[Media-watch] Flood of complaints as BBC postpones Israel investigation

[david Miller]

please complain and also praise the programme.


http://media.guardian.co.uk/iraqandthemedia/story/0,12823,916174,00.html

Flood of complaints as BBC postpones Israel investigation 

Jason Deans
Tuesday March 18, 2003 


Jane Root: decision 'will add fuel to conspiracy theorists'
 The BBC received more than 1,000 complaints from viewers after a controversial film comparing Iraq with Israel was axed just minutes before it was due to air. 

Israel's Secret Weapon, a Correspondent documentary for BBC2, investigated the state's secret nuclear bomb programme and compared it with Iraq's attempts to produce weapons of mass destruction.

The film was dropped from the BBC2 schedule at short notice on Sunday night because news coverage of the Azores summit on the Iraq war overran. But to the fury of viewers the programme was replaced with a repeat of a Fred Dibnah documentary about windmills.

Viewers angry with the decision to shelve the programme yesterday made 300 phone calls and sent 720 emails to the BBC.

The BBC said the show had been axed from its 7.15pm slot because BBC2's live coverage of the Azores press conference featuring Prime Minister Tony Blair and President George Bush overran.

However, the production team for the film is reported to be "furious" about the decision not to show it.

A leaked BBC memo from the BBC2 controller, Jane Root, to the Correspondent team yesterday admitted the decision to drop the film "will add fuel to the conspiracy theorists".

Ms Root added: "But it is simply one of the decisions we have to take regularly to keep the channel running as smoothly as possible when news events disrupt the normal schedule."

The Correspondent documentary went out last night at 11.20pm after midnight. 

However, it is understood the production team believe screening the programme in such a late timeslot will bury its important message.

The BBC claims the programme is a response to genuine concerns about "nuclear ambiguity" with regard to Israel and the policing of weapons of mass destruction.

Israel's Secret Weapon also claims the Israeli military used a new gas against Palestinians in Gaza in February 2001.

Jewish groups last week branded the film "one-sided" and "biased".

Neville Nagler, the director general of the board of deputies of British Jews, said: "I would suspect this film is one-sided and part of an agenda to liken Israel with rogue states in the Middle East."