The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) is under pressure from over 150 entertainment industry leaders to rescind a 2024 News & Documentary Emmy nomination for journalist Bisan Atef Owda. Owda and the media outlet AJ+ are nominated in the Outstanding Hard News Feature Story Short Form category for the documentary “It’s Bisan From Gaza and I’m Still Alive,” which follows her family’s harrowing escape from their bombarded home in Beit Hanoun to the supposed safety of Al-Shifa Hospital.
The controversy erupted after Creative Community For Peace (CCFP), a nonprofit organization, raised concerns about Owda’s alleged ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a group designated as a terrorist organization by the United States. CCFP’s letter, which was first reported by Puck, was signed by high-profile figures including Debra Messing, Sherry Lansing, Rick Rosen, Haim Saban, and Michael Rotenberg.
David Renze, co-founder and Chairman of CCFP, issued a strong statement: “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.”
In response, NATAS CEO and President Adam Sharp addressed a letter to Ari Ingel, executive director of CCFP, acknowledging the controversy. Sharp noted that while some documentaries considered for Emmy nominations have been contentious, “all have been in the service of the journalistic mission to capture every facet of the story.”
As the debate intensifies, NATAS is facing increased scrutiny over its decision, with the entertainment community divided on whether the nomination should stand or be withdrawn.
Here is Sharp’s letter:
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. The honored 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
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