BBC Gaza Documentary Considered a 'Significant' Breach of Media Rules, Says Broadcasting Watchdog
The public service broadcaster engaged in a "significant breach" of broadcasting rules by failing to disclose that the voice of a documentary about the Gaza conflict was the son of a Hamas official, as determined by UK media regulator Ofcom.
An inquiry by the media regulator into the documentary titled Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone has determined that the film was "significantly deceptive".
The head of the BBC had earlier expressed regret, stating there had been "a significant failing in relation to truthfulness".
Ofcom has ordered the BBC to air a prime-time statement about its findings.
"Given this constitutes a significant violation of our code, we are directing the corporation to air a message of our conclusions against it on BBC Two at nine o'clock in the evening, with a schedule to be confirmed," the regulator stated.
'Potential to Erode Confidence'
The watchdog's report stated: "Our investigation determined that the documentary's omission to reveal that the voice's father served in a position in the Hamas-controlled administration was materially misleading.
"Consequently that the public did not have vital facts which may have been extremely pertinent to their evaluation of the voice and the information he shared.
"Trust is at the core of the bond between a media organization and its audience, particularly for a public service broadcaster such as the public broadcaster.
"This oversight had the possibility to undermine the exceptionally strong levels of credibility that viewers would have invested in a BBC factual programme about the Israel-Gaza war."
The documentary was removed from iPlayer in the month of February after the presenter's familial connections were revealed, and in this past July an corporation's own inquiry found it violated the corporation's journalistic standards on accuracy.
A representative for the broadcaster stated: "The regulator's decision is in agreement with the conclusions of the corporation's inquiry, that there was a significant failing in the programme in relation to the corporation's content standards on accuracy, which aligns with clause 2.2 of Ofcom's Broadcasting Code.
"We have apologised for this and we comply with the authority's determination in full. We will adhere to the sanction as soon as the timing and language are determined."
