Thu Sep 26 14:19:21 UTC 2024: ## PFLP Activist Wins Emmy Amidst Controversy Over Hamas Hostage Film
**New York, NY** – The 45th Annual News & Documentary Emmys, held by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) in New York, were overshadowed by controversy surrounding a report by a known PFLP activist and the nomination of a film about the harrowing ordeal of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
The film, “Brother & Sister in Captivity”, detailed the brutal treatment of Itay and Maya Regev, siblings released in a hostage deal in late November. While the film failed to win the Current Affairs Program Emmy, it brought attention to the plight of the 101 hostages still held in Gaza.
The controversy centered around Bisan Owda’s report, “I’m Bisan and I’m Still Alive”, produced for Al Jazeera’s AJ+. The report won the Outstanding Hard News Feature Story – Short Form category. Owda is known to be an activist for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a terrorist organization designated by Israel, the US, and several other countries.
Owda’s ties to the PFLP sparked outrage from the Creative Community For Peace (CCFP) who called for the nomination’s withdrawal. Several celebrities, including Debra Messing, Sherry Lansing, and Haim Saban, signed the CCFP’s letter. NATAS, however, refused to rescind the nomination, citing an inability to corroborate Owda’s membership in the terror group.
The CCFP condemned the decision to award Owda an Emmy, arguing that it “celebrates PFLP propaganda and condones terrorism.” The organization further stated that the decision represents a “significant blind spot within the journalistic community.”
While the Regev family’s film did not win, their appearance at the ceremony highlighted the human cost of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Meanwhile, the awarding of the Emmy to Owda raises serious questions about journalistic ethics and the responsibility of media organizations to vet their contributors.
Other awards recognizing coverage of the conflict were awarded to CNN for outstanding breaking news coverage and ABC News Live for its live interview with an Israeli leader.
First Piper 