The current affairs prize went to Gaza: Doctors Under Attack after it was pulled by the BBC last year, which the broadcaster said was because of impartiality concerns. It was later shown by Channel 4 instead.
The documentary’s reporter and producer, Ramita Navai, told the audience: “This award means so much to us,” then spoke about the numbers of women, children and healthcare workers who have been killed in Gaza.
“These are the findings of our organisation that the BBC failed to show but we refused to be silenced and censored and we thank Channel 4.”
Ben de Pear, the founder of Basement Films behind Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, added he had a question for the BBC: “Given you dropped our film, will you drop us from the Bafta screening later tonight?” He also thanked the journalists on the ground in Gaza.
When the BBC shelved the documentary, it said in a statement “it was determined to report all aspects of the conflict in the Middle East impartially and fairly.”
De Pear’s comments during the ceremony were later included in BBC One’s broadcast of the awards, as part of a round-up of some of the winners.
