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Original poster

BBC WTF

164 replies

ArabellaScott · 17/04/2024 18:21

The fact the BBC have not reported on the Commons debate, or generally on Cass bar a couple of very weak, short pieces is absolutely outrageous.

The silence is stretching.

They have two members of staff whose sole remit is to report 'LGBT' issues. Where are they? This seems absolutely deliberate omission.

Scarlet Blake.
WPATH.
Cass.

We used to get propaganda, now we get silence.

What do we do, here?

BBC complaints seem to go nowhere, and the hoops to get to an Ipsos report seem virtually impossible.

How do we hold our public broadcaster to account?

https://twitter.com/whtwldbabsdo/status/1780323215618814416

https://twitter.com/whtwldbabsdo/status/1780323215618814416

OP posts:
Thread gallery
18
LogicLoverLlama · 17/04/2024 22:10

Tallerandtall · 17/04/2024 18:29

@ArabellaScott

get a grip
it was covered

stop slagging off the BbC.
i agree it is not as good as it was due to Tory Brexit Bs and cuts but try Living elsewhere and see how lucky you are.

desr me

It's really not been covered. This was front page news everywhere else.

SmallSoupcon · 17/04/2024 22:17

Keeprejoining · 17/04/2024 21:59

Yep , this is the same BBC that didn't do anything about Saville, Russell Grant and probably others we have no idea about

Show quote history

What's the story with Russell Grant?

Keeprejoining · 17/04/2024 22:20

Oh sorry the other one I'm sure Russell Grant is an honest citizen and I apologise for maligning him.
Russel Brand is the one

Keeprejoining · 17/04/2024 22:23

Although a quick google tells me he is denying sexual harassment, and has not been found guilty in a court of law

BonfireLady · 17/04/2024 22:27

What would be the angle on the parliamentary debate? There was no "news" there, it was people taking their party line. There is no new policy coming out either.

I'm not a journalist but I'll have a go (headline in italics):

Health Secretary acknowledges parents' concerns over social media "gro0ming" and medical "experimentation"

In extraordinary scenes at the House of Commons yesterday, Health Secretary Victoria Atkins responded to questions from across the House about the "greatest medical and safeguarding scandal of our generation", as described by a backbench colleague. Party politics were set aside as Shadow Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, pledged his support to stop more children being harmed in what a 4-year long report is highlighting is widespread use of untested, off-label medication on children which has irreversible, life changing consequences...

  • Then on to the Cass Review basic facts
  • Then the Lia Nici (have I got the name right?) quote about the gro0ming

Then a Wes Streeting quote (without the "trans child" bit). Then a Joanna Cherry quote about Mermaids and Stonewall.
Then a Nick Fletcher quote about schools, and an observation that the Minister for Schools, Damian Hinds, was seen listening with acute interest.
Then a bit about the draft government guidance for Gender Questioning Children and a quote from Stephanie Davies-Arai about the risk in schools and the pipeline to medical intervention.

Would that work as an angle @AdamRyan ?

BonfireLady · 17/04/2024 22:33

Obviously they could legitimately include all the work that Hannah Barnes did when she was on Newsnight but personally I would much rather see the Glinner Newsnight interview alongside it too. It would be a great illustration of the "toxicity" of the debate through the lens of Newsnight itself.

teawamutu · 17/04/2024 22:52

Which BBC programmes and addresses would be worth writing to to point out that they've been fucking woeful up to now and it's time to start telling the truth? And get Glinner back on and APOLOGISE TO HIM?

BonfireLady · 17/04/2024 22:53

And not forgetting the fantastic question to Chris Whitty from Mishal Husain yesterday too. She asked him why he hadn't stepped in on the Today Programme (my bold to reflect her tone):

"These were NHS prescriptions to children. The fact that they were ever allowed.. is it a failure? Did you ever, at any stage, think 'I should be stepping in on this because I'm not sure what the evidence base is?'"

Unfortunately the BBC left this massively important quote off the "teaser" when they tweeted about the interview, focusing instead on the toxicity of the debate.

FFS BBC. He's the Chief Medical Officer. We didn't focus on the toxicity of the debate during Covid, we focused on the facts about the medical issues and the impacts associated with them. It was incredibly toxic. Neighbours were shopping each other to the police. Imagine we'd dominated the headlines with that instead. Yes, there was a human story (we could only have 29 people at my mum's funeral... I will still never forget the lovely people who came and stood outside the crematorium, thank you ❤️❤️ or relatives abroad who listened on the live stream that the funeral directors did, thank you ❤️❤️) but as far as the main headlines were concerned, we needed facts about what was happening with risk etc. Yes, I know covid is a controversial subject but it was a pandemic. It made the news because it should have made the news. This is a medical scandal. Only this time, the majority of the victims are children and young people. It should be in the news.

