Producer of Gaza documentary slams BBC for rejecting film following Bafta win
After a historic win at the Bafta TV Awards, the team behind Gaza: Doctors Under Attack condemned the BBC for refusing to air the film.
The documentary won the Bafta in the ‘Current Affairs’ category. It was originally commissioned by the BBC more than a year ago; however, they later decided against airing the film, allowing for Channel 4 to pick it up.
When the BBC chose not to show Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, a spokesperson explained, “We have come to the conclusion that broadcasting this material risked creating a perception of partiality that would not meet the high standards that the public rightly expect of the BBC.”
They added, “Impartiality is a core principle of BBC News. It is one of the reasons that we are the world’s most trusted broadcaster.”
The BBC made the call not to air the film amid a review into another documentary on Gaza it had aired, titled Gaza: How To Survive a War Zone.
As the Bafta TV Awards aired on the BBC, albeit with a two-hour delay, Gaza: Doctors Under Attack executive producer Ben de Pear dared the broadcaster to include his speech, stating, “Finally, just a question for the BBC: Given you dropped our film, will you drop us from the Bafta screening later tonight?”
Journalist Ramita Navai, who is also part of the Gaza: Doctors Under Attack team, similarly attacked the BBC for refusing to air the film, noting, “These are the findings of our investigation that the BBC paid for but refused to show.”
She then thanked Channel 4 for showing support for the documentary and ensuring it got seen by the general public, adding, “But we refuse to be silenced and censored. We thank Channel 4 for showing this film.”
According to The Telegraph, the BBC aired an edited version of Navai’s speech in the broadcast, which omitted her claims that Israel is responsible for the deaths of 1,700 Palestinian doctors and healthcare workers, as well as stating that 400 more people have been imprisoned.
The newspaper also reports that De Pear said backstage of the BBC’s decision not to air the documentary last year, “The commissioners at the BBC had a problem engaging with the material. There wasn’t a single complaint [from viewers], there wasn’t a single factual inaccuracy in the film. We have had nothing but praise.”
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