Bisan Owda is a young Palestinian journalist, activist, and filmmaker. Through her moving social media videos, beginning with the phrase "I'm still alive," she earned widespread recognition for her work documenting life under siege and war in Gaza. In June 2024, Owda won a Peabody Award in the News category for her show “It's Bisan from Gaza and I'm Still Alive.”
In July, Owda and media outlet AJ+ were nominated at the 2024 News & Documentary Emmy Awards for Outstanding Hard News Feature Story Short Form. But soon after it was announced, her nomination drew outrage from pro-Israeli groups, citing alleged links to terrorism to overturn Owda's Emmy nomination.
The misleading smear campaign sought to have Owda’s nomination for the Emmy Award rescinded for her work.
Who is Bisan Owda?
Bisan Owda is a 27-year-old Palestinian filmmaker, activist, and storyteller. Prior to the devastating war on Gaza, Owda presented her love for storytelling through her show "Hakawatia" (The Storyteller) on Roya TV, exploring a range of topics from social issues to Palestinian history, food, farming, and cultural heritage. In addition, Owda gained recognition for her work on gender equality and climate change at the United Nations and the European Union, where she holds the title of E.U. Goodwill Ambassador.
In addition to her efforts to represent Palestinian culture, Owda celebrated her love of the natural beauty of Gaza and Palestine. “Palestine—Gaza My Home Forever” captions a video of Bisan standing proudly and looking passionately over green fields of Gaza.
Since Israel launched its assault on the territory last October, Owda has been at the forefront of reporting from Gaza, highlighting the plight of Palestinians to a worldwide audience amidst 11 months of genocide by Israel.
At the start of the war, Israeli airstrikes targeted her home, office, and equipment, forcing her and her family to seek refuge in the Al-Shifa Medical Complex. Despite losing her filming equipment to the bombardment, Owda started using her phone to record videos and share them on social media to provide an unfiltered glimpse of the daily struggles of those living under the siege in Gaza. She opens each video with the sentence, “Hey everyone, it’s Bisan from Gaza, and I’m still alive,” aiming to draw international awareness of the genocide in Gaza.
Owda has gained an international audience, and her reportage has attracted major news outlets such as ABC News, CBS News, the BBC, and Al Jazeera.
Bisan Owda Honored with Peabody Award for Coverage of Gaza Conflict
In May, the Palestinian journalist Bisan Owda won a Peabody Award, which she accepted from a refugee camp, for her coverage of the impact of the Israeli brutal war on Gaza. AJ+, a social media news and storytelling project from the Al Jazeera Media Network, produced Owda’s winning documentary titled “It’s Bisan From Gaza and I’m Still Alive.”
The eight-minute documentary follows Owda’s journey as she was forced to leave her home in Gaza, facing multiple displacements amid Israel’s ongoing genocidal war on the Strip.
The film features harrowing scenes, including the sounds of bombings, an interview with an 11-year-old who lost parents in an Israeli airstrike, and the daily challenges of securing food, water, fuel, electricity, and healthcare.
“Reporting from her makeshift tent outside the medical center, she shows what survival looks like for her and the masses around her, drawing on her indomitable spirit to keep the world informed of the day-to-day reality on the ground in Gaza,” the Peabody board of jurors said in a statement announcing the award winners.
Bisan Owda Earns Emmy Nomination for News and Documentary
On July 25, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) announced the nominees for the 45th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards. Bisan Owda has received a News & Documentary Emmy nomination for her work.
Bisan Owda was nominated in the News and Documentary category of Outstanding Hard News Feature Story Short Form. However, the nomination sparked controversy as a pro-Israeli group accused the Emmy-nominated Palestinian filmmaker of having links to terrorism, launching a smear campaign aimed at overturning her nomination.
A Pro-Israeli Group Falsely Accuses Bisan Owda of Terrorist Ties
In August 19, the Pro-Israeli Creative Community for Peace (CCFP) organization alleged that Owda had “documented ties” to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), “a United States-designated terrorist organization.” The non-profit also accused Owda of having “disseminated antisemitic content” and said the “Emmys cannot allow their prestigious award show to be hijacked by terrorists.”
The CCFP has managed to gather 150 “entertainment executives and professionals who signed a letter organized by ‘Creative Community for Peace’ calling for Owda’s nomination to be revoked due to her terrorist ties. Signatories included Jewish billionaire Haim Saban.
The smear letter calls on the National Academy for Television and Arts and Sciences (NATAS) to cancel Owda’s nomination in the category of Outstanding Hard News Feature Story: Short Form, on the grounds that the Palestinian journalist has a “history of promoting dangerous falsehoods, spreading antisemitism, and condoning violence.”
