A few of the best-known figures within the UK media sphere have signed a letter requesting a gathering with King Charles over the Royal Tv Society’s (RTS) resolution to scrap a particular recognition award for journalists in Gaza.
The King is the Royal Patron of the RTS and the group of practically 400 individuals have requested to fulfill with him and “demanded transparency” concerning the physique’s decision-making course of round its journalism awards.
The letter has been signed by BBC heavyweights together with Jonathan Dimbleby, Orla Guerin and Fergal Keane, together with the likes of Channel 4’s Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Matt Frei. Dimbleby branded the RTS “cowards” over the transfer.
The saga began with the RTS’ shock resolution to scrap a particular recognition award for journalists in Gaza as a result of not desirous to “add gas to the hearth” round Gaza: The right way to Survive a Warfare Zone, the BBC documentary that was pulled after it was revealed that the kid narrator was the son of a Hamas minister. The transfer has been criticized since, ensuing on this letter collated by the Artists for Palestine UK group.
Citing the 170 journalists who’ve misplaced their lives in Gaza, the letter, which will be learn in full beneath, says: “We urge the RTS to rethink its stance and re-evaluate the extraordinary efforts of those journalists. Their protection is exactly the kind of work that must be honoured by means of the Particular Award, which goals to acknowledge achievements outdoors conventional classes”
The letter divides its queries into 5 sections, taking difficulty with the RTS’ “decision-making course of,” “standards and justification,” “procedural transparency,” “precedent and consistency,” and “variety dedication.”
On the primary level, it asks for info on how the choice was reached. On “procedural transparency,” it says it has been “broadly reported that the RTS has been lobbied on this matter” and due to this fact asks “Have been any exterior components or pressures concerned on this reversal?” In an e-mail to jurors final week, Adrian Wells, chair of the RTS Tv Journalism Awards, stated that the award had turn out to be a “political soccer and the RTS is eager to not add gas to the hearth on this present setting.” Wells explicitly referenced assaults towards the BBC’s movie from right-wing newspapers, in addition to criticism of Channel 4 Information for additionally that includes in its protection 14-year-old Abdullah Al-Yazouri, the son of Ayman Al-Yazouri, the deputy minister of agriculture in Gaza’s Hamas-run authorities.
Failing to reinstate the award will “trigger additional severe harm to the popularity of the RTS, and the British media extra broadly,” the letter concludes, including: “We sit up for receiving your response in writing on this urgent and pressing matter.”
The group has copied their letter to King Charles and requested to fulfill with him. We are going to replace on their progress.
Deadline has reached out to the RTS for touch upon this letter. Final week, an RTS spokesperson stated: “Investigations have just lately been launched into quite a lot of information experiences from Gaza and, as these evaluations are ongoing, we didn’t really feel it was acceptable to proceed with the award this 12 months.”
The letter in full
Pricey Chair and Members of the Board,
We’re writing as tv and movie professionals, together with Royal Tv Society (RTS) members, nominees and award-winners, to precise our shock and disgust concerning the latest resolution to withdraw the 2025 Particular Award as a result of be given to recognise the journalists of Gaza who’ve been recording the battle, work which has value a minimum of 170 of them their lives.
The RTS had initially determined to honour these journalists on the Tv Journalism Awards on 5 March 2025, however subsequently reversed this resolution on the day of the awards. The RTS Particular Award is particularly designed to recognise an excellent contribution to the development of video journalism that goes past typical classes. Journalists in Gaza have certainly achieved this with distinctive protection that, regardless of unimaginable challenges, has introduced the realities of the battle to a worldwide viewers. Their work has made a profound impression, showcasing resourcefulness, creativity, and enterprise underneath excessive situations, which the RTS itself values in its awards standards.
We’re notably involved by the shortage of transparency surrounding the choice to withdraw the award. The Particular Award, as outlined in your standards, is given on the discretion of the Society following a course of that features discussions and suggestions from Jury Chairs and Entrant representatives/nominators. This raises the overarching query: who was concerned within the decision-making course of, and on what grounds was the Particular Award for Gaza journalists withheld?
As such, and as members of the broader media neighborhood who worth the ideas of journalistic integrity, transparency, and recognition of outstanding work in difficult circumstances, we’re in search of readability on a number of features of this resolution.
1. Resolution-Making Course of:
May you please present info on how this resolution was reached? In response to your revealed standards, Particular Awards are “awarded or deferred on the discretion of the Society following dialogue and steering from the Jury Chairs and Entrants representatives” and suggestions are made by “the RTS Committee of Impartial Chairs.” We want to perceive:
- Was the choice to revoke the Particular Award made by the total Board of Trustees, a particular awards committee, or one other physique throughout the RTS construction? What function did the Chief Government or different Workers play on this resolution? What consultations, if any, have been made earlier than arriving at this resolution?
- What’s the timeline of decision-making on this, laying out a) when, by whom and wherein type issues about awarding the Particular Award have been first raised, b) when, between whom, and wherein type discussions on the matter have been carried out by the RTS management, c) when, by whom and on which formal foundation the choice was lastly made and d) how that call was communicated each internally and externally?
- Was the preliminary resolution to recognise Gaza journalists made by means of the established course of specified by your Tv Journalism Awards Guidelines?
- Was the following reversal of this resolution made by means of the identical course of?
- Which particular physique throughout the RTS construction had the ultimate authority on this matter?
- Have been all related stakeholders, together with the Committee of Impartial Chairs, Jury Chairs, and Entrants representatives / nominators correctly consulted at every stage?
- Was the Board of Trustees, a particular awards committee, or one other physique throughout the RTS construction consulted? Have been any representatives or members of the Centres Council consulted? Have been any representatives or members of the Principal Patrons Group consulted?
