BBC Not Taking ‘Anywhere Near Enough Action’ Over Gaza Documentary, Says Minister

Lisa Nandy added that it would be ‘very difficult’ to see a scenario in which it would be acceptable for the film to return to iPlayer.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy speaking during a Civil Society reception at 10 Downing Street, London, on Oct. 17, 2024. Jonathan Brady/PA Wire

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has said that the BBC has not taken “anywhere near enough action” over the documentary on Gaza that featured the son of a Hamas official.

Nandy said on Wednesday that the broadcaster, which has since removed the film from iPlayer, must do a deep dive on the financial transactions and translation decisions, and explain why due diligence was not done on the people featured in the film.

She told the PA news agency that not enough has been done “to grip the problems that have emerged.”

The minister continued: “There isn’t enough urgency and I’ve been absolutely clear with the BBC leadership about that. We need proper explanations about what went wrong in this case, why due diligence wasn’t done on the people that were featured in the film, people who worked on the film, and also on the use of language.

“I’ve been really clear with the BBC leadership that I expect answers to those questions and I expect progress to be made by early next week when I intend to update the House of Commons again.”

Return to iPlayer Not Ruled Out

“Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone” was removed from the BBC’s streaming service last week after it emerged that the child narrator, Abdullah, is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, the deputy agriculture minister for Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip.

The BBC conducted an initial review and confirmed that Hoyo Films, which produced the documentary, had paid money to the child’s mother, via his sister’s bank account, for the narration. The broadcaster said Hoyo had assured them that no money had been paid to Hamas members, but “the BBC is seeking additional assurance around the budget of the programme and will undertake a full audit of expenditure.”

The BBC said it accepted full responsibility for the “serious flaws in the making of this programme,” and apologised.

On Tuesday, the BBC’s bosses appeared before the Culture, Media, and Sport Committee. Corporation Chairman Samir Shah said there had been failings by the broadcaster and production company, and committed to a further investigation.

Director General Tim Davie said he was “very sorry to the audience, because we don’t want to be in a position where we have flaws in the programme-making,” but said that overall he was proud of the way the BBC was covering “some of these polarised, fiendishly difficult events.”

Davie also declined to rule out the prospect of the documentary returning to iPlayer.

Nandy later told PA that it would be “very difficult to see a scenario in which it would be acceptable” for the film to return.

Tim Davie then-CEO of BBC studios (and now BBC Director General) attends the annual CBI conference on Nov. 18, 2019 in London, England. Leon Neal/Getty Images

Finance and Translation

Updating the House of Commons on Wednesday, Nandy said in a written statement that she had met with Shah on Feb. 28 and sought assurances from the broadcaster that the internal fact-finding investigation “will be swift and rigorous.”

“I emphasised that it must include a robust financial audit and address concerns raised in the House on translation,” Nandy said.

On Feb. 27, several MPs discussed translation choices, with parliamentarians saying that on several occasions, the Arabic for “Jew” and “Jews” said by Palestinians on camera had been changed to “Israel” and “Israeli forces” in the subtitles.

The minister added that the duty to report on what is happening in the Gaza Strip “is absolutely fundamental,” which is why the government believes the BBC and other media outlets “have a responsibility to exercise utmost care and due diligence in the way in which they report on this conflict.”

Ofcom Pressure

On Monday, Ofcom wrote to the BBC chairman saying that it had “ongoing concerns” about the nature and gravity of the failings related to the documentary and the negative impact this issue could have on public trust in the corporation’s journalism.

The regulator added that it would step in if found that the BBC’s internal review is not satisfactory.

A BBC spokeswoman told reporters it took these issues “incredibly seriously,” which is why it had commissioned its director of editorial complaints and reviews, Peter Johnston, to lead the deep dive.

The review has already begun, she confirmed, continuing, “It is vital that this work moves quickly, but it must also be thorough and get to the answers we are seeking.”

Hoyo previously said that it was cooperating fully with Johnston and the BBC “to help understand where mistakes have been made.”