Gaza Documentary Rejected by BBC Unexpectedly Wins BAFTA
Al Jazeera Staff
'Gaza: Doctors Under Attack,' a documentary the BBC refused to broadcast over impartiality concerns, won a BAFTA in the Current Affairs category. Its producers criticised the BBC during the ceremony, accusing it of censorship. The film, later aired by Channel 4, highlights attacks on healthcare workers in Gaza.
On the evening of 11 May at the BAFTA TV Awards in London, the documentary Gaza: Doctors Under Attack won the Current Affairs award. The BBC had refused to air the film last year, citing concerns it 'could create a perception of lack of impartiality.'
Produced by independent studio Basement Films, it features first-hand accounts from Palestinian medical workers in Gaza. After the BBC dropped the project, Channel 4 acquired the rights and broadcast it in July last year.
Accepting the award, executive producer Ben de Pear thanked the journalists who made the film, then directly questioned the BBC — which was broadcasting the ceremony on BBC One with a delay of more than two hours: 'Finally, just one question for the BBC: Since you dropped our film, will you drop us from tonight's broadcast?'
Journalist and presenter Ramita Navai also criticised the BBC in her speech, citing the film's findings on attacks against Gaza's healthcare system. 'These are findings from an investigation the BBC paid for but refused to screen. But we refuse to be silenced and censored. We thank Channel 4 for showing this film,' Navai said.
Navai noted that more than 1,700 Palestinian doctors and medical workers have been killed and over 400 detained during Israel's war in Gaza. She dedicated the award to Palestinian medical workers held in Israeli prisons.
According to British media, the BBC edited out Navai's remarks from its broadcast after consulting with its compliance team. The BBC had earlier delayed airing this film pending a separate review of another Gaza documentary, Gaza: How To Survive a War Zone.
A BBC spokesperson stated that impartiality remains 'a core principle of BBC News' and that the decision not to air the film was intended to avoid 'creating a perception of lack of impartiality that does not meet the high standards the public expects from the BBC.'
Speaking backstage after the win, de Pear praised Gaza-based journalists Jaber Badwan and Osana Al Ashi, who contributed footage to the documentary. He said: 'The team wakes up every day wondering if the two journalists on the ground are still alive.'
