Summary of complaint
We received complaints about our approach to this programme.
Our response
大象传媒 News has conducted an initial review on the programme 鈥淕aza: How To Survive A Warzone鈥. Today the 大象传媒 Board was updated on that work. It has identified serious flaws in the making of this programme. Some of these were made by the production company, and some by the 大象传媒; all of them are unacceptable. 大象传媒 News takes full responsibility for these and the impact that these have had on the Corporation鈥檚 reputation. We apologise for this.
Nothing is more important than the trust that our audiences have in our journalism. This incident has damaged that trust. While the intent of the documentary was aligned with our purpose 鈥 to tell the story of what is happening around the world, even in the most difficult and dangerous places 鈥 the processes and execution of this programme fell short of our expectations. Although the programme was made by an independent production company, who were commissioned to deliver a fully compliant documentary, the 大象传媒 has ultimate editorial responsibility for this programme as broadcast.
One of the core questions is around the family connections of the young boy who is the narrator of the film. During the production process, the independent production company was asked in writing a number of times by the 大象传媒, about any potential connections he and his family might have with Hamas. Since transmission, they have acknowledged that they knew that the boy鈥檚 father was a Deputy Agriculture Minister in the Hamas Government; they have also acknowledged that they never told the 大象传媒 this fact. It was then the 大象传媒鈥檚 own failing that we did not uncover that fact and the documentary was aired.
Hoyo Films have told us that they paid the boy鈥檚 mother, via his sister鈥檚 bank account, a limited sum of money for the narration. While Hoyo Films have assured us that no payments were made to members of Hamas or its affiliates, either directly, in kind, or as a gift, the 大象传媒 is seeking additional assurance around the budget of the programme and will undertake a full audit of expenditure. We are requesting the relevant financial accounts of the production company in order to do that.
Given the 大象传媒鈥檚 own failings, the Director-General has asked for complaints on this matter to be expedited to the Executive Complaints Unit, which is separate from 大象传媒 News. Alongside this a full fact-finding review will be undertaken; the Director-General has asked Peter Johnston to lead this work.
Peter Johnston, the Director of Editorial Complaints and Reviews, is independent of 大象传媒 News and reports directly to the Director-General. He will consider all of the complaints and issues that have been raised. He will determine whether any editorial guidelines have been broken; rapidly address the complaints that have been made; and, enable the 大象传媒 to determine whether any disciplinary action is warranted in relation to shortcomings in the making of this programme. This will include issues around the use of language, translation and continuity that have also been raised with the 大象传媒.
We have no plans to broadcast the programme again in its current form or return it to iPlayer and will make a further assessment once the work of Peter Johnston is complete.
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