By Sam Tabahriti
LONDON (Reuters) – The British government called an urgent meeting with the BBC on Friday over the making of a documentary about children’s lives in Gaza that was narrated by the 13-year-old son of a deputy minister in the Palestinian enclave’s Hamas government.
The BBC said on Thursday there had been “serious flaws” in “Gaza: How To Survive A War Zone”, made by an independent production company, and removed it from its online platform, five days after it was first broadcast on television.
The Palestinian militant group Hamas is deemed a terrorist organisation by Britain, the United States and the European Union.
The BBC’s decision followed criticism by online commentators who said the narrator was the son of Ayman al-Yazouri, deputy minister of agriculture in Gaza.
Britain’s publicly funded BBC has faced criticism over coverage of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza by external commentators and some staff members. Some critics accuse it of bias towards the Palestinians, others of bias towards Israel.
BBC Director General Tim Davie, when quizzed by lawmakers, said last year the BBC was overall “doing a good job in terms of delivering impartial coverage amidst enormous pressure.”
The BBC said in a statement that an internal review had found that the corporation had asked Hoyo Films – the production company it commissioned – several times in writing whether the family in the documentary had any connection to Hamas.
The BBC said Hoyo Films acknowledged the connection only after the documentary was broadcast.
Announcing Friday’s meeting with BBC Chair Samir Shah, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: “I want assurances that no stone will be left unturned.”
She was referring to a BBC pledge to undertake a full fact-finding review and refer the issue to its editorial complaints unit.
The broadcaster apologised for the documentary late on Thursday, saying the processes and execution around its production fell short of its expectations.
It said the production company and the BBC had made unacceptable errors, and that the BBC took full responsibility for the mistakes and their impact on the corporation’s reputation.
The production company could not immediately be reached for comment. Hamas did not immediately comment.
Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel said it was “utterly disgraceful” that the BBC had decided to air a “Hamas propaganda film” in the week that the bodies of hostage Shiri Bibas and her two sons were returned from Gaza. She called for a thorough investigation.
(Reporting by Sam Tabahriti, Editing by William James and Timothy Heritage)
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