The BBC, on Thursday, apologized for the “serious flaws” in its documentary Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, which featured relatives of Hamas terrorists.
Hoyo Films, the production company that made the documentary for the BBC, paid "a limited sum of money" to the wife of a Hamas official for narrating the film via another family member's bank account, the BBC acknowledged.
Despite the production company's admission, the BBC reported the company claimed Hoyo assured the BBC that no payments were made to Hamas or its affiliates "either directly, in kind or as a gift", and that it is seeking "additional assurance" around the programme's budget.
The BBC Board stressed that while "The subject matter of the documentary was clearly a legitimate area to explore… nothing is more important than trust and transparency in our journalism. While the Board appreciates that mistakes can be made, the mistakes here are significant and damaging to the BBC."
Investigative journalist David Collier found the BBC paid £400,000 for the production of the documentary - a documentary which was said by Collier to have included the son of a senior Hamas official and the son of a Hamas police officer.
The UK's Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy called an “urgent meeting” with Samir Shah on Friday.
“I want assurances that no stone will be left unturned by the fact-finding review now commissioned by the BBC’s Director General,” said Nandy. “This review must be comprehensive, rigorous and get to the bottom of exactly what has happened in this case.”
In addition to the individuals featured in the documentary, The Telegraph reported that in several instances in the film, the Arabic words Yahud or Yahudi, meaning "Jews," were translated as “Israel” or “Israeli forces" or were completely removed from the subtitles.
The BBC removed the documentary and apologized the film's "unacceptable" flaws and added that it "takes full responsibility for these and the impact that these have had on the corporation's reputation."
"During the production process, the independent production company was asked in writing a number of times by the BBC about any potential connections he and his family might have with Hamas," a BBC spokesperson said. "Since transmission, they have acknowledged that they knew that the boy's father was a deputy agriculture minister in the Hamas government; they have also acknowledged that they never told the BBC this fact.
"It was then the BBC's own failing that we did not uncover that fact and the documentary was aired."
The BBC has faced criticism for its coverage of the Israel-Hamas war - coverage which some reports allege violated the BBC's own editorial guidelines.
Suspending fees
Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) called for a suspension in licence fee payments until the BBC can prove none of the funds reach terrorists, CAA announced on Thursday.
Households in the UK are required to pay for a TV licence to the tune of £169.50 to watch colorized television and face a fine of up to £1000 for watching or recording live television without a license, according to the UK government website.
The BBC board reportedly met today to discuss the scandal surrounding the documentary - a meeting which came about after UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy was questioned on the issue in Parliament by Stuart Andrew, her Shadow.
Nandy recounted that she had indeed questioned the Director-General of the BBC and asked for assurances that funds from licence fees had not gone to terrorists. Hamas are recognized as terrorists under UK law, making funding the group illegal, though the BBC has reported on the group as militants - resulting in significant flak.
The Director-General of the BBC did not provide forthcoming assurances about the allocation of funds, CAA claimed. The broadcasting giant is said to have since launched internal investigations into the matter.
CAA alleged that the BBC has repeatedly attempted to cover-up misdoings and, therefore, an independent investigation is necessary.
Until the results of the investigations have concluded, CAA asserted that licence fee payments should be suspended.
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “It is shocking that, days after the Culture Secretary demanded assurances from the Director-General of the BBC that it hasn’t paid money to Hamas terrorists, she still hasn’t received those assurances. There are only two questions for the BBC: how did a film representing Hamas propaganda come to be aired by our national broadcaster? Did licence-fee funds end up in the hands of a proscribed terrorist organisation? An internal BBC review isn’t enough: we need an independent investigation to provide the answers. Enough of letting the BBC mark its own homework
“Pending that independent investigation, there should be a suspension of the licence fee. It is unconscionable that the British public should be forced to pay money to an institution that cannot be certain that those funds don’t go to terrorists. The longer this goes on, the more untenable Tim Davie’s position starts to look.”