Copyright Deadline
The BBC has censured a seasoned news presenter after she went viral for changing her autocue from “pregnant people” to “women.” Martine Croxall was lauded by the likes of J.K. Rowling, and was originally backed by her BBC News bosses, after her on-air remark in June. But now the BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit has ruled against the presenter, upholding concerns from audience members, who claimed that Croxall “expressed a controversial view about trans people” and made a facial expression of “disgust, ridicule, contempt or exasperation.” Croxall was quoting Dr Malcolm Mistry, an assistant professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, who said “pregnant people” were more at risk of death during a heatwave in the UK. Croxall said: “Malcolm Mistry, who was involved in the research, says that the aged, pregnant people … women … and those with pre-existing health conditions need to take precautions.” In its ruling, the BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit said: “The phrase ‘pregnant people’ was followed by a facial expression which has been variously interpreted by complainants as showing disgust, ridicule, contempt or exasperation. “The ECU considered it was the last of these which accorded best with the explanation offered by the management of BBC News, that Ms Croxall was reacting to scripting which somewhat clumsily incorporated phrases from the press release accompanying the research.” The ruling continued: “The ECU considered the facial expression which accompanied the change of ‘people’ to ‘women’ laid it open to the interpretation that it indicated a particular viewpoint in the controversies currently surrounding trans identity, and the congratulatory messages Ms Croxall later received on social media, together with the critical views expressed in the complaints to the BBC and elsewhere, tended to confirm that the impression of her having expressed a personal view was widely shared across the spectrum of opinion on the issue.” It concluded: “As giving the strong impression of expressing a personal view on a controversial matter, even if inadvertently, falls short of the BBC’s expectations of its presenters and journalists in relation to impartiality, the ECU upheld the complaints.” The ruling was discussed with BBC News managers and Croxall. At the time of the remark, Croxall was backed by BBC News executives. A BBC News source said that nowhere in the style guide does it insist on the phrase “pregnant women.” Insiders pointed to the UK Supreme Court ruling in April, which said that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex. After the incident blew up on X/Twitter, Croxall tweeted: “A huge thank you to everyone who has chosen to follow me today for whatever reason. It’s been quite a ride…” Rowling was quick to praise Croxall, saying she had a “new favourite BBC presenter” after seeing the viral clip. In another message, Rowling told Croxall: “You’d better not be in any trouble…” The ruling against Croxall comes after The Daily Telegraph reported on a dossier shared with the BBC board, which alleged that the corporation had been “captured by a small group of people” promoting a pro-trans agenda. The dossier was penned by Michael Prescott, who was an independent adviser to the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines and Standards Committee. One BBC News source said the finding against Croxall would be grist to the mill for those who believe the corporation has been “captured by trans ideology.”
