Leading Broadcasters Demand Reinstatement of Special Award Recognising Gaza Journalists

Broadcasters Jonathan Dimbleby, Lindsey Hilsum, Sangita Myska, Matt Frei, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Alex Crawford, Fergal Keane and Orla Guerin are among more than 400 TV and journalism professionals who have sent a letter to the leadership of the Royal Television Society (RTS) demanding transparency around its decision-making after the charity abruptly cancelled its Special Award for journalists in Gaza last week. 

The letter (copied in full below) “strongly urges” the RTS to reinstate the Special Award at their forthcoming Television Awards ceremony on 25 March.  

The program-makers, who include Channel 4’s chief correspondent Alex Thompson, executive producer and former editor of Channel 4 News Ben de Pear, Oscar-winning directors Kevin MacDonald and Asif Kapadia, and RTS- and Emmy-winning director Ramita Navai, say the RTS’ cancellation of the award “reveals a concerning lack of independence, due process and accountability” . 

The group has copied their letter to King Charles, Royal Patron of the RTS, and requested to meet with him.  

The letter seeks answers regarding the timeline of the charity’s decision making that led to the cancellation of the Special Award and it questions whether due process can have been followed. 

The media workers say that Palestinian journalists are “dying in unprecedented numbers in order to bring the news to British screens.”

They say that despite the extreme challenges journalists in Gaza face, their work has “made a profound impact, showcasing resourcefulness, creativity, and enterprise under extreme conditions, which the RTS itself values in its awards criteria”.

The signatories, who include multiple RTS members, award-winners and former judges, question the standard of scrutiny to which Palestinian journalists, uniquely, are held to. They ask:

“Is the RTS suggesting that everyone in Gaza, and specifically its journalists, can be assumed to be guilty of something and must be proven innocent before they are worthy of recognition for their hard work and sacrifices? Has the RTS ever applied this standard to any other groups of journalists anywhere else in the world?”

Further, the programme-makers demand the charity disclose any third party pressure to scrap the award. They ask:

“Where lobbying was done by special interest groups, were any efforts made to seek out counter-balancing sources or views and were those also taken into consideration?” 

Separately, Sky journalist Alex Crawford took to X/Twitter on March 10 to criticise a statement by the Board of Deputies of British Jews that said that its president had spoken to RTS CEO Theresa White about “certain nominations”. Crawford praised Palestinian journalists in Gaza for their bravery and described the Board’s intervention as “outrageous pressure”.


IMPORTANT NOTE:
UK Screen Industry is an unaffiliated, independent group of media professionals. Artists for Palestine UK is honoured to host statements from independent initiatives that seek to defend the democratic, transparent and fair functioning of our institutions and which share our values with regards to equality and anti-racism.


The letter and list of signatories in full:

Dear Chair and Members of the Board,

We are writing as television and film professionals, including Royal Television Society (RTS) members, nominees and award-winners, to express our shock and disgust regarding the recent decision to withdraw the 2025 Special Award due to be given to recognise the journalists of Gaza who have been recording the conflict, work which has cost at least 170 of them their lives.

The RTS had initially decided to honour these journalists at the Television Journalism Awards on 5 March 2025, but subsequently reversed this decision on the day of the awards. The RTS Special Award is specifically designed to recognise an outstanding contribution to the advancement of video journalism that goes beyond conventional categories. Journalists in Gaza have indeed achieved this with exceptional coverage that, despite unimaginable challenges, has brought the realities of the war to a global audience. Their work has made a profound impact, showcasing resourcefulness, creativity, and enterprise under extreme conditions, which the RTS itself values in its awards criteria.

We are particularly concerned by the lack of transparency surrounding the decision to withdraw the award. The Special Award, as outlined in your criteria, is given at the discretion of the Society following a process that includes discussions and recommendations from Jury Chairs and Entrant representatives/nominators. This raises the overarching question: who was involved in the decision-making process, and on what grounds was the Special Award for Gaza journalists withheld? 

