AI and alibis: How BBC kept Queer Egypt sources safe

Reporter and director tell Press Gazette about the making of the "brave" BBC World Service documentary.

Screenshot from the BBC Queer Egypt documentary. AI mask used to hide the identity of one contributor. — AI mask used to hide the identity of one contributor. Screenshot from Queer Egypt. Picture: BBC News.

BBC World Service video documentary Queer Egypt Under Attack used AI face-tracking technology to anonymise victims of violence against members of the country’s LGBTQ+ community.

Press Gazette spoke to the documentary’s reporter and director following their win in the Social Affairs, Diversity and Inclusion category at the British Journalism Awards in December.

The judges said: “This was a really important piece of journalism with great bravery required by both reporters and sources.”