BBC boss Tim Davie was today read the riot act by the Culture Secretary over its Gaza documentary that used kids linked to Hamas.
Lisa Nandy expressed her “deep concern” at the widely-denounced programme and demanded an explanation into the failings.
BBC Director-General Tim Davie was rebuked by Lisa Nandy[/caption]
The show Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone was narrated by a child whose father it later transpired is Hamas’ deputy agricultural minister.
A furious backlash saw the BBC forced to pull the documentary offline and launch an investigation.
Ms Nandy said: “It is essential that the BBC maintains the highest standards of reporting and governance that the public rightly expects.
“In my discussion with the BBC Director General, I expressed my deep concern about the issues around their recent documentary on Gaza and I pressed for answers on the checks and due diligence that the BBC carried out.
“It is paramount that the investigation the BBC is conducting sheds light on what happened and who knew what when. I expect to be kept informed of the outcome of their investigation.”
Following the documentary’s transmission on BBC2 last week, it emerged that the narrator, 13-year-old Abdullah Al-Yazouri, is the son of Hamas’ deputy agriculture minister.
It then transpired that a second child, 11-year-old boy Zakaria es-Sersek, has been filmed waving a gun, posing beside a Hamas fighter, and glorifying the October 7 architect.
The Sun revealed how the BBC spent £400,000 of licence payers’ cash making the programme.
Following outcry from MPs, diplomats and campaigners, the Corporation said removed the documentary from the iPlayer.
A statement said: “There have been continuing questions raised about the programme and in the light of these, we are conducting further due diligence with the production company.
“The programme will not be available on iPlayer while this is taking place.”
Critics called it a “new low” for the embattled broadcaster’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.
Danny Cohen, former director of BBC Television, blasted: “This is a shocking failure by the BBC and a major crisis for its reputation.
“The BBC’s commitment to impartiality on the Israel-Hamas war lies in tatters. The BBC’s senior leadership needs to wake up now and admit the corporation has a serious problem.”
Alex Hearn from Labour Against Antisemitism said: “This is a crisis for the BBC’s leaders who have serious questions to answer about why this Hamas propaganda film was made and broadcast to the nation on primetime TV.
“It is a new low in editorial standards for the BBC in its biased reporting of the war in Gaza.”
The BBC has faced criticism in its coverage of the war, especially its initial refusal to brand Hamas a terrorist group.
