The BBC has been under intense scrutiny for its coverage touching on the war in Gaza. Last month, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and others condemned the broadcaster for livestreaming a performance by rap punk duo Bob Vylan, who led crowds at Glastonbury Festival in chanting 'death' to the Israeli military. The Israel-Hamas war started after the militant group led an attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1200 people and taking 251 hostage. Most of the hostages have been released in earlier ceasefires. Israel's offensive in Gaza has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry, under Gaza's Hamas-run government, doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count. The UN and other international organisations see its figures as the most reliable statistics on war casualties. MasterChef report lands The BBC said on Monday it will no longer work with MasterChef host Gregg Wallace after a report found that dozens of misconduct allegations made against the hit cooking show presenter were upheld. The report, led by a law firm, said 45 out of the 83 allegations made against Wallace during his time on the show between 2005 and 2018 were substantiated. It said the majority of the claims related to 'inappropriate sexual language and humour', with a smaller number of allegations about Wallace 'being in a state of undress' and one incident of unwelcome physical contact. Wallace, 60, stepped away from hosting the hit BBC reality show, which is made by an independent production company, last year while an investigation was launched into allegations by multiple women that he made inappropriate sexual comments and behaved inappropriately over almost two decades. Gregg Wallace (right) with MasterChef UK co-host John Torode. The BBC has come under pressure over how it handles sexual misconduct allegations and how Wallace had continued to front some of its most popular shows for so long despite the complaints. The broadcaster issued a statement of apology, adding Wallace's 'return to MasterChef is untenable'. 'The BBC has informed Mr Wallace we have no plans to work with him in future,' it said. 'Although the full extent of these issues were not known at the relevant time, opportunities were missed to address this behaviour, both by the production companies running MasterChef and the BBC.' The broadcaster previously said that Wallace was warned by his employers after a complaint in 2018, and an internal investigation at the time found his behaviour was 'unacceptable and unprofessional'. The latest investigation found that there was little or no formal training or clear escalation procedures in place for staff – many of those working on the show were freelancers – leading to underreporting and normalisation of inappropriate behaviour. Loading Wallace has strongly denied the claims, and previously stated that he will not be 'cancelled for convenience'. He said in a statement Monday that he was 'deeply sorry for any distress' his behaviour caused, though he maintained that none of the most serious allegations against him were upheld. 'Some of my humour and language missed the mark. I never set out to harm or humiliate,' he said. In December, he drew an angry backlash after he alleged that complaints about his behaviour came from 'a handful of middle-class women of a certain age'. MasterChef is one of the BBC's most popular and long-running competition shows, spawning numerous spin-offs and adaptations in other countries, including MasterChef Australia. Caroline Dinenage, who chairs parliament's culture, media and sport committee, said there was still a long way to go to tackle inappropriate behaviour in the creative industry when complainants still find it easier to take their allegations to the press rather than use internal processes. Downing Street said it welcomed the BBC severing its ties with Wallace. 'We're clear that appropriate steps must be taken to ensure abuses of power are prevented from happening in the future,' a spokesman said.
