The BBC has a responsibility to “be nice” amid the laden debate about transgender rights, according to the UK broadcaster’s director standard.
Tim Davie told lawmakers on Wednesday that the BBC’s backers were trying to create a “deeply harmful” storyline around the company’s production on gender issues.
He was testifying before the Culture, Media, and Sport Committee as a result of his concerns about a BBC complaints unit’s ruling last month against Radio 4 Now exhibit reporter Justin Webb.
When Webb used the phrase” trans people, in other words guys” in a discussion about whether biological men have an advantage over other men in chess, it was deemed to have violated editorial guidelines.
Traditional MP Damian Green questioned Davie about whether the BBC was being “infused” by trans ideology in the wake of the Webb decision.
The director common said BBC editors are “doing a very good work” in difficult situations, but argued that Webb was innocent of “foot problem” in his speech during the August 2023 spread.
David Jordan, the BBC’s director of editorial policy and standards, added in evidence to MPs that it was “unfortunate” that Webb did n’t “define his terms” more specifically.
” Had he said’ biological male’ or ‘ born male’ then it would n’t have been a problem. But as you know, it’s a very delicate subject for transgender people to be called adult more than female”, Jordan said.
We must” steer very cautiously through that contentious discussion” and “make sure we are not offending either part of it.”
Davie added:” We do n’t have no- go areas in the BBC. To do that, we do need of our journalists]that they ] stay within the editor rules. They’re not unduly limiting, they’re not one area … the other point is we have to be kind and caring in this, and listening to people and be nice”.
He claimed that the BBC was “holding the ring” when it comes to gender identity monitoring and that its protection was content to uncountable scrutiny.
The Daily Telegraph reported on Wednesday that BBC people had written to Davie “in their countryside to show despair” at the approach Webb had been handled.
Davie said:” I read an article this morning ]saying ] I was being deluged]with staff complaints ]. I’ve had under a handful of messages. I mean, let’s get genuine around. This is being whipped up all around us in a way that seriously impairs civil discourse.
Jordan also acknowledged that Scarlet Blake, who was imprisoned for life last month for a crime she committed after watching the Netflix series Do n’t F*** With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer,” may have made clearer” about her gender.
She was first described by the BBC as a person, without referencing that she was transgender. You do need to disclose a trans woman’s standing when describing a murder of that nature, Jordan said.