As such, and as members of the broader media community who value the principles of journalistic integrity, transparency, and recognition of exceptional work in challenging circumstances, we are seeking clarity on several aspects of this decision.

1. Decision-Making Process: 

Could you please provide information on how this decision was reached? According to your published criteria, Special Awards are “awarded or deferred at the discretion of the Society following discussion and guidance from the Jury Chairs and Entrants representatives” and recommendations are made by “the RTS Committee of Neutral Chairs.” We would like to understand:

  • Was the decision to revoke the Special Award made by the full Board of Trustees, a specific awards committee, or another body within the RTS structure? What role did the Chief Executive or other Staff play in this decision? What consultations, if any, were made before arriving at this decision? 
  • What is the timeline of decision-making on this, laying out a) when, by whom and in which form concerns about awarding the Special Award were first raised, b) when, between whom, and in which form discussions on the matter were conducted by the RTS leadership, c) when, by whom and on which formal basis the decision was finally made and d) how that decision was communicated both internally and externally?
  • Was the initial decision to recognise Gaza journalists made through the established process laid out in your Television Journalism Awards Rules?
  • Was the subsequent reversal of this decision made through the same process?
  • Which specific body within the RTS structure had the final authority in this matter?
  • Were all relevant stakeholders, including the Committee of Neutral Chairs, Jury Chairs, and Entrants representatives / nominators properly consulted at each stage? 
  • Was the Board of Trustees, a specific awards committee, or another body within the RTS structure consulted? Were any representatives or members of the Centres Council consulted? Were any representatives or members of the Principal Patrons Group consulted? 
  • Were Minutes kept of any meetings held regarding this matter?

2. Criteria and Justification: 

The RTS Journalism Awards’ overarching criteria specifically highlight several elements that seem particularly relevant to the work of Gaza journalists:

   – “Quality of the journalism… particularly in the context of the type of market where the entry is mainly targeted”

   – “Impact and resonance with the target audience” 

   – “Enterprise… creative, original, resourceful and imaginative approaches”

   – “Technical quality… measured in the context of production pressures; for example, turn-round time and the conditions under which an item is produced”

Given that journalists in Gaza have been working under unprecedented danger to provide eyewitness documentation of a major international conflict – often with minimal equipment, disrupted communications, and at great personal cost, including serious injury and loss of life – their work appears to exemplify these criteria in extraordinary ways. We would like to understand the specific rationale for withdrawing recognition that would appear to align so strongly with these stated values.

In a statement provided to The New Arab, the RTS said: “Investigations have recently been launched into a number of news reports from Gaza and, as those reviews are ongoing, we didn’t feel it was appropriate to proceed with the award this year.”

As the RTS has made explicit its assertion of a link between the Special Award and those other news reports from Gaza, could you explain to us what the nature of that link is? What do alleged mistakes made as the results of editorial decisions and/or failures within broadcasters in London have to do with a cohort of people reporting in the most deadly conflict for journalists since the Second World War?

Further, in relation to this statement, we would like to note point 4 of the RTS Awards conditions of entry (below) and to point out that no regulatory investigation has been announced in relation to any Gaza films. On the contrary, OFCOM last week announced they would NOT be conducting a regulatory investigation into the BBC’s film, and would allow the BBC to independently make their own internal reviews. Does this mean that ANY programme which is subject to an internal review by its broadcaster can, as a result, have its designated awards rescinded from it because those internal reviews are underway? 

4. REGULATORY ISSUES: If an entry is under investigation for any reason, the entrant should make this known at the time of entry. The RTS may reject an entry which is subject to a regulatory investigation.’

3. Procedural Transparency:

Given that it has been widely reported that the RTS has been lobbied on this matter,  we ask  the following questions: 

Were any external factors or pressures involved in this reversal? What lobbying did the RTS become subject to, from whom, at which time? Where lobbying was done by special interest groups, were any efforts made to seek out counter-balancing sources or views and were those also taken into consideration? If so, please provide details of those counter-balancing arguments and who they were sought from. 

