Journalists covering the war in Gaza — including the 170 who have been killed — will now be recognized by the U.K.’s Royal Television Society (RTS) in a reversal of a decision that sparked two weeks of controversy, anger and debate from across the industry.
“The RTS will be making the Special Award for Journalists in Gaza at the Society’s Programme Awards on March 25,” a spokesperson for the organization said on Tuesday.
The special award was due to be presented at the RTS Journalism Awards held earlier this month, but was rescinded at the last minute. At the time, the organization said it didn’t want to “add fuel to the fire” surrounding the BBC’s “Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone” documentary, which was pulled after it was revealed that the child narrator was the son of a minister in the Hamas government (a move that also generated weeks of heated discussion on either side).
“A decision was taken not to present the Special Award at the Royal Television Society Television Journalism Awards at the ceremony on March 5,” the RTS spokesperson said in the latest update. “At that time, it was felt strongly that there was potential at the ceremony on the night for the recent controversy around some Gaza coverage to overshadow the Award.”
The move was immediately condemned by British journalists, including several well-known figures. A letter signed by nearly 400 people requested a meeting with RTS patron King Charles over the matter, and “demanded transparency” about the RTS’s decision-making processes. Renowned current affairs host Jonathan Dimbleby called the RTS “cowards.”
“We welcome the Royal Television Society’s U-turn in reinstating the Special Award for the courageous Palestinian journalists of Gaza,” said the Artists for Palestine UK group on the RTS reversal. “However, the charity’s statement does little to address or allay our concerns.”
The RTS announcement came on a day of intense bloodshed in Gaza, where more than 400 Palestinians are reported to have been killed in overnight strikes by Israel, breaking the ceasefire that came into effect in January.
