Channel 4 to air BBC-commissioned documentary Gaza: Doctors Under Attack

Independent

2 days ago

Channel 4 will air a documentary about the plight of medics in Gaza after the BBC last week announced that it would not show the film following concerns it may create 'a perception of partiality that would not meet the high standards that the public rightly expect'.
The BBC had commissioned Gaza: Doctors Under Attack more than a year ago from an independent production company called Basement Films but had delayed airing it until an ongoing review into a different programme on the region was completed.
The one-off documentary, which includes witness accounts from frontline Palestinian health workers in Gaza and documents attacks on hospitals and clinics, will now air on Channel 4 on July 2 at 10pm.
The film has been 'fact-checked and compiled by Channel 4 to ensure it meets Channel 4 editorial standards and the Ofcom Broadcasting Code', an announcement said.
Louisa Compton, Channel 4's head of news and current affairs and specialist factual and sport, said in a statement: 'This is a meticulously reported and important film examining evidence which supports allegations of grave breaches of international law by Israeli forces that deserves to be widely seen and exemplifies Channel 4's commitment to brave and fearless journalism.'
In an op-ed, Ms Compton further explained: 'We are showing this programme because we believe that, following thorough fact-checking and verification, we are presenting a duly impartial view of a subject that both divides opinion and frequently provokes dispute about what constitutes a fact.
'Channel 4 has a strong tradition of putting uncomfortable reporting in front of our audiences. In doing so, we know we will antagonise somebody somewhere sometime. But we do it because we believe it is our duty to tell important journalistic stories – especially those that aren't being told elsewhere.'
She added: 'Doctors Under Attack was commissioned by another broadcaster, which took a different view of the original content and decided not to broadcast it.
'That other broadcaster will have had its own reasons for not showing the programme.
'For ourselves, after rigorous fact-checking and assessing the film against our own editorial criteria as well as against all regulatory requirements, we decided that it was both compliant with the Ofcom Broadcasting Code, but also that it was important journalism in the public interest.
'Any small changes were carried out with the producers to update the film and give viewers as much information as possible.
'The result is harrowing, no doubt. It will make people angry, whichever side they take, or if they take no side.
'But while we would never judge anyone who decides that showing something could create a risk of being thought to be taking sides, we believe there are times when the same risk is run by not showing anything at all.'
Basement Films said: 'This is the third film we have made about the assault on Gaza since October 7th at Basement Films, and whilst none of them have been easy, this became by far the most difficult.'
The production firm said it owed 'everything' to its Palestinian colleagues in Gaza and 'the doctors and medics who trusted us with their stories'.
It added: 'We want to apologise to the contributors and team for the long delay, and thank Channel 4 for enabling it to be seen.'
Gaza: Doctors Under Attack was greenlit for broadcast by Ms Compton, and was made by reporter Ramita Navai, executive producer Ben De Pear, who was previously editor of Channel 4 News, and director Karim Shah for Basement Films.
Mr De Pear was also previously the executive producer on 2019's For Sama, which won a Bafta and was nominated for an Oscar.
The BBC pulled the documentary How To Survive A Warzone in February after it emerged that its 13-year-old narrator was the son of a Hamas official.
In a statement last week, the BBC said it had paused production of Gaza: Doctors Under Attack in April, having made a decision that they could not broadcast the film while a review into a separate Gaza documentary was ongoing.
The BBC said that with both films coming from independent production companies, and both about Gaza, it was right to wait for any relevant findings – and put them into action – before broadcasting the film.
The BBC statement said they had for 'some weeks' been 'working with Basement Films to find a way to tell the stories of these doctors on our platforms.'
They added: 'It became apparent that we have reached the end of the road with these discussions.'
'We have come to the conclusion 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.
'Impartiality is a core principle of BBC News. It is one of the reasons that we are the world's most trusted broadcaster.
'Therefore, we are transferring ownership of the film material to Basement Films.
'Contrary to some reports, since we paused production of Gaza: Doctors Under Attack in April, it has not undergone the BBC's final pre-broadcast sign-off processes.'
'Any film broadcast will not be a BBC film,' the BBC said.
Their statement added: '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.'