BBC admits paying family of senior Hamas official in making of Gaza documentary
THE BBC has admitted to paying the family of a senior Hamas official in the making of its Gaza documentary.
Apologising for “serious flaws” in the making of the film about children’s lives in Gaza, a spokesperson said it has no plans to broadcast it again in its current form or return it to iPlayer.
Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone was removed from the streaming platform while the BBC carried out “further due diligence” after discovering its 13-year-old narrator was the son of the Deputy Agriculture Minister in the Hamas Government.
The BBC said it attempted to find out from Hoyo films if the family had any Hamas connections but since transmission the production company has come clean.
A spokesperson said: “It was...the BBC’s own failing that we did not uncover that fact and the documentary was aired.”
Now the BBC has said it takes “full responsibility” for the “serious flaws” involved in the making of the programme and for “damaging” trust in its journalism.
Peter Johnston, the Director of Editorial Complaints and Reviews, will carry out an independent review into why the film was allowed to air in the first place.
A BBC Board spokesperson said after a meeting yesterday: “While the Board appreciates that mistakes can be made, the mistakes here are significant and damaging to the BBC.”
Gary Lineker, Anita Rani, Riz Ahmed and Miriam Margolyes were among more than 500 media figures who criticised the decision to pull the documentary.
