BBC Gaza Film Considered a 'Major' Infringement of Broadcasting Standards, Says UK Media Regulator
The public service broadcaster was found to have committed a "major breach" of media regulations by omitting to mention that the presenter of a programme about Gaza was the child of a Hamas administrator, according to regulatory body Ofcom.
An probe by the media regulator into Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone has found that the documentary was "significantly deceptive".
The chief executive of the broadcaster had previously apologised, stating there had been "a significant failing in relation to truthfulness".
The authority has ordered the corporation to transmit a evening declaration about its findings.
"As this represents a significant violation of our regulations, we are directing the broadcaster to air a announcement of our findings against it on BBC Two at nine o'clock in the evening, with a date to be determined," it said.
'Risk to Damage Credibility'
The watchdog's statement stated: "The inquiry we conducted found that the film's lack of disclosure that the narrator's parent served in a post in the Hamas-administered authority was significantly deceptive.
"It meant that the viewers did not have essential details which may have been very significant to their assessment of the voice and the information he shared.
"Trust is at the center of the bond between a media organization and its viewers, especially for a public service broadcaster such as the public broadcaster.
"This failing had the potential to damage the very considerable degrees of trust that viewers would have invested in a BBC factual programme about the Gaza conflict."
The programme was withdrawn from the BBC's streaming service in the month of February after the presenter's family links came to light, and in this past July an internal BBC review found it violated the corporation's content policies on truthfulness.
A BBC spokesperson said: "The regulator's decision is in line with the results of Peter Johnston's review, that there was a serious error in the documentary in relation to the BBC's Editorial Guidelines on factual correctness, which reflects regulation 2.2 of the regulator's media standards.
"We expressed regret for this and we agree with Ofcom's decision in full. We will comply with the directive as soon as the timing and wording are confirmed."
