BBC respond to my complaint re the C word

Regardless of the substance of their position - It's an extraordinary failure in complaints handling. Complete failure to address my points of complaint (offensive language and bias).

What should I ask for in an FOI?

I think there's one more stage then off to Ofcom I go.

I don't think anyone is actually going to be brave enough to make a call on it. Ofcom are pretty pathetic. But it all helps.

I want to see a 'why' but the BBC feels it doesn't need to humour that.

Submit an FOI while you're at it (have to think of something) just because they don't give a crap.about wasting our time or money.

*Thank you for getting in touch about again our article reporting that campaigners opposed to a council motion about Liverpool's transgender community have been accused of "intimidation" and "abuse" by the city's mayor (www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-45589563).

In the context of this piece we don’t have a problem with the wording of this sentence, or the inclusion of the word ‘Cisgender.’

If you remain dissatisfied you can contact the BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) explaining why you believe there may have been a potential breach of standards or other potentially significant issue to investigate further. For full details of our complaints process you can visit www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/handle-complaint/.

If you wish to contact the ECU please write to it within 20 working days of receiving this reply. You can email [email protected] or write to: Executive Complaints Unit, BBC, Broadcast Centre, London W12 7TQ. Please include the case reference number which you have been given.

Best wishes,*

Well at least they've considered and responded in detail.

It would seems that the BBC's test of whether something is offensive is whether or not the BBC has a problem with it. Which I think says it all.

On to the next stage...

Dicks. (and yes it was from a man)

Got the same. It's a cop out. They aren't passing judgment on the term itself, and simply shifting the focus on it supposedly not being understood widely enough.

Oh I haven't received mine yet!

I'll set up a new doc Complaint Further Escalation in preparation....

Latest response from the Beeb.

"Thank you for getting in touch again about our article reporting that campaigners opposed to a council motion about Liverpool's transgender community have been accused of "intimidation" and "abuse" by the city's mayor (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-455895633_).

We’re sorry for any confusion arising from the wording of our previous response.
However we do not agree that there’s a problem with the change we’ve made in the context of the piece.

If you remain dissatisfied you can contact the BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) explaining why you believe there may have been a potential breach of standards or other potentially significant issue to investigate further."

There we are, assuming their 'genders'. Whatever next.

True: I am thinking of David Jordan, who oversees the Editorial Guidelines, and the male majority.

It's not correct to think the senior news managers in BBC News are male.
Fran Unsworth has been head of news for the corporation since last December and many of the editors and journalists are female. They are all bound by the BBC's obligations to be impartial. But, clearly they don't all seem to be aware of that.
Unsworth complaining about press freedom after the Cliff Richard ruling makes me wonder about her judgement.

I have extensive expertise in irritating male senior managers by saying what I mean (direct quote from performance review feedback once - my feedback was literally that it was a problem that I said what I thought instead of what I thought senior male managers wanted to hear).

I'm quite looking forward to giving some male senior managers who are on unjustifiable salaries quite a few headaches.

There is more than one way to fight a war. If I make some overpaid male media types have to drink a whole bottle of red when they finally get home a few nights and feel bloated and seedy in the morning I shall consider that a minor skirmish well won.

Fuckers.

They're hopeless. Male senior managers on so much money, and with so little integrity.

The impartiality link didn't work for me.

Says bbc journos have to call people whatever they want to be called

Good. Just call women 'women' then, if you please BBC.

"the class of people who were previously described as women"

"women who are not transgender"

It's actually quite frightening.

Oh excellent thanks for the guidelines!

I can't wait to quote these in my next round of escalation....

<a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.bbc.co.uk/editorialguidelines/guidelines/impartiality&ved=2ahUKEwj30MDF0_LdAhXlK8AKHZ5rDGsQFjABegQICxAG&usg=AOvVaw1xoVa8YDPTuP4QpGxmz9m0&cshid=1538857687207" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">BBC rules on imoartiality

Don't bust a gut laughing now will you

it's under G for gender I think

Says bbc journos have to call people whatever they want to be called ie whatever they identify as

Worth a mooch round bbc academy - you can see all the editorial guidelines, it's all public

Do you have a link to those reporting guidelines on self ID please @Charlie? I can't find anything from a search. Thanks.

Good point about the BBC guidelines @Charliethe...

I think this incident tells us a lot about bias in the BBC and why they should not be able to plead that they were following those outdated guidelines:

The BBC is used to updating its descriptions for people. A good example would be the term 'people of colour'. Someone somewhere updated the former name for some reason - it was loaded, it was offensive and/or it excluded particular people.

In the same way, the cis thing has become politically loaded and offensive. The fact that the BBC hasn't been able to get their collective heads around this tells us something about inbuilt bias.

Self ID is written into its reporting guidelines, since about 2014

The BBC showed its bias.

Only those who accept and believe that TWAW and TMAM use the C word.

I don't expect the BBC to show it's political bias towards one side of a political campaign during the government's consultation on the GRA.

*You guys, I meant to say!

(Though if you do have people to delegate this to.. even more awesome)

I find 'cis' a far more offensive word than 'cunt'. Ooh it makes my blood boil when I hear it!