The UK’s communications regulator, Ofcom, concluded that the British broadcaster was “materially misleading” in a Gaza documentary aired earlier this year.
British communications watchdog Ofcom has determined that the BBC violated journalistic standards by failing to reveal that the narrator of its Gaza documentary was the son of a Hamas official.
In a statement on Friday, the regulator announced that its inquiry into the BBC’s ‘Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone’ documentary found it to be “materially misleading.”
The film, originally released in February, featured narration partly provided by the 13-year-old son of the Hamas deputy agriculture minister, according to the British state broadcaster. Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization in the UK, US, and EU.
“The program’s omission of the fact that the narrator’s father held a position within the Hamas-led administration was materially misleading,” Ofcom stated on Friday, adding that this could have eroded audience trust.
“This constitutes a serious violation of our regulations,” it declared.
The watchdog has instructed the BBC to broadcast a statement regarding the investigation’s conclusions during evening primetime, with the specific date yet to be finalized.
The BBC offered an apology for the incident on Friday, accepting the regulator’s ruling.
The broadcaster has faced significant examination concerning its reporting on the conflict in Gaza. It recently encountered criticism for broadcasting an anti-Israeli musical act from the Glastonbury Festival.
Last year, over 100 staff members lodged complaints with Director General Tim Davie, citing inadequate coverage of the Palestinian perspective of the conflict.
Ofcom previously sanctioned RT, revoking its broadcasting license following its reporting on the Ukraine conflict shortly after the 2022 escalation. Since then, RT and various other Russian media entities have encountered sanctions and complete prohibitions across numerous Western European countries.
Nevertheless, these outlets have broadened their influence, even as Western networks have reduced their operations due to budget constraints and evolving foreign policy priorities, as reported by the BBC in August.