More than 600 prominent figures from the film, media and cultural industries on Monday criticized the BBC‘s “bias in reporting,” urging the British broadcaster to air a delayed Gaza documentary on the plight of medics in Gaza.
The open letter, addressed to BBC Director-General Tim Davie, calls for the release of Gaza: Medics Under Fire, which documents the experiences of Palestinian health workers operating under Israeli bombardment.
Signatories include Oscar-winning US actor Susan Sarandon, comedian Frankie Boyle, and Lindsey Hilsum, an English television journalist and writer.
According to the letter, 130 anonymous individuals also signed, including more than a dozen BBC staffers.
“We write to you again with deep concern about the censorship of Palestinian voices-this time, medics operating in unimaginable conditions in Gaza,” said the letter.
The signatories accused the BBC of “demonstrating bias” in its reporting on Gaza and expressed concern about the broadcaster’s “balance and impartiality.”
“It has repeatedly delayed the broadcast of Gaza: Medics Under Fire, a documentary made by Oscar-nominated, Emmy and Peabody award-winning filmmakers, including Ben de Pear, Karim Shah and Ramita Navai,” the letter said.
The documentary details attacks on Palestinian health workers and hospitals in Gaza amid ongoing Israeli attacks which have killed nearly 53,000 Palestinians since Oct. 7, 2023.
– Stories ‘buried’ by bureaucracy and political censorship
In a statement, Health Workers 4 Palestine said: “The health workers featured in this documentary have witnessed countless colleagues being killed, and have risked their lives not only to care for their patients, but to document and expose the relentless targeting by Israel of healthcare infrastructure and personnel.”
Expressing solidarity with the medics of Gaza “whose voices are being silenced,” the group said that their stories are being “buried by bureaucracy and political censorship.”
“If the voices of Palestinian doctors aren’t considered credible-just as the voices of Palestinian children were previously dismissed-then whose voices does the BBC consider legitimate?” the group asked.
Basement Films, the production company behind the film, also criticized the delay, saying: “Every day this film is delayed, the BBC fails in its commitment to inform the public, fails in its journalistic responsibility to report the truth, and fails in its duty of care to these brave contributors.”
– Broader criticism of BBC coverage
The BBC has faced mounting criticism over its coverage of the Gaza conflict. Last week, protesters gathered outside the broadcaster’s London headquarters accusing it of “hiding genocide” after it reportedly shelved another documentary titled Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to deepen. According to the World Bank, nearly 2.4 million people are now entirely dependent on aid, and Israel has kept Gaza’s border crossings closed to humanitarian supplies for some 9 weeks.
More than 52,800 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.