“We write the following letter to request that Ofcom undertake an independent investigation into the BBC over their failure to uphold their duty of impartiality and safeguarding in their ‘constant drip feed of one-sided stories … celebrating the trans experience without adequate balance or objectivity,’” the group wrote to Ofcom.
[snip]
“The BBC has consistently failed to engage with safeguarding concerns raised by Bayswater as to the risk of harm caused by prolific reporting on the alleged connection between gender questioning and suicide/self-harm,” the group wrote.
A BSG spokesman told the outlet that the damage has already been done, but the group hopes Ofcom can make changes to prevent further violations.
[snip]
The complaint included dozens of examples of bias, including interviewers’ consistent hostility toward those neutral or opposed to transgender procedures for children; several articles threatening suicide if children weren’t given access to transgender procedures; several TV show episodes presenting anyone not enthusiastic about transgender norms as villains; a lack of coverage of anyone who regretted their gender transition; hostile treatment of BSG members; and more.
The letter cited an episode of the show Waterloo Road from 2013, in which a young transgender character is portrayed uncritically. The character, Kacey Barry, cuts off her grandma with dementia after she “deadnames” the student.
In other cases, risky transgender practices, such as chest-binding — a practice that has been connected to breathing difficulties, chronic back pain, changes to the spine, and broken ribs — are portrayed uncritically.
[snip]
“And on the review of sex and gender identity, the EGSC noted much of the coverage met the BBC’s standards of impartiality and accuracy,” the response letter from Samir Shah, chairman of the BBC board, to the chair of the Culture, Media, and Sport Committee said.
The BSG letter argued that an internal BBC investigation wouldn’t be appropriate due to the thorough bias illustrated by the news agency.
[snip]
“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,” Prescott wrote in the memo.
* Original Article:
Hundreds of parents accuse BBC of ‘constant drip-feed’ of pro-transgender content for children
