Channel 4 picks up dropped BBC doc Gaza: Doctors Under Attack
Channel 4 in the UK has picked up documentary Gaza: Doctors Under Attack after the film was dropped by fellow pubcaster the BBC last week.
Produced by London-based indie Basement Films, the one-off doc examines allegations that Israeli forces have repeatedly targeted hospitals and healthcare workers during the Gaza conflict in breach of international law.
Gaza: Doctors Under Attack was originally commissioned by the BBC, which dropped it last week due to concerns around impartiality, having put it on hold for months pending the outcome of an investigation into a separate doc produced by Hoyo Films, Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone.
The BBC was prompted to permanently shelve Gaza: Doctors Under Attack after the film’s producer and founder of Basement Films, Ben De Pear, slammed the broadcaster during a panel session at Sheffield Doc/Fest for its coverage of the war in Gaza, which he accused of being racist and PR-driven.
The Beeb said it had “come to the conclusion that broadcasting this material risked creating a perception of partiality that would not meet the high standards that the public rightly expect of the BBC.”
Now, the doc has been picked up by Channel 4, which said it has been fact-checked and complied by the broadcaster to ensure it meets its editorial standards and the Ofcom Broadcasting Code.
It was greenlit by Louisa Compton, Channel 4’s head of news and current affairs and specialist factual and sport, who said: “This is a meticulously reported and important film examining evidence which supports allegations of grave breaches of international law by Israeli forces that deserves to be widely seen and exemplifies Channel 4’s commitment to brave and fearless journalism.”
Acknowledging that the BBC “will have had its own reasons” for deciding not to air the doc, Compton added: “We are showing this programme because we believe that, following thorough fact-checking and verification, we are presenting a duly impartial view of a subject that both divides opinion and frequently provokes dispute about what constitutes a fact.
“Channel 4 has a strong tradition of putting uncomfortable reporting in front of our audiences. In doing so, we know we will antagonise somebody somewhere sometime. But we do it because we believe it is our duty to tell important journalistic stories – especially those that aren’t being told elsewhere.”
Posting on LinkedIn, Channel 4’s outgoing CEO Alex Mahon said: “The documentary has already made headlines following the BBC’s decision not to broadcast it. As Louisa Compton outlines, we don’t speak for other broadcasters, but Channel 4 has independently and rigorously fact-checked the film against our editorial standards and UK regulatory requirements. It meets them fully. It is accurate, duly impartial and firmly in the public interest.
“This is one of the most horrendously difficult and sensitive conflicts to cover. Emotions run high, misinformation spreads fast, and journalism is under constant scrutiny. That makes rigorous, courageous reporting not just important, but essential.”
Gaza: Doctors Under Attack will air on Channel 4 this Wednesday.
Basement Films said: “This is the third film we have made about the assault on Gaza since October 7 at Basement Films, and while none of them have been easy this became by far the most difficult.
“As ever we owe everything to our Palestinian colleagues on the ground, over 200 of whom have been killed by Israel, and the doctors and medics who trusted us with their stories. We want to apologise to the contributors and team for the long delay, and thank Channel 4 for enabling it to be seen.”
