BBC Gaza Programme Ruled a 'Major' Breach of Broadcasting Regulations, Says UK Media Regulator
The BBC engaged in a "significant breach" of media regulations by failing to disclose that the voice of a film about the Gaza conflict was the son of a Hamas representative, according to regulatory body Ofcom.
An probe by the broadcasting watchdog into the documentary titled Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone has found that the documentary 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 instructed the corporation to broadcast a evening announcement about its decisions.
"As this represents a significant violation of our regulations, we are instructing the corporation to transmit a announcement of our findings against it on the BBC's second channel at 9pm, with a timing to be confirmed," the regulator stated.
'Risk to Damage Credibility'
The authority's statement stated: "Our probe concluded that the documentary's failure to disclose that the voice's father held a role in the Hamas-run government was substantially inaccurate.
"Consequently that the viewers did not have vital facts which may have been very significant to their assessment of the voice and the content he presented.
"Confidence is at the center of the bond between a television network and its viewers, notably for a public service broadcaster such as the British Broadcasting Corporation.
"This oversight had the possibility to damage the exceptionally strong amounts of confidence that viewers would have placed in a factual film from the broadcaster about the conflict in Gaza."
The programme was removed from the online platform in last February after the narrator's familial connections came to light, and in the month of July an broadcaster's internal assessment determined it breached the organization's content policies on factual correctness.
A BBC spokesperson said: "The regulator's decision is in accordance with the results of Peter Johnston's review, that there was a significant failing in the programme in relation to the corporation's content standards on factual correctness, which aligns with regulation 2.2 of Ofcom's Broadcasting Code.
"We issued an apology for this and we agree with the authority's determination in its entirety. We will adhere to the penalty as soon as the timing and language are finalised."
