Woman's Hour on Maya Forstater today (9th March)

[WinterTrees]

Checking in with today's WH offering.

It's an Emma Barnett day, so hoping it's going to be good.

Listen live link here

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_radio_fourfm

Emma’s intro has referred to Anneliese Dodd’s inability to define what the Labour Party thinks is “a woman”.

Yes! Looking forward to hearing this. Hope Annelise Dodds is listening. Brews coffee, collects thoughts, sharpens quill …

Emma's intro also neatly referenced JKR's courageous example, and said that Maya calls her 'my fairy godmother.'

I think that really helps listeners who have little knowledge about this. My mum (age 80 and a instinctive 'be kind' liberal) has been massively reassured by JKR's stand as I think she thought I'd gone a bit rogue in my views. Of course, the previous nervous WH coverage of all this, with Jane Garvey stuttering about 'both sides' and 'some would call FPFW a transphobic hate group' played a large part in that.

What scares me about Maya is it could be any of us. Emma seems to be giving her a hard time? Is that just me?

On now.

She's giving Maya a lot of time to speak but is also challenging her.

Placemarking

@Gumbomambo

What scares me about Maya is it could be any of us. Emma seems to be giving her a hard time? Is that just me?

Yes, quite difficult so far. I think this is an EB interview tactic.

Maya is answering brilliantly and doesn't sound rattled at all. Calm and confident.

She isn’t getting flustered… I’m flustered just listening to it. Maya knows what she is saying and she absolutely believes in herself.

EB's line has been a strange one. I'm not sure what she's getting at, but it's actually allowed Maya to firmly state her case and establish very clearly what her views are.

I don't think many listeners would find much to disagree with in what Maya has said.

Thing is, Maya has the real knowledge and conviction to defend what she believes, she is a great articulator of it, and this interviewing technique quickly shows who can, and who can't. Who can make their case and who stammers a lot of fluff when they have to show in depth understanding and comprehension.

Women with concerns on this agenda have never been afraid of robust debate or questions, it's exactly what they've been asking for!

I think Emma's style is to ask questions from different perspectives. She is not giving Maya an easy time but is giving her time to say what she wants. Maya is being very calm. I knew she had stated that she would respect a person's pronouns in professional and social settings but I did not know about her experience with the Scout Association.

Glad to hear MF has been allowed to state what she believes, but I don't like the presenter and think she is someone who likes to be seen as 'woke'. BBC presenters don't usually have a problem showing their bias in politics or other topics, but this one is struggling and in my opinion does not like what she's hearing (although clearly is obliged by public opinion to allow it to be stated).

I totally respect EB as an interviewer - she is brilliant and challenging. However, for me her absolute failure to acknowledge safeguarding there was a mis-step.

Massive respect to Maya for conducting herself with grace and dignity and staying so composed and articulate. She was excellent.

Emma is a formidably good, challenging interviewer, but unlike Anneliese Dodds, Nancy Kelley, that BBC director etc, Maya isn't trying to hide anything, which makes all the difference.

Women with concerns on this agenda have never been afraid of robust debate or questions, it's exactly what they've been asking for!

Exactly. And until now Woman's Hour rarely allowed this to happen, because TRAs tantrummed about it.

I actually think Maya did pretty well - and being challenged actually got her the opportunity to explain (briefly but still) that safeguarding means operating from the worst possible scenario and thinking the unthinkable.

I’m constantly stunned by organisations such as the Scouts in Maya's case, and the recent thread about advice to school governors, who deliver robust safeguarding training on the one hand, and then introduce wide open loop holes for sacred castes through inclusion policies.

The more light given on this issue the better.

More power to your elbow Maya. This is not a drill.

Having listened to Emma Barnett over the last few months on WH, I would never describe her as “woke”.

It sounds like she’s doing her job as a journalist to challenge and not to just agree with the interviewee.

Good, interviewers should push hard, then people get to hear who can confidently and coherently back up their statements and who will just waffle and bluster.

That was interesting. I think it was right that Emma didn't give her an easy time and was challenging. Some of the things she challenged on were fair criticisms. Maya had time to answer and maya was excellent at bringing in the wider context and why this is important. She did very well. I don't know if maya was worried about affecting her case, but at some points I was thinking 'yes I understand that some ppl will be offended by that tweet, but that doesn't mean she should be sacked for tweeting it'.

Emma said the issue has come on to the news agenda and that's why things have changed. I was thinking that is because of maya and others. They have forced it onto the agenda.

I often find Emma Barnett's interviews uncomfortable to listen to. It's one of the reasons I initially missed the old WH, which was a cosy background burble in my kitchen.

You couldn't say that of WH under EB. Thank Christ.

It's only afterwards, having had to have emergency comfort toast halfway through an interview, that I realise just how bloody good she is. Whatever your agenda, whatever your views, she does her job incredibly well.

To be honest, when you start criticising someone for being "woke", you've lost the argument.

Maya did really well. It was all a bit #be kind from EB.

I didn't hear the interview but I think the job of a journalist to probe and challenge, not just to offer a sympathetic ear.

I'm not sure if Emma Barnett lost the thread a bit, but I thought the line of questioning about the circumstances under which Maya would misgender someone a bit strange.

"When would you misgender someone?"
"Not in professional life, but potentially in this sort of harmful, dangerous situation"
"Why do you always jump to the harmful situations?"