British TV industry calls on MPs to press BBC execs over Gaza documentary removal
British TV and film program-makers have called on a panel of MPs to press BBC executives over the UK broadcaster’s decision to remove a documentary about children’s lives in Gaza
The UK Screen Industry group sent a letter to members of the House of Commons’ Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Committee on Monday. They asked the reasons why Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone was removed by BBC iPlayer.
The letter was sent a day before they grill BBC director-general Tim Davie and chair Dr Samir Shah.
The documentary, which initially aired on February 17, revolves around the life of a 14-year-old Palestinian teenager named Abdullah al-Yazouri.
The BBC removed the documentary on the grounds that Yazouri’s father, Dr. Ayman al-Yazouri, is the deputy minister of agriculture in Gaza.
UK Screen Industry called on the UK MPs to ask Davie and Dr. Shah to “clarify the specific editorial standards relied upon and the decision-making processes that led” to the axing of the documentary, a move which has prompted concerns of racism and censorship.
The group also requested the CMS Committee question the BBC bosses over how the public broadcaster “intends to uphold its commitment to impartiality and freedom of expression in its future commissioning decisions.”
They said many were being forced to conclude the BBC is “not a safe place for program-makers reporting on Palestinian suffering.”
Last week, a group of 45 Jewish journalists and media professionals, including former BBC governor Ruth Deech, increased pressure on the broadcaster by sending a letter demanding the film be removed from iPlayer, calling the minister a “terrorist leader.”
So far, 735 people have signed the letter urging the BBC to halt what they describe as “censorship on Palestine,” warning that the broadcaster’s actions undermine journalistic ethics by prioritizing political pressure over public interest.
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