The Mainichi
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Mainichi
BBC Gaza documentary narrated by Hamas official's son breached editorial guidelines, review says
LONDON (AP) -- Britain's media regulator said Monday it will investigate a BBC documentary about children's lives in Gaza, after a review concluded that the narrator's father has Hamas links and the program therefore breached editorial guidelines on accuracy. The broadcaster removed the program, "Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone," from its streaming service in February after it emerged that the 13-year-old narrator, Abdullah, is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, who has worked as Hamas's deputy minister of agriculture. Ofcom, the media regulator, said that it was launching an investigation under rules that state factual programs must not materially mislead the audience. That came after a review by the broadcaster found that the independent production company that made the program didn't share the background information regarding the narrator's father with the BBC. It said that the production company, Hoyo Films, bears most responsibility for the failure, though it didn't "intentionally" mislead the BBC. The review, conducted by the corporation's director of editorial complaints, found no other breaches of editorial guidelines, including impartiality. There was no evidence of "outside interests" impacting on the program, it said. Earlier this year, U.K. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy questioned why no one at the BBC had lost their job over the program's airing. The broadcaster's Director-General Tim Davie had told lawmakers that the BBC received hundreds of complaints alleging that the documentary was biased against Israel -- as well as hundreds more criticizing the program's removal from its streaming service. Directors Ken Loach and Mike Leigh and actor Riz Ahmed were among 500 media figures who signed a letter published by Artists for Palestine UK saying a "political" campaign to discredit the program risked dehumanizing Palestinian voices in the media. Davie said that the report identified "a significant failing" in relation to accuracy in the documentary. Hoyo Films apologized for the mistake. Both firms said they would prevent similar errors in the future. Separately, more than 100 BBC journalists wrote a letter to Davie earlier this month criticizing its decision not to air another documentary, "Gaza: Medics Under Fire." They expressed concerns that the broadcaster wasn't reporting "'without fear or favor' when it comes to Israel." The decision suggested that the BBC was an "organization that is crippled by the fear of being perceived as critical of the Israeli government," that letter said. The BBC has been under intense scrutiny for its coverage touching on the war in Gaza. Last month, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and others condemned the broadcaster for livestreaming a performance by rap punk duo Bob Vylan, who led crowds at Glastonbury Festival in chanting "death" to the Israeli military. The Israel-Hamas war started after the militant group led an attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage. Most of the hostages have been released in earlier ceasefires. Israel's offensive in Gaza has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry, under Gaza's Hamas-run government, doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count. The U.N. and other international organizations see its figures as the most reliable statistics on war casualties.
The Hindu
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
BBC Gaza documentary narrated by Hamas official's son breached editorial guidelines, review says
Britain's media regulator said Monday (July 14, 2025) it will investigate a BBC documentary about children's lives in Gaza, after a review concluded that the narrator's father has Hamas links and the programme therefore breached editorial guidelines on accuracy. The broadcaster removed the programme, 'Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone,' from its streaming service in February after it emerged that the 13-year-old narrator, Abdullah, is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, who has worked as Hamas's deputy minister of agriculture. Ofcom, the media regulator, said that it was launching an investigation under rules that state factual programmes must not materially mislead the audience. That came after a review by the broadcaster found that the independent production company that made the programme didn't share the background information regarding the narrator's father with the BBC. It said that the production company, Hoyo Films, bears most responsibility for the failure, though it didn't 'intentionally' mislead the BBC. The review, conducted by the corporation's director of editorial complaints, found no other breaches of editorial guidelines, including impartiality. There was no evidence of 'outside interests' impacting on the programme, it said. Earlier this year, U.K. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy questioned why no one at the BBC had lost their job over the programme's airing. The broadcaster's Director-General Tim Davie had told lawmakers that the BBC received hundreds of complaints alleging that the documentary was biased against Israel — as well as hundreds more criticising the programme's removal from its streaming service. Directors Ken Loach and Mike Leigh and actor Riz Ahmed were among 500 media figures who signed a letter published by Artists for Palestine U.K. saying a 'political' campaign to discredit the program risked dehumanizing Palestinian voices in the media. Davie said that the report identified 'a significant failing' in relation to accuracy in the documentary. Hoyo Films apologized for the mistake. Both firms said they would prevent similar errors in the future. Separately, more than 100 BBC journalists wrote a letter to Davie earlier this month criticizing its decision not to air another documentary, 'Gaza: Medics Under Fire." They expressed concerns that the broadcaster wasn't reporting ''without fear or favour' when it comes to Israel." The decision suggested that the BBC was an 'organization that is crippled by the fear of being perceived as critical of the Israeli government,' that letter said. The BBC has been under intense scrutiny for its coverage touching on the war in Gaza. Last month, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and others condemned the broadcaster for livestreaming a performance by rap punk duo Bob Vylan, who led crowds at Glastonbury Festival in chanting 'death' to the Israeli military. The Israel-Hamas war started after the militant group led an attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage. Most of the hostages have been released in earlier ceasefires. Israel's offensive in Gaza has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry, under Gaza's Hamas-run government, doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count. The UN and other international organisations see its figures as the most reliable statistics on war casualties.
