Ofcom has concluded that the BBC documentary, "Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone," violated Rule 2.2 of the Broadcasting Code. The violation stemmed from the documentary's failure to disclose that the narrator's father held a position within the Hamas-run administration. The regulator deemed this omission "materially misleading," arguing that it deprived viewers of crucial context that "may have been highly relevant" to their understanding of the programme.
Following the BBC's internal handling of the complaints, twenty were then escalated to Ofcom. The regulator also took into account the BBC's own internal review, which had already identified a breach of the Corporation's Editorial Guidelines regarding accuracy.
As a consequence of the breach, Ofcom is instructing the BBC to broadcast a statement of its findings on BBC Two at 21:00, with the specific date to be determined. Ofcom emphasized that this oversight had the potential to diminish the significant level of trust that viewers place in BBC factual programmes concerning the Israel-Gaza war.
A BBC spokesperson stated: "The Ofcom ruling is in line with the findings of Peter Johnston’s review, that there was a significant failing in the documentary in relation to the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines on accuracy, which reflects Rule 2.2 of Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code. We have apologised for this and we accept Ofcom’s decision in full. We will comply with the sanction as soon as the date and wording are finalised.”
The BBC removed the documentary from iPlayer in February after the boy’s family links emerged.