The BBC's coverage of sex and gender has been appalling for years.
From the memo:
A BBC presenter contacted me about a month after I started working with the EGSC. He put me in touch with a reporter and a producer. All three were from different parts of the BBC but had shared concerns about BBC coverage of the trans issue.
The story that each person told me was what sounded like effective censorship by the specialist LGBTQ desk within News.
As virtually all shows had lost their own reporters, programme editors had to make requests to News if they wanted a correspondent to cover a story. I was told that time and time again the LGBTQ desk staffers would decline to cover any story raising difficult questions about the trans-debate.
The allegation made to me was stark: that the desk had been captured by a small group of people promoting the Stonewall view of the debate and keeping other perspectives off-air. Individual programmes had come to lack their own reporters as a counterweight.
What I was told chimed with what I saw for myself on BBC Online - that stories raising difficult questions about the ‘trans agenda’ were ignored even if they had been widely taken up and discussed across other media outlets.
There was also a constant drip-feed of one-sided stories, usually news features, celebrating the trans experience without adequate balance or objectivity.
A typical example was the story of Gisele Shaw, a gushing tale of a transgender wrestler who felt “liberated” by coming out.
This story, posted on March 15th, 2023, glossed over how the wrestler, who is a biological male, had repeatedly won trophies by competing in women’s competition.
The Board might take note that the one undisputed run of ground-breaking journalistic excellence in this space was that of Newsnight’s Hannah Barnes, who went on to author the seminal book about the medical treatment and mistreatment of ‘trans children’.
Her work might well now not be possible at the BBC, given the culture I describe above combined with changes at Newsnight and the lack now of any programme-specific reporters.
Ms Barnes, with a proud track record at the BBC, elected to depart for the New Statesman.
Story selection and diversity of opinion
David Grossman’s report examining the BBC’s coverage of trans issues came to the EGSC in October 2024.
It found many shortcomings, in line with my fears and the concerns raised with me by BBC staff.
These included:
- On story selection, his report warned of an “unintended editorial bias”
- “Significant voices” were too often missing from the BBC’s coverage, including those who had transitioned and regretted their decision or those who had concerns about the process
- The report couldn’t find a single example in the review period that reflected the experience of de-transitioners
- It noted there were more stories about the waiting times for people to receive care than examining the quality of that care itself
- It also noted a surprisingly high number of stories about drag queens considering it is such a niche group of people
- Stories that raised concerns about the quality or safety of care given to gender questioning children and adults received “little or no coverage”
- In March 2024, there was widespread media coverage of leaked documents from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health which raised concerns about the quality of care given to gender-distressed children. It was picked up by the Mail, Economist, Observer, Washington Post, the Times and others but not the BBC
- There was also scant coverage of biological women campaigning to exclude biological men from sensitive spaces
- The BBC failed to cover the story of Darlington nurses who took their employer to court for allowing their changing room to be used by biological males. This story was covered extensively by other news outlets including Sky News and GB News
- Similarly, there was no coverage of claims biological male police and prison officers were being allowed to conduct strip searches on women and girls
- The report warned that the phrase “assigned at birth” in relation to biological sex was appearing frequently in coverage, despite being advised against in guidelines
- The report noted concerns with how the debate about the Cass Review was framed on Newsnight – the views of a doctor critical of the Tavistock Clinic were “balanced” with those of a trans woman, who said she had received excellent care. The report pointed out that if Newsnight was covering concerns about a maternity unit it would not seek to provide balance by interviewing a mother who was happy with her care
Gender identity
The concept of gender identity is contested but David warned the EGSC that “some of our coverage is presented in a way that suggests the concept of gender identity is an established fact rather than contested.”
He also warned there was a tacit acceptance of the concept of ‘gender identity’ in BBC guidelines that could cause impartiality problems and recommended a change.
The guidelines state: “for most people their sex and gender identity are the same”.
He suggested adding: “Others may reject the idea that they have a gender identity that is separate from their biological sex at all”.
My understanding is we are still waiting for the updated news style guide, nearly 12 months since David’s report was presented to the EGSC.
David’s findings highlight a cultural problem across the BBC – that too many of its staff have never considered the idea of “gender identity” to be either spurious or offensive to many people.
As an institution the BBC too often views issues of gender and sexuality as a celebration of British diversity rather than exploring the complexities of the subject.
Without anchoring stories in biological sex, they risk becoming incomprehensible to audiences. For example, they may not understand the concerns about a transgender woman being sent to a women’s prison.
David flagged one article, carried on BBC News in June, 2024, under the headline: “Transgender woman guilty of rape after night out”. Without adding that the offender was a biological man, this story would be confusing for many.
The review recommended BBC reporters and presenters should use language more “anchored in biological sex” – such as biological males and biological females.
“Otherwise, there is a real danger that audiences may not understand the stories we are attempting to cover.”
A prime example would be the case of Scarlet Blake - a transgender woman sentenced on February 26th, 2024, for the murder of Jorge Martin Carreo. When the story was reported on the One O’Clock News, Blake was not referred to as a trans woman, only a woman. On the Six O’Clock News, she was referred to as a trans woman.
In a statement, the BBC conceded that Blake should have been referred to as a trans woman in the lunchtime programme. It is interesting to ask how the lunchtime news got this wrong - it may well speak to capture by a particular lobby or a nervousness when reporting these subjects.