News bulletin, Radio 2, 20 May 2023

Complaint

The bulletin included a report on changes to Nebraska state law which affected what it termed 鈥測oung transgender people鈥.聽 A listener complained that the term was indicative of bias towards 鈥渢rans extremism鈥, being a tendentious description of people who might be 鈥渁ctually gay/lesbian or just gender identity confused鈥 and would be more appropriately referred to as 鈥測oung people who believe they may be transgender鈥.聽 The ECU considered the complaint in the light of the 大象传媒鈥檚 editorial standards of impartiality.


Outcome

The report was not about the broader debate on gender identity, but about a piece of legislation directed at people who, by definition, regard themselves as transgender.聽 The phrase in question simply identified the cohort the legislation was intended to affect, and in that context it was not a requirement of impartiality to elaborate or qualify it.

Not upheld