BBC Gaza Programme Considered a 'Serious' Breach of Media Regulations, Declares Ofcom
The BBC engaged in a "serious breach" of broadcasting rules by omitting to mention that the presenter of a programme about the Gaza conflict was the son of a Hamas representative, as ruled by British broadcasting authority Ofcom.
An inquiry by the media regulator into Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone has determined that the programme was "substantially inaccurate".
The chief executive of the broadcaster had already issued an apology, stating there had been "a major oversight in relation to truthfulness".
The authority has directed the broadcaster to transmit a evening declaration about its conclusions.
"As this represents a significant violation of our regulations, we are directing the BBC to air a statement of our findings against it on BBC2 at 9pm, with a timing to be confirmed," the regulator stated.
'Risk to Erode Credibility'
The regulator's statement stated: "Our investigation concluded that the film's failure to disclose that the voice's parent held a position in the Hamas-run authority was substantially inaccurate.
"It meant that the public did not have critical information which may have been highly relevant to their assessment of the voice and the content he provided.
"Trust is at the heart of the connection between a broadcaster and its audience, particularly for a public service broadcaster such as the British Broadcasting Corporation.
"This oversight had the potential to damage the significantly high degrees of credibility that viewers would have invested in a factual film from the broadcaster about the Israel-Gaza war."
The film was removed from the online platform in the month of February after the narrator's personal associations were revealed, and in July an corporation's own inquiry found it violated the organization's editorial guidelines on truthfulness.
A representative for the broadcaster commented: "The authority's determination is in line with the results of Peter Johnston's review, that there was a significant failing in the programme in relation to the BBC's Editorial Guidelines on factual correctness, which corresponds to clause 2.2 of Ofcom's Broadcasting Code.
"We have apologised for this and we agree with the regulator's ruling in complete. We will follow the directive as soon as the schedule and wording are determined."