BonfireLady · 17/04/2024 22:55

Here's what the BBC tweeted (without the Mishal Husain question):

https://twitter.com/BBCr4today/status/1780166798626738188?t=oaPc4XRJnryJW2Y60cX0Qg&s=19

Apologies if it's already up thread and I've missed it.

https://twitter.com/BBCr4today/status/1780166798626738188?s=19&t=oaPc4XRJnryJW2Y60cX0Qg

SqueakyDinosaur · 17/04/2024 22:59

I'm reposting this from the thread on the Parliamentary debate, because it really sets out how little the BBC has covered it.

This is fascinating and appalling, showing how poor the BBC's coverage of the Cass review has been, even in comparison with the Guardian: https://twitter.com/whtwldbabsdo/status/1780323215618814416

https://twitter.com/whtwldbabsdo/status/1780323215618814416

Keeprejoining · 17/04/2024 23:03

BonfireLady · 17/04/2024 22:27

What would be the angle on the parliamentary debate? There was no "news" there, it was people taking their party line. There is no new policy coming out either.

I'm not a journalist but I'll have a go (headline in italics):

Health Secretary acknowledges parents' concerns over social media "gro0ming" and medical "experimentation"

In extraordinary scenes at the House of Commons yesterday, Health Secretary Victoria Atkins responded to questions from across the House about the "greatest medical and safeguarding scandal of our generation", as described by a backbench colleague. Party politics were set aside as Shadow Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, pledged his support to stop more children being harmed in what a 4-year long report is highlighting is widespread use of untested, off-label medication on children which has irreversible, life changing consequences...

  • Then on to the Cass Review basic facts
  • Then the Lia Nici (have I got the name right?) quote about the gro0ming

Then a Wes Streeting quote (without the "trans child" bit). Then a Joanna Cherry quote about Mermaids and Stonewall.
Then a Nick Fletcher quote about schools, and an observation that the Minister for Schools, Damian Hinds, was seen listening with acute interest.
Then a bit about the draft government guidance for Gender Questioning Children and a quote from Stephanie Davies-Arai about the risk in schools and the pipeline to medical intervention.

Would that work as an angle @AdamRyan ?

Edited

That would be amazing if the bbc could do something half a good S this

Mollyollydolly · 17/04/2024 23:15

I worked at the BBC in regional news nearly all my working life. Took redundancy during covid. I actually hate them at the moment, they are complicit and they know it hence the the minimising of the issue.
I was proud to work there, now I've lost all faith in them. This must be coming from the top.
Minimise, report the minimum, when it is reported there's always some poor trans women who's suffering sooo much. It's blatant, arrogant and obscene and I want MPs to call them out on it in the house.
And most of the staff aren't raving activists, most are normal everyday people who've been stunned into silence by a few activists, backed up from on high.

BonfireLady · 17/04/2024 23:16

Keeprejoining · 17/04/2024 23:03

That would be amazing if the bbc could do something half a good S this

Show quote history

❤️ thank you. I went on a 6 week journalism course in the evenings in my 20s when I briefly thought about a career change. Maybe I finally got my money's worth 😂😂 "Find the angle" was the biggest takeaway.

I felt a certain guilt reducing Miriam Cates to "a back bench colleague" but in the grand scheme of news, that's what she is. The big names are the Health Secretary, the Shadow Health Secretary and now (thanks to Mishal Husain.. thank you 🙏🙏🙏), the Chief Medical Officer.

BusyMummy001 · 17/04/2024 23:16

BonfireLady · 17/04/2024 21:26

They really need to drop this "both sides" obfuscation and stop making the human angle all about the waiting list.

I have no doubt that it will be incredibly distressing for all of the children and young people who don't feel they are getting fast enough access to "life affirming care". The diagnostic overshadowing that Dr Cass calls out means that it is considerably more likely than not that they are demanding access to long term physical harm and to be removed from a treatment pathway that addresses their underlying condition (most likely mental health issues associated with autism-related puberty distress or similar).

This is a medical experiment on thousands of children and young people. That's the story here, BBC News.

Yes, the issue for me is that these children are offered no other care whilst they were/are waiting to be seen at the Tavistock/its regional replacement. In a holistic, explorative model they’d be properly investigated.

What’s been going on so far is the equivalent of the patient limping into A&E and stating they’ve got a broken leg, to leave 30mins later in a cast, no xrays or assessment, and no follow up.

BonfireLady · 17/04/2024 23:25

BusyMummy001 · 17/04/2024 23:16

Yes, the issue for me is that these children are offered no other care whilst they were/are waiting to be seen at the Tavistock/its regional replacement. In a holistic, explorative model they’d be properly investigated.

What’s been going on so far is the equivalent of the patient limping into A&E and stating they’ve got a broken leg, to leave 30mins later in a cast, no xrays or assessment, and no follow up.

