BBC Gaza Documentary Deemed a 'Significant' Breach of Media Regulations, Declares Broadcasting Watchdog
The British broadcaster was found to have committed a "major breach" of media regulations by not revealing that the presenter of a film about Gaza was the offspring of a Hamas representative, as determined by regulatory body Ofcom.
An investigation by Ofcom into the documentary titled Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone has concluded that the documentary was "materially misleading".
The chief executive of the broadcaster had previously apologised, noting there had been "a serious error in relation to accuracy".
The regulator has ordered the BBC to broadcast a prime-time declaration about its findings.
"Since this amounts to a significant violation of our rules, we are ordering the broadcaster to air a message of our determinations against it on the BBC's second channel at 9pm, with a schedule to be finalised," the regulator stated.
'Potential to Erode Trust'
The regulator's announcement declared: "The inquiry we conducted determined that the film's failure to disclose that the presenter's parent occupied a post in the Hamas-administered administration was significantly deceptive.
"Consequently that the viewers did not have vital facts which may have been highly relevant to their evaluation of the voice and the information he shared.
"Credibility is at the center of the bond between a broadcaster and its viewers, particularly for a state-funded media outlet such as the British Broadcasting Corporation.
"This oversight had the potential to damage the very considerable levels of confidence that the public would have placed in a factual film from the broadcaster about the conflict in Gaza."
The programme was withdrawn from the online platform in last February after the presenter's family links were revealed, and in July an corporation's own inquiry determined it infringed the organization's content policies on accuracy.
A representative for the broadcaster stated: "The regulator's decision is in accordance with the findings of the internal assessment, that there was a major oversight 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 expressed regret for this and we accept the authority's determination in full. We will follow the directive as soon as the timing and wording are determined."
