Jenni Murray retiring from Woman’s Hour over trans/JKR issue

[PygmyHippoBob]

Private Eye reports that Jenni Murray is retiring from Woman’s Hour, at least partly because she is banned from discussing trans issues, meaning the JK Rowling article wasn’t covered for over 48 hrs.

The silver lining is of course that once released from the restrictions WH decided to place on the naughty woman Jenni Murray, the skilled and professional female broadcaster will be able to use those considerable skills to shine more light on this crap. I hope we have here another player about to walk onto the field.

I wonder if she'd join Times Radio. Been quite impressed with it since it started - a Woman's Hour without censorship would be excellent.

I'm loving Times radio! Especially matt chorley. He is a find!
But is anyone noticing an anti england agenda?
Might be me i don't know but they have a fair few scottish presenters ( nothing wrong with that) and they seem to love to talk up scotland over England and big up nicola sturgeon at every possible opportunity with little balance. They led all day yesterday on england having worse covid deaths (fair enough) but no mention that scotland are third. I just thought that was not impartial at all and misleading as they say how well scotland is doing alot.
I dunno might be me, but murdoch is pro independence and breaking up the union so there seems an undercurrant of that to me.

Molly that's a terrific idea!
However she will need proper security in place if she did. Sad but true.

@sleepwhenidie

Maybe she will join Times Radio, pretty sure they would let her discuss this!

This crossed my mind too!

Dame Jenni's Hour. 'twould be ace.

First guest, the Baroness.

A trio of guests, Roseburn, Baroness, JKR & Kellie-Jay. How soothing would that be.

That Private Eye line up of replacements is hilarious.

Main Woman's Hour presenter not allowed to talk about a major issue that's slicing through women's rights. What a bloody insult to someone as senior, as highly regarded, as JM. She could hardly stay after the JKR debacle.

The vast majority of the country is completely in agreement with Jenni's article. So sick of these nasty bullying people.

This doesn't seem completely accurate. Jane Garvey has been podcasting from her house, but presenting WH from the studio.

I agree, I hope she joins Times Radio, or starts podcasting. Given all the other platforms available now, I think its very reasonable for her to decide to leave the BBC, and I hope she hasn't retired.

I hope Jenni doesn’t retire completely. She is such a sound journalist and broadcaster, it would be a terrible waste. I would miss her. As another poster said, she’s got a fab voice for radio and I really enjoy listening to her. She’s been treated really shabbily by the BBC.

I hope she goes full "terf" on her last show. That would be glorious.

I'll miss JM.

Is it just me or had Radio 4 gone off a bit over the past few years? I used to be able to listen for hours with only brief interludes of irritation, but it's increasingly getting on my nerves, everything from the choice of subject matter to crap sound effects. Maybe I'm just getting older and grumpier...

JM going means one less reason to switch on, or defect to early church music on Radio 3.

@GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman

I agree with you about Radio 4 going off.

I have been listening to Times Radio in the mornings. It has Asmah Mia on weekdays. It is interesting having in depth newsy radio that isn't BBC. Things are changing with radio.

I like what Jenni has to say, hell should be allowed to say FFS BBC! But... I don't always like her presentation , she mumbles, sadly. Look forward to reading her articles!

I am still livid about what the BBC did to Jenni over that article. When I complained they said that they had a duty to be impartial, yet my follow up asking why they had not similarly censured Libby Purves for coming down on the other side of the debate was ignored.

I used to listen to radio 4 all day, every day, but I only hear a few items from the sounds app now. I don’t know if it has changed or I have tbh.

Private Eye reports that Jenni Murray is retiring from Woman’s Hour, at least partly because she is banned from discussing trans issues, meaning the JK Rowling article wasn’t covered for over 48 hrs.

Snap!

I was going to post pretty much the same thing.

Good old Private Eye. Must see about a subscription.

When your platform narrows so much that there's no foothold left, it's no tragedy to jump, just self-preservation. Dame Jenni can broadcast or podcast from anywhere and we will listen. The BBC does not deserve her.

I have no doubt her heart is in the right place and hope she can speak freely when she leaves the BBC. While the principle of what she said is absolutely right Jenni Murray‘s argument in that article, (thanks for the link) is too ‘two equal sides’ ‘everyone speak nicely’ and ‘only some women can speak as they wish’. She isn’t as clearly distinct in it as we all have to be, between biological sex, sexual orientation and gender identity.

But clearly it’s unfair that she got a load of shit for it. The basic principles she was talking about are entirely right.

I think that's spot on, Chatty. She is in camp "be kind" which makes it all the more striking that she's still been on the receiving end of a shitload of abuse.

I'm listening to her History of Britain in 21 Women, and she keeps talking about how Ada Lovelace, Mary Somerville, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, Milicent Garrett Fawcett, etc were held back because of their "gender" which grates doubly because (1) it was their sex and (2) as an Eng lit graduate, you'd think the neologism would grate on her ear - all these women would have talked about their sex. Gender was something Latin nouns had.

I only pay for a TV licence for the DC to watch CBBC, because I (used to) value R4. We can easily live without CBBC. In these straitened times, I’d sooner keep the money and Woke FM can take its chances on the droves of new listeners who like their journalistic standards compromised and their comedy unfunny (for info, R4, all those knowing references to ‘R4 listeners’ are insulting - I’ve been listening for decades and I’m a long way off 50). I was going to mention the shit drama, but that’s not a new development.

I too have rapidly gone off R4. On anything "women's issue"-related it just feels so lightweight. And then Eddie Mair left. That was such a loss. And then, despite all the talent they had they inexplicably chose Evan Davis to replace him, who can't seem to hide how much he despises women.

Anyway, regarding Dame Jenni, when you're past retirement age and continuing to work because you love what you do, and then on a topic as important as women’s rights (on WH, FFS!) you are being completely hamstrung from discussing it, you really would very quickly fall out of love with your job very quickly.