'I lost trust' in Gaza film, says BBC boss Tim Davie

The Director-General of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) told lawmakers that he decided to remove a documentary about the lives of children in Gaza from the iPlayer platform because he had "lost confidence" in the film. This decision was made after "serious flaws" emerged in the documentary's production process. The documentary, titled "Gaza: How to Survive in a War Zone," featured a 13-year-old narrator who was found to be the son of a Hamas official.

Director-General Tim Davie stated that he removed the film while investigating the boy's connection to Hamas, which is listed as a terrorist organization in the UK. The independent company that produced the film said they had asked the boy if he had any connection to Hamas, but were not informed. The BBC also acknowledged that more should have been done to uncover this connection. Davie also revealed that the BBC had received approximately 500 complaints alleging bias against Israel in the film, and another 1,800 complaints regarding its removal from the iPlayer platform.

Hoyo Films, the independent company that produced the documentary for the BBC, stated that they are "fully cooperating" with the BBC to "help understand where mistakes were made." The BBC's initial internal review found that Hoyo had paid the boy's family "a limited amount of money for narration." The film sparked concern after it aired last month because it centered on a boy named Abdullah, who was later discovered to be the son of the Deputy Minister of Agriculture for Hamas.

Davie told the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee: "There were specific concerns about the boy's father – specific issues. When we dug into it, we discovered we hadn't been told." He added: "There is a lot of frustration and disappointment. We are very sorry to audiences." Davie emphasized that if questions about the boy's family were repeatedly asked and Hoyo Films did not answer, it was a fundamental requirement. As editor-in-chief, he must ensure not only the editorial quality of the film, but also the production process. Therefore, he quickly lost confidence in the film and decided to remove it from the iPlayer platform while a thorough investigation was conducted.

Davie stated that the decision was unrelated to either side of the Israeli-Gaza conflict, adding that the BBC would not "bow to lobbying." Hoyo Films has written to the BBC stating that no funds were provided to Hamas, but will conduct a "forensic analysis" of what happened. Davie also said that to his knowledge, the BBC only paid the program's production company a fee to produce the film. When asked if the documentary would return to the iPlayer platform after the investigation, the Director-General said he was not "ruling anything out." He explained that it was a "very difficult decision" and that the BBC found itself in a "very difficult position."

Davie emphasized that there is an absolute need for legitimate reporting, and the voices of children in Gaza absolutely need to be heard, which makes the current situation frustrating. He stated that the BBC has a "rich and important history of current affairs reporting" in the Middle East, and that documentary filmmakers also have a "good reputation." He concluded: "Overall, I am proud of the way we cover these polarized, extremely difficult events, and many of our journalists, as you know, are under enormous pressure, intense lobbying, and it is very difficult."

Lord Grade, Chairman of the Office of Communications (Ofcom), stated in a letter to the BBC on Monday that the regulator may intervene if the internal investigation into the documentary's production is not satisfactory. BBC Chairman Samir Shah told the committee that it was right to allow the broadcaster to "do our job." Shah described the questioning of the Gaza documentary as a "body blow" to the BBC's reputation as an impartial and trustworthy institution, adding: "We will find out the truth and take appropriate action." Shah also called for a separate, broader independent review of the broadcaster's coverage in the Middle East.

On the other hand, Channel 4 News acknowledged that the same boy appeared in its daily news coverage of the Israeli-Gaza conflict, but stated that his appearance only accounted for "a few minutes out of hundreds of hours." The committee also discussed a range of other issues on Tuesday, including: an external review of complaints against former "Top Chef" host Gregg Wallace is expected to be completed in "weeks rather than months"; the BBC has not been able to recover any wages from former broadcaster Huw Edwards, who was convicted of possessing indecent images of children; multiple options are being considered to reform the BBC's revenue sources, but general taxation, as well as advertising and subscription models have been ruled out; Shah stated that he found it "disturbing" that not paying the television license fee is a criminal offense, but Davie stated that "effective enforcement" is needed, which could be aided by new technologies in the future; Shah stated that the BBC's raison d'être is "more justified than ever" – to combat disinformation and unite the country in shared experiences during important moments.