“Some edits were made so the content was compliant with BBC editorial guidelines on impartiality.”
The BBC has responded to reports that it edited out calls for a ceasefire in Gaza from its iPlayer coverage of the Scottish BAFTA Awards ceremony.
The awards show took place on Sunday 19th November, and saw some winners and presenters using their time on stage to show solidarity with Palestine – but these were not included in the edited version on BBC iPlayer.
As reported by The National, Eilidh Munro took home the prize for Best Short Film and Animation, and told those in the audience to “put pressure on institutions and our government” and to “use your voice as filmmakers and artists”, while her colleague Finlay Pretsell held up a poster that read: “I refuse to be silent. Ceasefire now.”
Similarly, Amir El-Masry, who presented the award for Best Actress in a Film, said at the ceremony: “Before I start, I just want to echo the sentiments earlier in saying my heart goes out all women, men and children who are suffering right now in Gaza. Let’s hope and pray that we see peace in the region and an imminent ceasefire.”
However, the moments were not shown in the BBC iPlayer edit.
The producers of A Long Winter have urged filmmakers to use their voice to “pressure institutions and government” to call for a ceasefire in Gaza at the Scottish Bafta Awards pic.twitter.com/TRootNEjU6
— The National (@ScotNational) November 19, 2023
A spokesperson for the BBC told RadioTimes.com that these edits were part of the online “highlights show”, which was “significantly shorter than the actual event itself”.
The original broadcast lasted around two hours and 15 minutes, whereas the iPlayer version lasted around 90 minutes.
“Cuts are made throughout in order to hit the programme’s run-time while representing as much of the event as possible,” the spokesperson explained.
“This means we do not broadcast all categories and these were identified before broadcast. We do not know who has won any of the awards before the event and we have same information as everyone else before and during the ceremony.
“Some edits were made so the content was compliant with BBC editorial guidelines on impartiality.”
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