Ofcom has sanctioned the BBC for breaching the broadcasting code after it failed to disclose that the narrator of a Gaza documentary had links to Hamas.
The watchdog’s investigation into Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone concluded that the programme was ‘materially misleading’.
The documentary did not mention that the 13-year-old narrator was the son of a deputy agriculture minister in the Hamas-run government.
Ofcom has ordered the BBC to broadcast a prime-time statement about its conclusions.
A spokesperson for Ofcom said: Our investigation found that the programme’s failure to disclose that the narrator’s father held a position in the Hamas-run administration was materially misleading.
‘It meant that the audience did not have critical information which may have been highly relevant to their assessment of the narrator and the information he provided.
‘Trust is at the heart of the relationship between a broadcaster and its audience, particularly for a public service broadcaster such as the BBC.
‘This failing had the potential to erode the significantly high levels of trust that audiences would have placed in a BBC factual programme about the Israel-Gaza war.
‘As this represents a serious breach of our rules, we are directing the BBC to broadcast a statement of our findings against it on BBC2 at 9pm, with a date to be confirmed.’
This is a breaking news story – more to follow
‘Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone’ was narrated by the 13-year-old son of a deputy agriculture minister in the Hamas-run government
