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2w ago

Ofcom Orders BBC to Air Prime-Time Statement Over ‘Materially Misleading’ Gaza Documentary

The regulator’s sanction underscores concerns about audience trust in the BBC’s war reporting.

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Jewish activist group Campaign Against Antisemitism organized a demonstration against the BBC in response to its documentary "Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone." Protesters accused the BBC of producing "Hamas propaganda" after reports emerged that a senior Hamas minister, whose son appeared in the film, was paid by the broadcaster. Following the backlash, the BBC withdrew the documentary from distribution. (Lab Ky Mo/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
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The UK media watchdog Ofcom has sanctioned the BBC over 'unacceptable flaws' in a documentary about the Gaza war

Overview

  • Ofcom ruled that Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone committed a serious breach by not disclosing that its 13-year-old narrator was the son of a Hamas official.
  • The BBC must broadcast a statement of Ofcom’s findings on BBC Two at 9 p.m., with the date to be confirmed once wording is agreed.
  • The BBC accepted the decision, apologized, and said it will comply, pointing to new safeguards on vetting narrators and oversight of high-risk documentaries.
  • An earlier BBC review found three Hoyo Films staff knew of the family link while BBC staff did not, assigned most responsibility to the producer, and found no evidence the family influenced the film’s content.
  • The documentary was pulled from iPlayer in February, and Ofcom said the omission risked eroding the trust expected of a public service broadcaster covering the Israel–Gaza war.