BBC Gaza Film Considered a 'Serious' Violation of Media Standards, States Ofcom
The British broadcaster engaged in a "significant breach" of media regulations by failing to disclose that the presenter of a programme about Gaza was the offspring of a Hamas official, as determined by regulatory body Ofcom.
An investigation by the media regulator into Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone has determined that the documentary was "substantially inaccurate".
The BBC's director general had previously apologised, stating there had been "a significant failing in relation to accuracy".
The authority has instructed the corporation to air a peak-time statement about its findings.
"As this represents a significant violation of our code, we are ordering the broadcaster to transmit a message of our determinations against it on BBC Two at 21:00, with a timing to be finalised," it said.
'Possibility to Damage Trust'
The regulator's report stated: "The inquiry we conducted concluded that the programme's lack of disclosure that the presenter's parent held a post in the Hamas-administered administration was substantially inaccurate.
"This implied that the viewers did not have critical information which may have been very significant to their assessment of the narrator and the content he provided.
"Confidence is at the center of the bond between a media organization and its audience, particularly for a state-funded media outlet such as the BBC.
"This failing had the potential to damage the very considerable amounts of confidence that the public would have invested in a factual film from the broadcaster about the Gaza conflict."
The film was removed from the BBC's streaming service in last February after the presenter's personal associations came to light, and in the month of July an corporation's own inquiry found it breached the organization's content policies on factual correctness.
A BBC spokesperson said: "The authority's determination is in agreement with the findings of the internal assessment, that there was a significant failing in the documentary in relation to the broadcaster's journalistic policies on factual correctness, which aligns with Rule 2.2 of the authority's broadcasting regulations.
"We expressed regret for this and we agree with the authority's determination in its entirety. We will follow the sanction as soon as the timing and language are determined."
