A REVIEW into a BBC Gaza documentary could provide bosses with “cover” to continue “steering clear” of investigative journalism on Palestine, a media expert has claimed.
The BBC was found to have breached one of its editorial guidelines on accuracy after it failed to disclose that the narrator in the axed documentary Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone was the son of a Hamas official.
However, the review crucially stated on page one there was nothing “in the narrator’s scripted contribution to the programme that breached the BBC’s standards on due impartiality” while it added there was no evidence “to support a suggestion that the narrator’s father or family influenced the content of the programme”.
Professor Des Freedman, who works in the media department at Goldsmiths, University of London, said these points have not been widely focused on by the mainstream media, with most headlines homing in on the single accuracy breach.
And he fears the review and the way in which the breach has been reported on will now give the BBC "cover" to make more “cowardly decisions” on Gaza coverage.
“I think it provides BBC executives, who have already made some cowardly decisions such as decided to drop the Doctors Under Attack documentary, with cover to say that actually doing this kind of work in Gaza is too complicated,” he told The National.
“They will do this in the light of the fact they know there will be pressure placed on them.
“The best way of responding to that pressure is not to give in, because that pressure will still come. It’s actually to make sure you commission serious, high-quality current affairs programmes and documentaries that assess what’s going on.
“My worry is they are going to interpret this as yet another reason to steer clear [of investigative Gaza coverage].”
Freedman (below) added he has concerns over the review branding the documentary a “higher-risk project” which might require more intense oversight, such as “embedding a BBC executive into the independent production company”.
“Surely the risk would be not to report it.
“I find it worrying it’s put into that category of higher risk with more editorial intervention by people who have already demonstrated that they are not willing to sanction impartial reporting of the attacks on Gaza.”
While the review was going on, the BBC axed the Basement Films documentary Gaza: Doctors Under Attack following concerns that it would “not meet the high standards” of impartiality – a move that was widely criticised especially after it was broadcast by Channel 4 with no formal concerns raised.
Ofcom boss Melanie Dawes said at the weekend that failings on Israel-Palestine coverage present a "real risk" for the BBC. She said it had been guilty of “own goals” in its reporting and declined to give executives her support.
Upon discovering the Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone narrator, Abdullah, was the son of Ayman Alyazouri, who has worked as deputy minister of agriculture in Gaza’s government, the BBC removed the documentary from iPlayer.
In an email to staff – shared on social media by Basement Films – BBC News CEO Deborah Turness said the BBC would not reinstate the documentary in full but would explore re-editing some of the material.
Freedman insisted the documentary must be reinstated in full as he warned that “breaking it up into morsels” could create even more problems for the BBC.
“They should reinstate the programme onto iPlayer as soon as possible in full, making clear what has happened and allow viewers to make their own minds up,” he said.
“A breach of accuracy does not mean in itself that that programme cannot continue on iPlayer.
“I think the BBC have acknowledged this because Deborah Turness has suggested that the programme could in parts be reintroduced to iPlayer. That’s such a typically cowardly way of doing things.
“There is an appetite for this type of content, a comprehensive report has found in terms of programme content, it was pretty much flawless […] so there is no objective reason why the programme shouldn’t be put back up there.”
He added: “The idea you can break this up into morsels is exactly what we don’t need. We need proper investigative reporting of what’s been going on [in Gaza]."
Ex-BBC journalist Karishma Patel also said there was "no editorial reason" for the BBC not to put the programme back on iPlayer with details of the narrator's background outlined.
She said: "The one breach of BBC editorial policy can easily be resolved by signposting the relevant context in the film, alongside a proper explanation of how ministerial roles operate in Gaza.
"I see no editorial reason why the BBC should not air and upload this amended version of the film - an important piece of public service journalism - to BBC iPlayer.
"But there is a broader conversation to be had here – if the BBC is serious about signposting the relevant connections of every contributor, why not tell us when an interviewee has served in the Israeli military?
"If the BBC is serious about including all relevant context in its news coverage, why not highlight the ICC arrest warrant out for Benjamin Netanyahu whenever he's mentioned?
"The inconsistency in how these rules are applied, especially around Gaza, is distorting reality and misleading audiences."
When approached for comment, the BBC directed The National to a statement from Turness which said: “At the heart of this programme were powerful and important stories that need to be told. But it’s clear that in this programme we made a significant mistake.
"This is why we have drawn up a robust action plan to make sure all of Peter Johnston’s recommendations are implemented.
"Our audiences deserve the highest possible standards of accuracy from the BBC, and we are strengthening our editorial oversight to ensure that we deliver this for them.
"We remain committed to reporting from Gaza, despite the fact that international journalists are not allowed in."
