The BBC's 'lose-lose' with Gaza

A documentary tells the story of Palestinian children in Gaza. It has already been broadcast, and the BBC discovers that one of the narrators, a 14-year-old boy, is the son of a former senior Hamas government official. The British corporation withdraws the piece and hundreds of journalists and documentary makers send a joint letter protesting against the decision. It should be noted that the British government includes Hamas on its official list of terrorist organisations. As the boy's mother received compensation - the amount has not been disclosed, but some sources suggest it is a small amount - the BBC has been put off by the fact that, in the most polarised international conflict in the world, it can be said to be financing terrorism. Audiovisual professionals who have spoken out against censorship see racism and believe that the child's parentage does not necessarily nullify the value of his story. And remember that 13,000 children have already died as a result of the Israeli response to the Hamas attack in October 2023. The BBC has a bad piece of the cloth, so whatever decision it makes will irritate the other side.

I think the key to the case is not whether or not the money was paid. What needs to be known is whether the young narrator's testimony is consistent and can withstand a contrast of the facts. If it is, if the horror he describes is proven, should he be punished by being silenced because of his father's parentage? As in my personal scale the informative interest is usually the greatest weight, I would not have finished the documentary, at least with the arguments that the BBC has offered so far (which has promised to investigate the case more thoroughly). A warning at the beginning of the piece would have provided the necessary information so that each viewer could judge. Excessive zeal once again puts British public media in an uncomfortable position.