BBC Gaza Programme Deemed a 'Major' Violation of Broadcasting Rules, Says Broadcasting Watchdog
The British broadcaster engaged in a "major breach" of media regulations by not revealing that the voice of a film about Gaza was the son of a Hamas representative, according to UK media regulator Ofcom.
An investigation by the media regulator into Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone has found that the documentary was "substantially inaccurate".
The chief executive of the broadcaster had earlier expressed regret, saying there had been "a significant failing in relation to truthfulness".
The authority has ordered the corporation to transmit a prime-time declaration about its conclusions.
"As this represents a significant violation of our regulations, we are ordering the corporation to air a statement of our findings against it on the BBC's second channel at nine o'clock in the evening, with a date to be confirmed," it said.
'Possibility to Damage Trust'
The watchdog's report declared: "Our probe found that the documentary's failure to disclose that the voice's male guardian served in a position in the Hamas-run government was substantially inaccurate.
"This implied that the audience did not have essential details which may have been very significant to their evaluation of the voice and the content he shared.
"Confidence is at the core of the bond between a broadcaster and its audience, notably for a national broadcasting corporation such as the British Broadcasting Corporation.
"This oversight had the potential to damage the very considerable levels of trust that the public would have put in a factual film from the broadcaster about the Gaza conflict."
The documentary was withdrawn from iPlayer in February after the presenter's personal associations were revealed, and in this past July an corporation's own inquiry found it infringed the corporation's content policies on accuracy.
A BBC spokesperson stated: "The regulator's decision is in agreement with the results of the internal assessment, that there was a significant failing in the programme in relation to the broadcaster's journalistic policies on accuracy, which aligns with clause 2.2 of Ofcom's Broadcasting Code.
"We expressed regret for this and we agree with the regulator's ruling in full. We will comply with the directive as soon as the date and language are confirmed."