Please also provide details of all emails and discussions from the RTS around this discussion and decision.

Was this decision to withdraw the Special Award made in accordance with the RTS Articles of Association and the established rules and procedures for your awards programs? 

4. Precedent and Consistency: 

Has the RTS previously considered or awarded Special Awards to journalists working in conflict zones? If so, were any of those withdrawn?  If not, what distinguishes those situations from the current circumstances in Gaza such that they could be awarded but this award to journalists in Gaza could not?

At last year’s RTS Awards, there was going to be an award presented to Palestinian journalists too, but it was felt that it was too soon after 7 October 2023. Is this still the case 18 months on?

5. Diversity Commitment: 

The RTS awards criteria explicitly state that “judges are asked to ensure that these awards reflect diversity within the industry and within wider society.” Given this stated commitment, we question whether the withdrawal of recognition for journalists working in Gaza upholds this principle of reflecting diverse perspectives, particularly from a region where independent journalism faces extreme challenges.

The work of journalists in Gaza during this conflict has been recognised globally for its courage and importance. Many of these journalists have lost colleagues, family members, and homes while continuing to report. Over 170 have lost their own lives. Their commitment to bearing witness under extraordinary circumstances represents the highest ideals of our profession.

We are concerned that the decision to withdraw the Special Award for Gaza’s journalists, and the manner in which it has been made, reveal a concerning lack of independence, due process and accountability at the RTS.

Does the manner in which this has been done mean that ANY award can be rescinded after a RTS jury has decided it?

Is the RTS suggesting everyone in Gaza, and specifically its journalists, can be assumed to be guilty of something and must be proven innocent before they are worthy of recognition for their hard work and sacrifices? Has the RTS ever applied this standard to any other groups of journalists anywhere else in the world?

We urge the RTS to reconsider its stance and re-evaluate the extraordinary efforts of these journalists. Their coverage is precisely the type of work that should be honoured through the Special Award, which aims to acknowledge achievements outside traditional categories. Failure to recognise these contributions undermines the RTS’s commitment to integrity, diversity, and excellence in journalism.

As you may know, a number of RTS members have in the last few days resigned their memberships of your organisation as a result of your decision. We urge you to treat their concerns and our’s with the seriousness and urgency which they merit. It is imperative that British television bodies abide by – and are seen to abide by – the same high standards of impartiality, balance and due process that we demand of the freelance journalists who are dying in unprecedented numbers in order to bring the news to British screens.

We strongly urge that the RTS Board of Trustees reinstates the Special Award at the RTS Television Awards ceremony. Not to do so will continue to cause further serious damage to the reputation of the RTS, and the British media more widely. We ask that RTS leadership meet with a delegation from among our numbers to discuss what has happened, as soon as possible.

We look forward to receiving your response in writing on this pressing and urgent matter.

Yours faithfully,

KhalidAbdallaActor
RoyAckermanFreelance Executive Producer
JosephAdesunloyeDirector
FatemeAhmadiFilmmaker
RiffyAhmedWriter/Director for Film and TV
SorayaAhmedProduction Executive
KhaldoonAhmedNHS doctor and filmmaker
ArifaAkbarJournalist
AdeelAkhtarActor
AyoAkinwolereBroadcaster
IsraAl KassiProgrammer
AidaAl-Kaisyconsultant
SakhrAl-MakhadhiExecutive Producer
SanaAliProducer
YasmineAlmosawiEditor
MisbahAlviExecutive Producer
KatAmara korbaProducer
AmirAmiraniFilm Director
NikAmmarComposer (RTS winner)
ImanAmraniJournalist
NadiraAmraniFilm and TV Director
JannahAunallahProduction Coordinator
AbirAwadResearcher
JanetAweDevelopment Producer
MobeenAzharJournalist
ShaistaAzizJournalist
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CharlotteBairstoProducer
TobyBakareSenior Producer
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AmandaBaxterFilm editor
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NickBettsExecutive Producer
ShoBhatiaSeries Producer/Director
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