Show quote history

.. and patients and activists arguing how unfair and distressing it is that they can't have faster access to the plaster casts. And not just plaster casts but surgeries to shape the bones in the way that the patients know they should be shaped.

Only of course it's a whole lot worse. Given how life-impacting this is forever with no going back, it's more akin to them demanding access to faster leg amputations and prosthetic limbs and/or wheelchairs, depending on what the patient feels is right for them.

GeorgeOrwellsTurningGrave · 17/04/2024 23:41

"It's blatant, arrogant and obscene"

Couldn't agree more @Mollyollydolly. My friends who still work there do not agree the BBC is biased. Love them as I do, I honestly don't know how they can be in such a bubble

ILikeDungs · 18/04/2024 00:34

AdamRyan · 17/04/2024 21:57

What would be the angle on the parliamentary debate? There was no "news" there, it was people taking their party line. There is no new policy coming out either.

Meanwhile the Iran/Israel situation was and is looking very hairy and Sunak wants to pretend he's globally relevant. There's also Rwanda craziness and Liz Truss' book, not to mention the burning issue of Angela's House.

So I'm not all that surprised it hasn't had that much coverage. To be expected really.

"Look over there, not over here! Over there!"

Stop it, Adam, it's just SO obvious.

LilyBartsHatShop · 18/04/2024 04:45

My hunch would be that it's not a policy of radio silence from the top. I suspect editors and producers are asking for stories, journalists are firing off copy full of "98% of studies ignored," and fact checkers are nixing them. So nothing gets through.

OnHerSolidFoundations · 18/04/2024 04:56

www.bbc.com/news/uk-68786030

Datun · 18/04/2024 05:46

redalex261 · 17/04/2024 20:44

I have always turned to the BBC as my principal source of accurate unbiased news. Which is why I knew bugger all about this issue until about two years ago. It was only after hearing the marvellous Helen Joyce deliver a searing, precise explanation of the issue on The Triggernometry podcast I became aware.

Of course, I had heard of trans people and knew to be kind. I too had huffed and puffed at the stupidity of “chestfeeding” and other bastardisations of language. But I didn’t KNOW. Some frantic research confirmed Helen was not a bigoted conspiracy theorist loon but was in fact the excellent journalist she is.

I kept looking at the BBC. Every fucking day. Nothing. Every day I looked. All the things that happened over the past two years, big things with wider implications for society - either not reported at all or covered in the most minimal way (but only if absolutely unavoidable). As already mentioned BBC has a couple of full time LGBT journalists - this is their sole remit.

It seems obvious there has been an edict from very senior management that this is a verboten topic. I do think it is more than political correctness or people buying into the dogma. Helen Joyce commented that many senior executives in all sorts of businesses have trans identified children and as a result are ferocious about silencing any questioning or dissent. I think this may well turn out to be the case for the BBC.

Helen Joyce commented that many senior executives in all sorts of businesses have trans identified children and as a result are ferocious about silencing any questioning or dissent. I think this may well turn out to be the case for the BBC.

Also, there are over 400 trans people actually working at the BBC.

And i don't think that would have happened by accident. Capturing positions of power has been a tactic from the start.

Original poster
ArabellaScott · 18/04/2024 06:00

they are complicit and they know it

I'm also aware that the complaints procedure is so weak and woolly it seems totally pointless. And thus there's no Ofcom oversight. So no good way to hold them to account.

OP posts:
Boiledbeetle · 18/04/2024 07:22

ArabellaScott · 18/04/2024 06:00

they are complicit and they know it

I'm also aware that the complaints procedure is so weak and woolly it seems totally pointless. And thus there's no Ofcom oversight. So no good way to hold them to account.

At this point ITV probably need to do a massive story about the BBC being shite on this issue, it may be the only way to get the BBC to do/say anything.

EasternStandard · 18/04/2024 07:23

I’m not sure what can be done, the BBC are woeful on this

EasternStandard · 18/04/2024 07:26

Mollyollydolly · 17/04/2024 23:15

I worked at the BBC in regional news nearly all my working life. Took redundancy during covid. I actually hate them at the moment, they are complicit and they know it hence the the minimising of the issue.
I was proud to work there, now I've lost all faith in them. This must be coming from the top.
Minimise, report the minimum, when it is reported there's always some poor trans women who's suffering sooo much. It's blatant, arrogant and obscene and I want MPs to call them out on it in the house.
And most of the staff aren't raving activists, most are normal everyday people who've been stunned into silence by a few activists, backed up from on high.

I bet.

I actually hate them at the moment, they are complicit and they know it hence the the minimising of the issue.

This is the problem. Actually a lot of people who were / are complicit do the same thing - you see it on here.

But this human behaviour at the BBC is a failure.

borntobequiet · 18/04/2024 07:27

I complained directly to the BBC and copied my complaint to both Victoria Atkins and Lucy Frazer. How useful is that? No idea, but at least I’ve done something.