The News & Documentary Emmy Awards will not void Palestinian journalist Bisan Atef Owda’s nomination amid activist group outcry over her alleged involvement in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a U.S.-designated terrorist organization.
In a Tuesday letter addressed to Creative Community for Peace executive director Ari Ingel, Adam Sharp — president and CEO of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the organizing body behind the News & Documentary Emmy Awards — said that “NATAS has been unable to corroborate these reports” of Owda’s involvement in PFLP, “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,” Sharp added in the letter obtained by TheWrap, “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.”
Owda and media outlet AJ+ were nominated at the 2024 News & Documentary Emmy Awards for Outstanding Hard News Feature Story Short Form. As TheWrap previously exclusively reported, CCFP was at the forefront of uncovering the Palestinian journalist’s alleged involvement with the terrorist organization and called on NATAS earlier this month to rescind her nomination.
That effort was followed by a CCFP open letter, made public Monday and signed by over 150 entertainment industry leaders, calling on NATAS to act. Among the signatories were Haim Saban, Selma Blair, Debra Messing, Rebecca De Mornay, Sherry Lansing, Rick Rosen, Ben Silverman, Modi Wiczyk, Fernando Szew, Michael Rotenberg, Emmanuelle Chriqui and Fred Tozcek.
“The Emmys are a prestigious entertainment institution, known for recognizing excellence in entertainment, often highlighting the unifying power of the arts,” the CCFP letter reads. “Choosing to elevate someone with clear ties to the PFLP not only legitimizes a terrorist organization, it undermines the integrity of the awards. We urge NATAS to rescind Owda’s nomination to prevent glorifying a figure associated with terrorism and ensure the Emmys remain a symbol of peace and artistic collaboration.”
Owda’s project “It’s Bisan From Gaza and I’m Still Alive,” documents her daily life in Gaza as Israel’s counter attack on Hamas has ravaged the region since Oct. 7 of last year. The journalist, activist and filmmaker is best known for her work on social media platforms like Instagram (4.7 million followers) and TikTok (191,500 followers), in which she documents her experience during the ongoing Israel-Hamas War in Gaza. She won a Peabody Award for “It’s Bisan From Gaza and I’m Still Alive” earlier this year.
CCFP, a pro-Israel nonprofit organization, discovered Owda’s supposed long-standing ties to PFLP, which has been a designated terrorist organization in the U.S. since 1997, earlier this month. The journalist previously spoke at PFLP rallies and hosted events to honor Palestinians injured or killed in violent confrontations with Israeli soldiers. In 2018, the PFLP explicitly referred to Owda as a member of the Progressive Youth Union of the organization.
Sharp wrote in NATAS’ response, however, that the appearances cited are from “between six and nine years ago” when Owda was still a teenager. The connection between Owda and the PFLP was first unearthed on X on July 26 by activist Eitan Fischberger.
Read Sharp’s letter in full below:
Dear Mr. Ingel:
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
President & CEO
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Inc.
Deadline first published Sharp’s letter in response to Ingel.
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