BBC to create new docs and current affairs role after review into Gaza doc storm

Abdullah al-Yazouri narrates Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone

BBC/Amjad Al Fayoumi/Hoyo Films

UK public broadcaster the BBC will create a new director role on the BBC News board following an internal review into controversial documentary Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone.

The BBC pulled the doc from its iPlayer streaming service in February after it was revealed the teenage narrator, Abdullah al-Yazouri, is the son of Hamas’s deputy minister of agriculture, Ayman al-Yazouri.

A review into the doc was then conducted by Peter Johnston, director of editorial complaints and reviews at the BBC, the findings of which were published yesterday.

According to the report, the programme breached one of the BBC’s editorial guidelines on accuracy by failing to disclose the child’s connection to Hamas.

The review found no other breaches of editorial guidelines, including any breaches of impartiality, concluding that there was no evidence the narrator’s father influenced the content of the programme in any way.

It did, however, say the use of that narrator was “not appropriate,” even if it didn’t breach editorial guidelines.

The report also noted the BBC was unaware of the child’s father’s position before broadcast, but that three members of the doc’s producer, Hoyo Films, were aware. It said while it did not consider Hoyo Films intentionally misled the BBC, the prodco’s failure to share that information was a “significant oversight.”

The review concluded that Hoyo Films bears most responsibility for the failure, while the BBC also bears “some responsibility” for not being “sufficiently proactive” with initial editorial checks and for a “lack of critical oversight of unanswered or partially answered questions” ahead of broadcast.

“The programme should not have been signed off as compliant without these questions having been fully and properly answered,” it said.

Meanwhile, the review found no evidence to suggest programme funds were spent on anything other than reasonable, production-related expenses, and that a disturbance fee of around £795 (US$1,069) that was paid to the narrator was not “outside of the range of what might be reasonable in the context.”

BBC News has published an action plan to prevent the breach being repeated, including the creation of a new director role across news documentaries and current affairs. The role will have strategic leadership of longform output across BBC News and a place on the BBC News board. The BBC said it will advertise the position in the next seven days.

The doc will not be reinstated on iPlayer, but the BBC and Hoyo Films will explore the possibility of telling the stories featured through re-edited and re-versioned shorter films for archive. It is currently available to watch on the StoptheWarCoalition YouTube channel.

The BBC will also issue new editorial guidance to programme makers on the use and translation of the word ‘Yahud/Yahudi’ into English, which should be literally translated as ‘Jews/Jewish.’

Additionally, new editorial guidance around the use of narrators in contested current affairs programmes will mean narrators will be subject to a higher level of scrutiny.

Enhanced editorial controls will also ensure no high-risk longform programmes can become a formal commission until all potential compliance considerations are considered and listed. Meanwhile, a dedicated senior BBC News executive producer will be embedded inside the production team for every contentious film produced by an independent supplier for BBC News.

BBC director general Tim Davie said: “Peter Johnston’s report identifies a significant failing in relation to accuracy in this documentary. I thank him for his thorough work and I am sorry for this failing. We will now take action on two fronts – fair, clear and appropriate actions to ensure proper accountability and the immediate implementation of steps to prevent such errors being repeated.”

BBC News CEO Deborah Turness said: “At the heart of this programme were powerful and important stories that need to be told. But it’s clear that in this programme we made a significant mistake. This is why we have drawn up a robust action plan to make sure all of Peter Johnston’s recommendations are implemented.

“Our audiences deserve the highest possible standards of accuracy from the BBC, and we are strengthening our editorial oversight to ensure that we deliver this for them. We remain committed to reporting from Gaza, despite the fact international journalists are not allowed in.”

Hoyo Films said in a statement: “We take the findings in Peter Johnston’s report on Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone extremely seriously and apologise for the mistake that resulted in a breach of the editorial guidelines.

“We are working closely with the BBC to see if we can find an appropriate way to bring back to iPlayer the stories of those featured in the programme. Our team in Gaza risked their lives to document the devastating impact of war on children. Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone remains a vital account, and our contributors, who have no say in the conflict, deserve to have their voices heard.”