BBC Gaza Programme Considered a 'Significant' Infringement of Media Rules, Declares Broadcasting Watchdog

The British broadcaster engaged in a "significant breach" of media regulations by omitting to mention that the narrator of a film about the Gaza conflict was the child of a Hamas representative, as determined by British broadcasting authority Ofcom.

An investigation by the broadcasting watchdog into Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone has concluded that the film was "significantly deceptive".

The head of the BBC had previously apologised, noting there had been "a significant failing in relation to truthfulness".

The regulator has instructed the BBC to broadcast a peak-time declaration about its decisions.

"As this represents a serious breach of our code, we are ordering the broadcaster to air a message of our findings against it on BBC2 at 21:00, with a date to be finalised," it said.

'Potential to Undermine Confidence'

The authority's announcement stated: "Our probe determined that the documentary's lack of disclosure that the voice's male guardian occupied a position in the Hamas-run government was substantially inaccurate.

"Consequently that the viewers did not have vital facts which may have been very significant to their evaluation of the narrator and the details he provided.

"Confidence is at the center of the relationship between a media organization and its public, particularly for a public service broadcaster such as the public broadcaster.

"This oversight had the risk to damage the exceptionally strong amounts of credibility that viewers would have put in a factual film from the broadcaster about the Gaza conflict."

The film was removed from the BBC's streaming service in February after the boy's familial connections were revealed, and in July an corporation's own inquiry concluded it violated the organization's editorial guidelines on accuracy.

A representative for the broadcaster said: "The authority's determination is in line with the results of the internal assessment, that there was a significant failing in the film in relation to the corporation's content standards on truthfulness, which aligns with Rule 2.2 of the regulator's media standards.

"We have apologised for this and we accept the authority's determination in full. We will comply with the sanction as soon as the timing and wording are finalised."