BBC axes new Gaza film
The BBC has pulled a Gaza documentary after its producer took aim at director-general Tim Davie.
The broadcaster was forced to apologise in February after being accused of airing a 'propaganda' film, which contained contributions from the son of a leading Hamas minister.
BBC bosses have now dropped another planned Gaza film.
The decision came after the head of Basement Films, the film's production company, branded Mr Davie a 'PR person' who could not be trusted to make editorial decisions.
The BBC had initially delayed the release of the film, Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, while it conducted a review into the disastrous release of its previous Gaza documentary.
Ben de Pear, the Basement Films boss, claimed that this delay was decided from a 'PR defensive point of view, rather than a journalistic one', and that the BBC 'stymied' journalists.
He had been speaking at the Sheffield DocFest on Thursday.
The BBC's decision also came after Ramita Navai, the documentary's director, also made comments on the Today programme.
She said during the segment that 'Israel has become a rogue state that's committing war crimes and ethnic cleansing and mass-murdering Palestinians '.
It is understood that this partisan view from the filmmaker may have compromised the documentary being presented as an impartial production.
A statement from the BBC released on Friday said: 'For some weeks, the BBC has been working with Basement Films to find a way to tell the stories of these doctors on our platforms.
'Yesterday [Thursday], it became apparent that we have reached the end of the road with these discussions.'
The BBC added that 'broadcasting this material risked creating a perception of partiality that would not meet the high standards that the public rightly expect of the BBC'.
The release of Gaza: Doctors Under Attack had been paused following outrage over the BBC's decision to air the previous film, Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone, a documentary created by production company Hoyo.
The broadcaster removed the film from iPlayer after days of criticism over its featuring of children linked to Hamas.
The BBC also issued an apology after it was revealed that a major contributor to the programme was the son of Ayman Alyazouri, a Hamas minister. This link was not disclosed to viewers.
The BBC said it was not aware of the Hamas link, while Hoyo later claimed the BBC was aware.
The BBC faced pressure to release the delayed documentary about doctors in Gaza, and Mr Davie was urged to air the film in an open letter signed by 600 signatories, including Harriet Walter, Miriam Margolyes, Maxine Peake and Juliet Stevenson. They claimed the delay was ' political suppression '.
It is understood that no such concerns have been raised about Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, and the BBC said: 'We want to thank the doctors and contributors, and we are sorry we could not tell their stories. The BBC will continue to cover events in Gaza impartially.'
The rights to the film will now revert back to Basement Films, which will be free to screen the feature.
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