BBC Gaza Programme Considered a 'Major' Infringement of Broadcasting Regulations, States UK Media Regulator

The BBC was found to have committed a "serious breach" of broadcasting rules by omitting to mention that the presenter of a documentary about the Gaza conflict was the offspring of a Hamas official, according to UK media regulator Ofcom.

An probe by the media regulator into the documentary titled Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone has determined that the film was "significantly deceptive".

The chief executive of the broadcaster had earlier expressed regret, noting there had been "a serious error in relation to truthfulness".

Ofcom has ordered the corporation to air a peak-time declaration about its findings.

"As this represents a major infringement of our regulations, we are instructing the corporation to air a announcement of our determinations against it on BBC Two at 9pm, with a date to be confirmed," the regulator stated.

'Possibility to Damage Credibility'

The authority's statement declared: "Our probe concluded that the film's failure to disclose that the voice's father served in a role in the Hamas-controlled authority was significantly deceptive.

"It meant that the viewers did not have essential details which may have been very significant to their judgment of the voice and the content he provided.

"Trust is at the core of the connection between a broadcaster and its audience, particularly for a public service broadcaster such as the public broadcaster.

"This failing had the possibility to damage the exceptionally strong degrees of credibility that viewers would have invested in a BBC factual programme about the Israel-Gaza war."

The film was removed from the BBC's streaming service in the month of February after the boy's personal associations came to light, and in the month of July an internal BBC review determined it infringed the corporation's editorial guidelines on accuracy.

A BBC spokesperson stated: "The Ofcom ruling is in line with the conclusions of the corporation's inquiry, that there was a serious error in the documentary in relation to the broadcaster's journalistic policies on factual correctness, which aligns with Rule 2.2 of the authority's broadcasting regulations.

"We expressed regret for this and we agree with the authority's determination in full. We will comply with the penalty as soon as the schedule and language are determined."