- Have been Minutes saved of any conferences held concerning this matter?
2. Standards and Justification:
The RTS Journalism Awards’ overarching standards particularly spotlight a number of parts that appear notably related to the work of Gaza journalists:
– “High quality of the journalism… notably within the context of the kind of market the place the entry is principally focused”
– “Affect and resonance with the target market”
– “Enterprise… inventive, unique, resourceful and imaginative approaches”
– “Technical high quality… measured within the context of manufacturing pressures; for instance, turn-round time and the situations underneath which an merchandise is produced”
Provided that journalists in Gaza have been working underneath unprecedented hazard to supply eyewitness documentation of a serious worldwide battle – usually with minimal tools, disrupted communications, and at nice private value, together with severe harm and lack of life – their work seems to exemplify these standards in extraordinary methods. We want to perceive the particular rationale for withdrawing recognition that would seem to align so strongly with these acknowledged values.
In an announcement offered to The New Arab, the RTS stated: “Investigations have just lately been launched into quite a lot of information experiences from Gaza and, as these evaluations are ongoing, we didn’t really feel it was acceptable to proceed with the award this 12 months.”
Because the RTS has made specific its assertion of a hyperlink between the Particular Award and people different information experiences from Gaza, might you clarify to us what the character of that hyperlink is? What do alleged errors made because the outcomes of editorial choices and/or failures inside broadcasters in London need to do with a cohort of individuals reporting in essentially the most lethal battle for journalists for the reason that Second World Warfare?
Additional, in relation to this assertion, we want to be aware level 4 of the RTS Awards situations of entry (beneath) and to level out that no regulatory investigation has been introduced in relation to any Gaza movies. Quite the opposite, OFCOM final week introduced they’d NOT be conducting a regulatory investigation into the BBC’s movie, and would enable the BBC to independently make their very own inside evaluations. Does this imply that ANY programme which is topic to an inside overview by its broadcaster can, consequently, have its designated awards rescinded from it as a result of these inside evaluations are underway?
4. REGULATORY ISSUES: If an entry is underneath investigation for any cause, the entrant ought to make this identified on the time of entry. The RTS might reject an entry which is topic to a regulatory investigation.’
3. Procedural Transparency:
Provided that it has been broadly reported that the RTS has been lobbied on this matter, we ask the next questions:
Have been any exterior components or pressures concerned on this reversal? What lobbying did the RTS turn out to be topic to, from whom, at which era? The place lobbying was performed by particular curiosity teams, have been any efforts made to hunt out counter-balancing sources or views and have been these additionally considered? In that case, please present particulars of these counter-balancing arguments and who they have been sought from.
Please additionally present particulars of all emails and discussions from the RTS round this dialogue and resolution.
Was this resolution to withdraw the Particular Award made in accordance with the RTS Articles of Affiliation and the established guidelines and procedures to your awards packages?
4. Precedent and Consistency:
Has the RTS beforehand thought-about or awarded Particular Awards to journalists working in battle zones? In that case, have been any of these withdrawn? If not, what distinguishes these conditions from the present circumstances in Gaza such that they might be awarded however this award to journalists in Gaza couldn’t?
Eventually 12 months’s RTS Awards, there was going to be an award offered to Palestinian journalists too, nevertheless it was felt that it was too quickly after 7 October 2023. Is that this nonetheless the case 18 months on?
5. Range Dedication:
The RTS awards standards explicitly state that “judges are requested to make sure that these awards mirror variety throughout the trade and inside wider society.” Given this acknowledged dedication, we query whether or not the withdrawal of recognition for journalists working in Gaza upholds this precept of reflecting various views, notably from a area the place impartial journalism faces excessive challenges.
The work of journalists in Gaza throughout this battle has been recognised globally for its braveness and significance. Many of those journalists have misplaced colleagues, relations, and houses whereas persevering with to report. Over 170 have misplaced their very own lives. Their dedication to bearing witness underneath extraordinary circumstances represents the best beliefs of our career.
We’re involved that the choice to withdraw the Particular Award for Gaza’s journalists, and the style wherein it has been made, reveal a regarding lack of independence, due course of and accountability on the RTS.
Does the style wherein this has been performed imply that ANY award will be rescinded after a RTS jury has determined it?
Is the RTS suggesting everybody in Gaza, and particularly its journalists, will be assumed to be responsible of one thing and should be confirmed harmless earlier than they’re worthy of recognition for his or her exhausting work and sacrifices? Has the RTS ever utilized this normal to another teams of journalists anyplace else on the earth?
We urge the RTS to rethink its stance and re-evaluate the extraordinary efforts of those journalists. Their protection is exactly the kind of work that must be honoured by means of the Particular Award, which goals to acknowledge achievements outdoors conventional classes. Failure to recognise these contributions undermines the RTS’s dedication to integrity, variety, and excellence in journalism.
As chances are you’ll know, quite a lot of RTS members have in the previous few days resigned their memberships of your organisation because of your resolution. We urge you to deal with their issues and our’s with the seriousness and urgency which they benefit. It’s crucial that British tv our bodies abide by – and are seen to abide by – the identical excessive requirements of impartiality, steadiness and due course of that we demand of the freelance journalists who’re dying in unprecedented numbers in an effort to carry the information to British screens.
We strongly urge that the RTS Board of Trustees reinstates the Particular Award on the RTS Tv Awards ceremony. Not to take action will proceed to trigger additional severe harm to the popularity of the RTS, and the British media extra broadly. We ask that RTS management meet with a delegation from amongst our numbers to debate what has occurred, as quickly as doable.
We sit up for receiving your response in writing on this urgent and pressing matter.
Yours faithfully,
