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The BBC is facing allegations of censoring calls for a ceasefire in Gaza during its coverage of the Scottish BAFTA awards.
Director Eilidh Munro, winner in the Short Film and Animation category at the Glasgow event, expressed disappointment over the broadcaster’s decision to omit her acceptance speech, which included a plea for a ceasefire in Gaza. Speaking to The National, Munro said, “It is deeply concerning that the BBC decided to cut the entire segment of our award acceptance speech. The BBC’s editorial decision to omit these peaceful signs of solidarity is neither neutral nor impartial.”
What happened?:
This all started after Munro and her colleague Finlay Pretsell used their stage time to advocate for a halt to the violence in Gaza. Pretsell displayed a poster reading, “I refuse to be silent. Ceasefire now,” a sentiment echoed by other public figures at the ceremony. However, these segments were absent in the final edit aired on BBC’s streaming service, iPlayer, prompting accusations of censorship against the broadcaster.
Addressing the issue, the BBC explained the iPlayer program as a highlights show, hence shorter than the actual event. A spokesperson added, “Some edits were made so the content was compliant with BBC editorial guidelines on impartiality.”