Emmy body defends nomination of Gaza journalist Bisan Owda after 150 industry pros call for it to be revoked

The National Academy for Television and Arts and Sciences has responded to calls for a Palestinian journalist to have her Emmy nomination rescinded, after more than 150 celebrities and entertainment industry professionals penned a letter arguing against the nod.

Bisan Atef Owda, 25, was nominated in the category of Outstanding Hard News Feature Story for It’s Bisan from Gaza and I’m Still Alive. The documentary, created with AJ+, an imprint of Al Jazeera, which is also nominated, chronicles the journey of Owda as her family flee the bombardment of their home in Beit Hanoun in the Gaza strip.

However, Creative Community for Peace, a Jewish non-profit organisation which describes its mission as “to educate about rising antisemitism within the entertainment industry, and to galvanise support against the cultural boycott of Israel”, alleged that Owda has ties with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a group which is a proscribed terrorist organisation in the US, Japan, and European Union.

Over 150 people, including Will & Grace star Debra Messing, Cruel Intentions actor Selma Blair, former Paramount CEO Sherry Lansing, head of WME Rick Rosen, billionaire Haim Saban, and entertainment manager Michael Rotenberg signed a letter asking for the journalist’s nomination to be revoked.

“NATAS must decide – they can either condone the murder of innocent civilians or they can listen to the entertainment community, and stand in opposition to hatred and violence,” the impassioned letter chastised.

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However, NATAS CEO President Adam Sharp responded to the letter saying it had been “unable to corroborate these reports, nor has it been able, to date, to surface any evidence of more contemporary or active involvement by Owda with the PFLP organisation”.

In a letter addressed to Ari Ingel, the executive director of Creative Community for Peace, Sharp noted that Emmy-nominated documentaries in the past “have been controversial, giving a platform to voices that certain viewers may find objectionable or even abhorrent. But all have been in the service of the journalistic mission to capture every facet of the story.”

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Owda gained millions of followers on social media since Hamas attacks on 7 October as she documented the destruction of “70 per cent of our infrastructure” in Gaza following Israeli military action. Israel’s campaign is currently being reviewed for a “plausible” risk of genocide by the International Court of Justice, and more than 40,000 people, mostly women and children have been reported killed. Israel vehemently denies any wrongdoing and insists its goal is to eradicate Hamas.

As other Gaza journalists including New York Times photographer Motaz Azaiza and Al Jazeera correspondent Wael Al Dahdouh were forced to leave following the deaths of friends and family members, Owda has remained in the strip, living out of a tent.

The documentary for which she is nominated is named after the opening line to all of her videos, which she begins with, “Hello, it’s Bisan from Gaza, and I’m still alive.”

The full text of NATA’s response is included below:

Thank you for your letter of August 19, 2024, concerning the nomination of “It’s Bisan From Gaza and I’m Still Alive” for a 2024 News & Documentary Emmy Award.

The News & Documentary Emmys have recognized excellence in television journalism for nearly half a century. Thehonored programs and reports have taken viewers to the front lines of every world conflict, probed political and cultural divides, and sought to illuminate even the darkest circumstances. Some of these works have been controversial, giving a platform to voices that certain viewers may find objectionable or even abhorrent. But all have been in the service of the journalistic mission to capture every facet of the story.

In every case, submissions to the News & Documentary Emmys are judged by experienced journalists from across multiple news organizations, serving in an independent, volunteer capacity. NATAS does not intervene in or countermand the judgment of these journalists except when competition rules have been violated, nor does NATAS determine the eligibility or ineligibility of news reporting based on the political views represented.

“It’s Bisan From Gaza and I’m Still Alive” was reviewed by two successive panels of independent judges, including senior editorial leadership from each significant U.S. broadcast news network. It was selected for nomination from among more than 50 submissions in one of the year’s most competitive categories.The piece was also recognized for journalistic achievement by the Peabody Awards and the Edward R. Murrow Awards, each administered by processes and organizations wholly separate from and independent of NATAS and the News & Documentary Emmys.

NATAS is aware of reports, cited in your letter and initially surfaced by a communications consultant in the region, that appear to show a then-teenaged Bisan Owda speaking at various PFLP-associated events between six and nine years ago. NATAS has been unable to corroborate these reports, nor has it been able, to date, to surface any evidence of more contemporary or active involvement by Owda with the PFLP organization.

Most critically, the content submitted for award consideration was consistent with competition rules and NATAS policies. Accordingly, NATAS has found no grounds, to date, upon which to overturn the editorial judgment of the independent journalists who reviewed the material.

Thank you. I appreciate your courtesy in sharing our response with your cosigners.

Sincerely,

Adam Sharp,

NATAS President & CEO