Hindustan Times
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
A review finds a BBC Gaza documentary breached editorial guidelines
LONDON — A BBC documentary about children's lives in Gaza breached editorial guidelines on accuracy because it failed to disclose that the program was narrated by the son of a Hamas official, according to a report published Monday. A review finds a BBC Gaza documentary breached editorial guidelines The broadcaster removed the program, 'Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone,' from its streaming service in February after it emerged that the 13-year-old narrator, Abdullah, is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, who has worked as Hamas's deputy minister of agriculture. A review found that the independent production company that made the program did not share the background information regarding the narrator's father with the BBC. It said that the production company, Hoyo Films, bears most responsibility for the failure, though it did not 'intentionally' mislead the BBC. The review, conducted by the corporation's director of editorial complaints and reviews, found no other breaches of editorial guidelines, including impartiality. There was no evidence of 'outside interests' impacting on the program, it said. Earlier this year, Britain's Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy questioned why no one at the BBC had lost their job over the program's airing. The broadcaster's Director-General Tim Davie had told lawmakers that the BBC received hundreds of complaints alleging that the documentary was biased against Israel, as well as hundreds more criticizing the program's removal from its streaming service. Davie said Monday that the report identified 'a significant failing' in relation to accuracy in the documentary. Hoyo Films apologized for the mistake. Both firms said they would prevent similar errors in the future. Separately, more than 100 BBC journalists wrote a letter to Davie earlier this month criticizing its decision not to air another documentary, 'Gaza: Medics Under Fire." They expressed concerns that the broadcaster was not reporting ''without fear or favour' when it comes to Israel." The decision suggested that the BBC was an 'organization that is crippled by the fear of being perceived as critical of the Israeli government,' that letter said. The BBC has been under intense scrutiny for its coverage touching on the war in Gaza. Last month, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and others condemned the corporation for livestreaming a performance by rap punk duo Bob Vylan, who led crowds at Glastonbury Festival in chanting 'death' to the Israeli military. The 21-month Israel-Hamas war started after the militant group attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage. Most of the hostages have been released in earlier ceasefires. Israel's offensive in Gaza has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry, under Gaza's Hamas-run government, doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count. The U.N. and other international organizations see its figures as the most reliable statistics on war casualties. Follow 's war coverage at /hub/israel-hamas-war This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A review finds a BBC Gaza documentary breached editorial guidelines
LONDON (AP) — A BBC documentary about children's lives in Gaza breached editorial guidelines on accuracy because it failed to disclose that the program was narrated by the son of a Hamas official, according to a report published Monday. The broadcaster removed the program, 'Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone,' from its streaming service in February after it emerged that the 13-year-old narrator, Abdullah, is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, who has worked as Hamas's deputy minister of agriculture. A review found that the independent production company that made the program did not share the background information regarding the narrator's father with the BBC. It said that the production company, Hoyo Films, bears most responsibility for the failure, though it did not 'intentionally' mislead the BBC. The review, conducted by the corporation's director of editorial complaints and reviews, found no other breaches of editorial guidelines, including impartiality. There was no evidence of 'outside interests' impacting on the program, it said. Earlier this year, Britain's Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy questioned why no one at the BBC had lost their job over the program's airing. The broadcaster's Director-General Tim Davie had told lawmakers that the BBC received hundreds of complaints alleging that the documentary was biased against Israel, as well as hundreds more criticizing the program's removal from its streaming service. Davie said Monday that the report identified 'a significant failing' in relation to accuracy in the documentary. Hoyo Films apologized for the mistake. Both firms said they would prevent similar errors in the future. Separately, more than 100 BBC journalists wrote a letter to Davie earlier this month criticizing its decision not to air another documentary, 'Gaza: Medics Under Fire." They expressed concerns that the broadcaster was not reporting ''without fear or favour' when it comes to Israel." The decision suggested that the BBC was an 'organization that is crippled by the fear of being perceived as critical of the Israeli government,' that letter said. The BBC has been under intense scrutiny for its coverage touching on the war in Gaza. Last month, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and others condemned the corporation for livestreaming a performance by rap punk duo Bob Vylan, who led crowds at Glastonbury Festival in chanting 'death' to the Israeli military. The 21-month Israel-Hamas war started after the militant group attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage. Most of the hostages have been released in earlier ceasefires. Israel's offensive in Gaza has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry, under Gaza's Hamas-run government, doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count. The U.N. and other international organizations see its figures as the most reliable statistics on war casualties. ___ Follow AP's war coverage at
