Overview
- Citing a “strong impression” of personal opinion, the Executive Complaints Unit upheld 20 complaints after Croxall changed “pregnant people” to “women” and made a noticeable facial expression during a June broadcast.
- The segment introduced research from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and the interviewed academic, Dr Malcolm Mistry, subsequently used the term “pregnant women” in the clip that followed.
- BBC News management initially told complainants the change was a clarity call responding to clumsy scripting, but the ECU disagreed, finding this fell short of impartiality standards for presenters.
- The ECU noted that social media responses, including public praise from J.K. Rowling, reinforced that many viewers believed Croxall had expressed a personal view on a contentious issue.
- The finding has been reported to BBC News management and discussed with Croxall and the editorial team, with no further sanction disclosed, and it arrives as the corporation faces broader scrutiny of its trans-related coverage and after a prior impartiality breach for Croxall in 2022.