Ben Hunte Reporting for the BBC

[MockersthefeMANist]

Our Friends at SYP, hard at work:

"Two of the most dramatic rises in reports of homophobic hate crime were experienced by Yorkshire's biggest forces - West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire Police. West Yorkshire Police has seen reports increase from 172 to 961 over the past five years, while South Yorkshire police has seen reports rise from 73 to 375."

"Angela Williams, of West Yorkshire Police, said rising reports were in part down to "improvements in the way we record crime and the fact that many victims have the confidence to come forward. The proportion of crimes that resulted in a charge or summons, however, fell over the same time, from 19% to 4% in West Yorkshire and from 10% to 3% in South Yorkshire."

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-49509301

[TheShoesa]

It's not right that Lily had someone make the comment they did - I'm sure it was very hurtful - but it isn't a police matter is it? Or a hate crime?

[endofthelinefinally]

There is so much wrong with that BBC report, and the police comments, it is hard to know where to start. It is tedious.

[Popchyk]

Oh West Yorkshire Police again.

So busy logging transgender hate crimes that they have no time to investigate homophobic assaults.

WYP are the ones who spend all the time with Mermaids staff.

• Susie Green, CEO of Mermaids, calling WYP after she'd been on Good Morning Britain with Caroline Farrow.

• Susie Green, CEO of Mermaids, calling WYP on Posie Parker because Posie stated that Susie Green's child had genital surgery at 16. Which is true. Two officers dispatched across country to interview Posie.

• Mermaids Policy and Engagement Officer Natasha Handley calling WYP on Heather Brunskell-Evans and Councillor Sarah Field for speaking about women's rights.

• Mermaids Marketing Person Helen Islan calling WYP on Miranda Yardley for outing her child as transgender. Islan had already outed her child as transgender online. Astonishingly, that did actually result in a charge. Case was transferred to another force but was immediately dismissed by the judge at court. Who said that Islan had already outed her own child.

That's just off the top of my head. No doubt there are more.

[HandsOffMyRights]

Ben was asked directly on Twitter a couple of months ago to condemn the attack on Julie Bindel. He never did.

[Michelleoftheresistance]

The content of those 'hate incidents' needs to be analysed and the content made public. It is a fact that many are things such as Popchyk lists, and also things like a transwidow using the name they've called their husband through years of marriage or saying 'he' instead of 'she'. Since TRA lobby and charities have been actively encouraging their members to report as much as possible to boost the numbers it's no surprise that there has been a big increase in reporting.


However since the implication of this is that there is a failure to prosecute crime properly, the figures also need to be publicly shared as to how much of these reports did actually report a 'crime' as opposed to 'I was offended by it', and whether the things being recorded should be things that someone can end up in court for.

[TheShoesa]

And that is why the reported cases are going up, which adds to the most vulnerable narrative, while charges brought has gone down.

Surely someone will look at those figures and make the connection that the police are being involved in things that a few years ago they wouldn't have?

[HandsOffMyRights]

This is a BBC response to a complaint made about Ben's report into comments by Prince William.

Ben twisted a positive comment made about having a gay child to also refer to having a transgender child.

Thank you for contacting us about the BBC News website article 'Prince William: 'I'd support my child if they were gay'' (www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-48774280).

'I understand you feel Ben Hunte's analysis of the story inaccurately conflated sexuality with gender identity.

This article reported on remarks made by Prince William during his visit to the Albert Kennedy Trust (AKT), a youth charity in London supporting LGBT people who are at risk of homelessness. The video at the top of the article showed the duke responding to the question "What do you think about that, in terms of if one of your kids would be LGBT?". In his analysis, Ben Hunte referred to the duke's response as "an endorsement to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights" as this was relevant to the question asked.

I can assure you it is never our intention to use language which will offend any of our readers, and I can only express regret that you feel Ben's analysis was homophobic and incorrect.

We're guided by audience reaction, so please rest assured your concerns have been raised with the BBC News website team and senior management on our audience feedback report. These reports are among the most widely read sources of feedback within the BBC and help inform our ongoing work.'

[Lumene]

Ben Hunte writes and acts like an activist not a journalist. The more junior BBC reporters writing on this subject are not very well trained in proper reporting and writing some cringeworthy pieces particularly for the website.

I’m pretty sure the grownups are aware but they’re not managing it very competently at the moment.

[TheBullshitGoesOn]

People are being let down if they are told to log things with the police that don't constitute a crime.

Being called names is unpleasant. I totally understand that the person on the receiving end being upset. And the person calling someone names is being rude.

But it is not a crime. Yet. Even in West Yorkshire.

[MockersthefeMANist]

...If being rude were a crime in Yorkshire, tha'd have us all locked up, by eck.

[OrchidInTheSun]

Hunte rhymes with cunt. Just saying

[nauticant]

But it is not a crime. Yet. Even in West Yorkshire.

Some people are pretty keen for the message to get out that it is a crime:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3688321-You-could-go-to-prison-for-being-disrespectful-BBC-tells-children

[MockersthefeMANist]

A hate crime is a crime that is a crime with or without the hate element which constitutes an aggravating factor. Calling someone a name is not a hate crime, but is logged by the white rose boys & girls in blue as a 'hate incident' if someone reports it as such, regardless of any evidence or investigation.

Does Ben Hunte understand the difference?