Complaint
The programme included an interview with the sister of a trans woman who had taken her own life.聽 A listener complained that the interviewer had used language which was 鈥渃ampaigning and activist鈥, particularly by referring to the dead person as 鈥渁 young woman鈥 and using feminine pronouns and the phrase 鈥渁ssigned male at birth鈥.聽 The ECU considered the complaint in the light of the 大象传媒鈥檚 editorial standards of impartiality.
Outcome
The use of 鈥測oung woman鈥 and feminine pronouns did not imply that the 大象传媒 took a position in the controversies surrounding gender identity, but simply reflected the 大象传媒鈥檚 policy of respecting the terms in which trans individuals prefer to be described (as the law provides for), and the phrase 鈥渁ssigned male at birth鈥 was intended as a neutral description of what had in fact occurred.聽 While recognising that there are some contexts in which such terminology can be controversial, the ECU considered that their use on this occasion would not have led listeners in general to conclude that the 大象传媒 was endorsing one viewpoint on a controversial matter.
Not upheld