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The British Royal Television Society (RTS) has faced widespread criticism after reportedly making a last-minute decision to for journalists in Gaza during Wednesday’s Television Journalism Awards in the UK.

According to the US entertainment news outlet Deadline, the RTS stated in an email that it did not wish to "add fuel to the fire" by highlighting the work of Palestinian journalists in the devastated enclave.

The decision followed controversy surrounding the BBC documentary Gaza: How to Survive in a War Zone, which faced pro-Israel pressure and was later removed from the BBC's Iplayer platform following scrutiny over its child narrator, 14-year-old Abdullah Al-Yazouri.

His father, Ayman Al-Yazouri, served as Gaza’s deputy agriculture minister, a civilian role that was interpreted as a link to Hamas.

Deadline also reported that Adrian Wells, chair of the RTS Television Journalism Awards, had initially planned to dedicate the award to journalists in Gaza "to recognise their enormous efforts over the last 18 months or so of extreme pressure and endeavour.�

However, Wells later announced, “this award, in the end, will not be given on Wednesday."

He added: "Already this has become a political football, and the RTS is keen not to add fuel to the fire in this current environment. It is a shame that this cannot proceed, but rest assured there is a very strong showing and recognition of journalism from Gaza throughout the rest of the evening."

According to Deadline, Wells also explicitly referenced right-wing backlash over the BBC documentary, as well as criticism of UK broadcaster Channel 4 News for its coverage of Al-Yazouri.

Backlash

Following the decision, a backlash erupted across social media, with many accusing the RTS of silencing Palestinian journalists amid Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza.

TV producer and journalist Richard Sanders described the decision as "absolutely astonishing," adding that it "renders all the pious pronouncements on the night about the importance of a courageous free press laughable empty sanctimony."

One social media user condemned the move as "shameful, weak, craven, contemptible, and completely lacking in moral fibre".

In a statement provided to °®Âþµº, the RTS said that "a Special Award will not be presented at the 2025 RTS Television Journalism awards."

"Investigations have recently been launched into a number of news reports from Gaza and, as those reviews are ongoing, we didn’t feel it was appropriate to proceed with the award this year."

British activist group Artists for Palestine UK has since condemned the actions of the RTS.

A spokesperson from the organisation told °®Âþµº that the divisive move has "exposed the bias and moral cowardice of British media institutions."

The spokesperson added: "By recognising the courageous work of journalists in Gaza with the Special Award called for by its own jurors, the RTS could have provided them with a measure of protection.

"It is shameful that the RTS, an educational charity that is supposed to champion and defend journalism, inexplicably and unaccountably dropped the award."

Artists for Palestine UK said that British media institutions must take responsibility amid the ongoing controversy, by calling for the special recognition award to "immediately be reinstated."

"Those who withdrew it should be held to account," the Artists for Palestine UK spokesperson added.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)warning that Gaza-based journalists face extreme risks while covering the conflict, including famine, displacement, infrastructure destruction, and devastating Israeli airstrikes.

The organisation stated: "As of March 6, 2025, CPJ’s preliminary investigations showed at least 170 journalists and media workers were among the tens of thousands killed in Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, and Lebanon since the war began, making it the deadliest period for journalists since CPJ began gathering data in 1992."

According to CPJ, at least 11 journalists and two media workers were "directly targeted by Israeli forces in killings which CPJ classifies as murders."

The organisation has repeatedly called for accountability for Israeli attacks on journalists.