The American body responds to an open letter from a pro-Israel nonprofit and others, asking it to rescind the AJ+ contributor’s nomination.
The National Academy for Television and Arts and Sciences (NATAS) has defended its decision to nominate AJ+ contributor Bisan Owda for an Emmy after Creative Community for Peace, a pro-Israel nonprofit organisation, issued a letter criticising the nomination.
Owda, 25, from war-hit Gaza, was nominated along with AJ+ in the Outstanding Hard News Feature Story category for the documentary, It’s Bisan from Gaza and I’m Still Alive. AJ+ is part of the Al Jazeera Media Network.
The documentary follows her journey as she is forced to leave her home in Gaza City and displaced numerous times amid Israel’s 10-month war on Gaza.
The letter alleges Owda was affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which she has denied. The PFLP is a left-wing Palestinian political movement, and is designated a “terrorist organisation” by several Western countries, including the United States.
Adam Sharp, the academy’s president and chief executive, defended the nomination on Tuesday, saying that two panels, including experienced journalists, had made the decision and that the academy had not found any evidence that Owda was affiliated with the PFLP.
He said that past nominees had “been controversial, giving a platform to voices that certain viewers may find objectionable or even abhorrent”, but they were honoured “in the service of the journalistic mission to capture every facet of the story”.
Al Jazeera issued a statement, saying it stood with Owda “in the face of efforts to silence her reporting from Gaza”.
The media group described Owda as a “renowned journalist and influencer” who “has significantly contributed to bringing news from Gaza to the world with her unique style”.
Al Jazeera said the allegations were “baseless” and “an attempt to silence Bisan and present a real threat to her safety on the ground”.
“The call for the Emmy nomination to be rescinded is nothing more than an attempt to deny an important perspective to the global audience on the war and its devastating impact on innocent civilians,” the statement read.
In the past 11 months, more than 160 journalists, including three from Al Jazeera, have been killed by Israeli forces.
“We urge the international journalistic community to support Bisan and other media professionals, ensuring they can carry out their essential work without fear of being targeted, intimidated or killed,” Al Jazeera’s statement said.