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- BBC faces mounting pressure over decision to shelve film despite legal clearance and widespread support
LONDON: Doctors and whistleblowers who featured in a BBC documentary on Gaza have threatened to withdraw their consent after the broadcaster delayed airing the film, citing an internal review.
The documentary, 鈥淕aza: Medics Under Fire,鈥� was scheduled to be broadcast in February but remains on hold as the BBC investigates a separate program, 鈥淕aza: How to Survive a Warzone,鈥� which was earlier pulled from the BBC鈥檚 iPlayer after revelations that its young narrator was the son of a Hamas official.
According to a report by The Guardian, although 鈥淕aza: Medics Under Fire鈥� was cleared for broadcast and approved by the BBC鈥檚 legal and editorial compliance teams, the broadcaster has reportedly requested further changes and stated the film will not be aired until the ongoing internal review concludes.
The BBC, however, has not indicated when the review is expected to be completed.
While other broadcasters have expressed interest in airing the film, the BBC has so far blocked those efforts, according to the production company.
The delay has sparked backlash from cultural figures including Susan Sarandon, Gary Lineker, Harriet Walter and Miriam Margolyes, who signed an open letter to BBC Director-General Tim Davie, accusing the corporation of 鈥減olitical suppression.鈥�
鈥淭his is not editorial caution. It鈥檚 political suppression,鈥� the letter stated. 鈥淣o news organisation should quietly decide behind closed doors whose stories are worth telling. This important film should be seen by the public, and its contributors鈥� bravery honoured.鈥�
More than 600 people endorsed the letter, including prominent UK actors Maxine Peake and Juliet Stevenson.
Meanwhile, Basement Films, which produced the documentary, has released additional footage from other doctors in Gaza through its social media channels.
鈥淲e have many offers from broadcasters and platforms across the world so that the searing testimonies of Gazan medics and of surviving family members can be heard, in some cases eight months after we spoke to them 鈥� We are still urging BBC News to do the right thing,鈥� the company said in a statement.
The situation has also stirred internal concern at the BBC, particularly after the corporation鈥檚 chair, Samir Shah, described the editorial failings of 鈥淕aza: How to Survive a Warzone鈥� as a 鈥渄agger to the heart鈥� of the BBC鈥檚 reputation for trust and impartiality.
A BBC spokesperson told The Guardian: 鈥淲e understand the importance of telling these stories and know that the current process is difficult for those involved.鈥