BBC Gaza Film Ruled a 'Major' Breach of Broadcasting Regulations, Says Broadcasting Watchdog
The BBC was found to have committed a "serious breach" of broadcasting rules by omitting to mention that the narrator of a film about the Gaza conflict was the offspring of a Hamas representative, according to regulatory body Ofcom.
An probe by the broadcasting watchdog into Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone has found that the film was "significantly deceptive".
The head of the BBC had previously apologised, stating there had been "a major oversight in relation to accuracy".
Ofcom has instructed the BBC to air a peak-time declaration about its findings.
"Since this amounts to a significant violation of our code, we are directing the BBC to air a announcement of our findings against it on the BBC's second channel at 9pm, with a timing to be finalised," the statement read.
'Potential to Undermine Credibility'
The watchdog's report said: "The inquiry we conducted found that the programme's omission to reveal that the voice's father occupied a post in the Hamas-administered government was significantly deceptive.
"Consequently that the audience did not have critical information which may have been highly relevant to their judgment of the narrator and the information he presented.
"Trust is at the center of the bond between a media organization and its viewers, notably for a state-funded media outlet such as the British Broadcasting Corporation.
"This oversight had the risk to erode the very considerable amounts of credibility that the public would have placed in a BBC factual programme about the conflict in Gaza."
The film was withdrawn from the BBC's streaming service in February after the boy's personal associations emerged, and in July an broadcaster's internal assessment found it breached the organization's journalistic standards on truthfulness.
A BBC spokesperson commented: "The Ofcom ruling is in accordance with the conclusions of Peter Johnston's review, that there was a significant failing in the documentary in relation to the broadcaster's journalistic policies on accuracy, which reflects regulation 2.2 of the regulator's media standards.
"We issued an apology for this and we agree with Ofcom's decision in full. We will comply with the sanction as soon as the schedule and wording are confirmed."