The letter alleged Owda's affiliation with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The PFLP is a left-wing Palestinian political movement and is designated a “terrorist organization” by several Western countries, including the United States.
“A United States-designated terrorist organization raises serious ethical concerns that cannot and should not be ignored. Honoring someone linked to an organization that has caused so much pain and suffering is not just irresponsible; it is a direct affront to the values we hold dear in the entertainment industry.”
The CCFP letter urged 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.”
The PFLP allegations stem from posts on the X platform made by a communications analyst that purport to show Owda, 25, speaking at PFLP-related events as a teenager between 2014 and 2018.
However, Owda has denied any affiliation with the PFLP, according to a statement released by Al Jazeera on August 21. The media outlet issued in the statement that it stands with Owda, calling the allegations "baseless" and "an attempt to silence Bisan and present a real threat to her safety on the ground."
Emmys Defend Bisan Owda Amid Pro-Israel Calls to Dismiss Gaza Journalist
In response to calls for disqualification, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) affirmed its support for the Emmy nomination of Palestinian reporter Bisan Owda’s eight-minute documentary on her experience during the Israeli attack on Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza in April.
On August 20, the CEO of the National Academy for Television, Arts, and Sciences, Adam Sharp, defended the nomination of Palestinian journalist Bisan Owda’s documentary in the News and Documentary Emmy Awards ballot, following the open letter calling for the film to be removed.
In his response, which was published through Hollywood and media news agency "Deadline," Adam Sharp stated that the Academy was aware of the reports tying Owda to the PFLP as a teenager but “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.”
Furthermore, pointed out that the documentary "It's Bisan From Gaza and I’m Still Alive” underwent review by two successive panels of independent judges for its nomination and that the Academy “found no grounds, to date, upon which to overturn the editorial judgment of the independent journalists who reviewed the material.”
Bisan Owda Wins Emmy Award
The Palestinian journalist Bisan Owda has won the Emmy for her AJ+ documentary, “It’s Bisan from Gaza and I’m Still Alive.” The winners were announced on September 25, 2024, in New York City by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, recognizing the network's outstanding journalism and storytelling in conflict zones and investigative reporting.
John Laurence, the senior executive producer at AJ+, accepted the award for Owda, as she remained trapped in the Gaza strip.
“We’d like to thank the academy for this recognition; this award is testimony to the power of one woman, armed only with an iPhone, who survived almost a year of bombardment,” he began.
“We thank you, our journalistic community, for this recognition for Bisan and for the AJ+ team, and we urge you to join us in saying journalism is not a crime,” he added.
Commenting on her international recognition, Bisan Owda stated, "We all know the truth, but our fear undermines our ability to say it out loud and sometimes even drives us to hide it! But remember that a world without colonialism is a world without fear... and that truth is the only way we can be free from fear."
"This award is a testament to young Palestinian journalists and their professionalism. Bisan's reporting has humanized the Palestinian story after decades of mainstream media's systematic dehumanization of Palestinians. Winning this Emmy is a win for humanity. We feel extremely proud of this bright moment amidst ongoing genocide, and Bisan will continue reporting," said Dima Khatib, Managing Director of AJ+ Channels.
Israel’s War on Gaza Is the Deadliest Conflict on Record for Journalists
On September 27, the Committee to Protect Journalists published a report indicating that at least 115 journalists and media workers have been killed since Israel launched its brutal assault on the Gaza Strip on October 7.
According to the report, the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza marked the deadliest period for journalists since the organization began gathering data in 1992. The committee is investigating almost 350 additional cases of "potential killings, arrests, and injuries," as well as assaults, threats, cyberattacks, censorship, and killings of family members.
Additionally, U.N. experts reported that the Israeli war on Gaza is the deadliest and most dangerous conflict for journalists in recent history and accused the IOF of "blatantly disregarding international law" by killing, attacking, injuring, and detaining journalists.
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) has consistently claimed that it does not intentionally target journalists in Gaza; however, it has informed the media that it cannot ensure their safety. Additionally, it has been falsely alleged that some of those killed were Hamas militants who used journalism as a cover.
"Israel is at war with Hamas. Israel is not at war with civilians in Gaza," said Daniel Hagari, one of the main spokespeople for the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) to CBC News.
"The IDF has never and will never deliberately target journalists." Daniel Hagari added.
According to experts and sources consulted by Al Jazeera, the Israeli military demonstrates a consistent pattern of targeting journalists, discrediting them, destroying media outlets, banning foreign media, and obstructing the reentry of Palestinian journalists who have departed.
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