Two-part documentary on J.K. Rowling announced by BBC Factual and BBC Scotland

I'm sure it won't be a hatchet job. They will be aiming for impartiality. The danger is just that they will double down on their highly defensive version of impartiality, i.e. the 'both sides' approach, presenting each 'side' very passively without any real commitment to investigation or truth.

This might happen in one (or both) of two ways. The more annoying of these two ways would be to adopt the familiar rhetoric of 'faults on both sides' in relation to the trans debate specifically.

But even if they manage to avoid unreflexively adopting this narrative (which I genuinely think they will strive towards, given the recent harch criticisms of their coverage), there is still the institutional failure of their general approach to 'impartiality', which you see again and again across all of their coverage of political issues.

Sooooo frequently, they just rehearse each side of a contentious issue, giving each equal time, and subjecting the people on both sides the same sort of performatively adversarial interviews. They seem to forget the possibility of investigating, analysing, coming up with a take that is 'impartial' in the sense of being well evidenced and objective.

I don't know whether this is because cost-cutting has deprived them of the journalists to carry out this work, or whether they just feel so frightened of losing their licence fee funding that they can't step out of the bunker. It isn't just the government they are frightened of. It is also mass public opinion, which seems to have lost the capacity to appreciate research, evidence, truth, etc., and just wants to have its various perspectives 'validated'. So the BBC dutifully validates each, instead of actively assessing each one.

It is worded as though it will be like this, that was my initial take, there is nothing that stand out as negative in the press release. But then again, BBC Scotland.

I'd like to be wrong, and for this to be the beginning of a long walk back to sanity for the BBC . . . but I rather doubt it.

Thanks. I don't have to watch it now. I reckon you nailed it. 😁

This is curious. Given how captured the Beeb are, and that Rowling apparently has no involvement with the doc, my hopes aren't high. I'm fully expecting it to be a milquetoast, mealy-mouthed attempt at both-sidesing the issue.

"Well, SOME women say this . . . and there WAS that Supreme Court ruling . . . but don't you think this tweet was a bit too snarky? Don't you think she should have pandered more to the feelings of trans people? Here's some autistic trans people with obvious mental health issues crying about how they used to love her books. Do you feel bad? Do you? Remember, we at the Beeb are totally fair and impartial. But also remember, you can't just pity these people and leave it at that. YOU OWE THEM. As a woman, your fanny dictates that you care.

What do you mean, their distress is not your problem and it's not JK Rowling's either, and you won't be giving up your rights to make these individuals feel better? No matter how sad they are? What? What kind of woman are you?

Cough. Cough. Never mind.

Here's our hopeful send-off. Tinkly music, while the presenter shares in voiceover her hope that the sad and misled JK Rowling may one day soon "listen to trans people", "moderate her views" and otherwise stop being an inconvenient and disobedient woman. Cue some sad music, a shot of some smiling children in Harry Potter costumes, a shot of a sad trans person, and a solemn horizon shot of Scotland. The end. Good job team, well done. This nothingburger will really have left the public with something to chew on. Amazing stuff!"

Well there's a million quid in it for them if they can....

Well maybe this documentary will achieve what so many have failed at.....

Maybe finally someone will explain what exactly was transphobic about what JKR said?!

I can't see that the announcement indicates bias or an agenda. I think it is more likely that they will be dealing head on with the villification of her - probably motivated in part by the soul searching the BBC has had to do in recent months in relation to its biased former reporting on the trans debate.

We should run a sweepstake on how many drag queens will be talking heads.

I vote 2.

How ironic that this will be made by BBC Factual. The announcement already makes it clear they have an agenda, and we all know the BBC never lets the facts get in the way of a good trans or drag sob story

This documentary is being made because JKR is about to have another huge success with the Harry Potter TV series in December. Like the Harry Potter Xmas display in Oxford Street you can't escape JKR's legacy.

Obviously there is concern about whether it is biased. Yet with the ongoing victories in court the reality that women are real and need single sex spaces can't be denied. The changes in the NHS are happening.

However bad it is it just will boost JKR and further support the battle for women's rights

1. Do you know her personally?
2. What rights have trans people had set back “decades”?
3. If you can name any “rights” trans people have had set back “decades”, why is JKR personally responsible for that?

Because that just sounds like hyperbolic fact-free nonsense. Except presumably you “can’t stand her” but also don’t actually know her. Or know anything about her charity work.

The right to destroy women and gay legal protections and have supremacy in women's spaces. And the right to own women's rape crisis services and make it clear to women they submit and obey or go without support at all.

JKR's been an absolute bitch in destroying those. And thank God.

Probably best to provide examples or indeed some evidence to justify such a silly statement.

Sparkles has many, many tweets which would be informative for the wider viewing public.

Which rights @TheGentleHelper ? I am not messing - I just don't know.

Very much an example of Truthphobia.

Yes, many trans activist and allies seem to be Truthphobic….

Ewww

And pot noodle, as according to an ex member of his polycule, he smells of them. Flavour not specified.

Yes! Also known as Bigfoot.

He was an SNP & a Scottish Green Party candidate at various points.

Oh hang on, is that just one person?

What are they bloody like??

Sparkles / Euan Wendell / Sophie Mollie has written to the BBC demanding the right to appear in the documentary.

I do hope they’ll show footage of him inciting Trans people to “take a sh1te on her head”.

Or challenged on your bs, clearly.