BBC Gets 200 Complaints After Presenter Failed To Challenge Claim JK Rowling Is “Nasty” Transphobe
deadline.comThe BBC received 199 complaints after a prominent news presenter failed to challenge a guest, who claimed that JK Rowling is transphobic.
Evan Davis allowed Stacey Henley, a transgender woman, to criticize Rowling’s “nasty views” during a discussion about video game Hogwarts Legacy on Radio 4’s PM show earlier this month.
Henley, editor-in-chief of The Gamer, accused the author of pushing “transphobia” and said she was active in campaigning “against trans people.” Davis said Rowling “wouldn’t say she’s transphobic,” but this attempt to balance the conversation did not come until minutes after Henley’s initial comments.
The BBC apologized for the exchange after listeners said it presented an “unfair characterization” of Rowling’s views on transgender issues. “We do accept that there wasn’t sufficient challenge to the claims that were made and that we fell short here,” the BBC said. “This is a difficult and contentious area which we do try very hard to cover fairly and well on the BBC.
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