C4 picks up ‘duly impartial’ Gaza doc dropped by BBC

Channel 4’s current affairs boss Louisa Compton has hailed the “duly impartial view” offered by Basement Films’ Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, after the broadcaster snapped up the doc following the BBC’s recent decision to pull the plug on it.

Compton, head of news and current affairs and specialist factual and sport, said the film has been “thoroughly” fact-checked and verified to meet C4’s editorial and compliance standards, as well as Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code.

The BBC handed the rights back to Basement 10 days ago, stating: “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”. Its initially had paused broadcasting the doc it originally commissioned due to the ongoing investigation into Hoyo Films’ Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone.

Doctors Under Attack examines allegations that Israeli forces have repeatedly targeted hospitals and abused doctors and healthcare workers during the Gaza conflict, in breach of international law.

Compton said the doc is “important journalism” that serves the public interest and presents an impartial view of a divisive subject that provokes dispute about what constitutes a fact, and complements C4’s previous docs on the conflict, such as One Day in October, State of Rage and the Broadcast Award-winning Kill Zone: Inside Gaza.

She wrote: “C4 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.”

Though Compton did not name the BBC in a lengthy op-ed setting out her rationale for acquiring the film, she noted the original commissioning broadcaster “took a different view of the original content and decided not to broadcast it”.

The corporation’s decommission followed high-profile public criticism from Basement boss Ben de Pear during a panel at Sheffield DocFest earlier this month, in which he branded director general Tim Davie a “PR person” making editorial decisions “he is not capable of making”.

Compton added: “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.”

Outside of the UK, the film will air on Zeteo, a subscription media company created by British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan.

Basement Films said: “This is the third film we have made about the assault on Gaza since 7 October at Basement Films, and whilst none of them have been easy this became by far the most difficult.

“As ever we owe everything to our Palestinian colleagues on the ground; over 200 of whom have been killed by Israel, and the doctors and medics who trusted us with their stories. 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 will TX at 10pm on Wednesday 2 July on Channel 4