Ex-BBC chief claims broadcaster has succumbed to 'progressive madness' in transgender coverage

The BBC has succumbed to "progressive madness" in its transgender coverage, the former director of News and Current Affairs at the national broadcaster has claimed.

Fran Unsworth alleged that "the world went mad" regarding progressive politics while she led the department, and that the corporation "went a bit mad with it".

Ms Unsworth, who held the position from 2018 to 2022 after joining the BBC in 1980, pointed specifically to transgender coverage as an area where opposing viewpoints faced hostility.

She described "a kind of national bullying going on in every institution in society," suggesting that those who questioned prevailing narratives on trans issues found their perspectives unwelcome within the organisation.

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The former news chief revealed that employees would exert pressure on journalists "if they felt the editorial direction of the story was not supporting their particular point of view."

She singled out the drama and light entertainment divisions for developing a "mono perspective".

According to the ex-chief, staff from those departments leaned on news colleagues when coverage failed to align with their expectations.

Ms Unsworth suggested that only a single acceptable stance on transgender matters was tolerated internally, with journalists feeling compelled to adhere to dominant narratives.

Speaking on transgender issues, she told UnHerd: "I could have been cancelled by my own staff, not just on this subject but on all sorts of subjects."

A leaked internal document alleged that LGBT employees had subjected BBC coverage to "effective censorship."

Certain journalists were reportedly reluctant to pursue gender-critical stories.

Cath Leng, a BBC journalist, has corroborated these concerns.

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She argued she was "ostracised" and ultimately "forced out" of the organisation in 2023 because of her gender-critical stance.

The broadcaster has been the centre of criticism over alleged political partiality extending beyond transgender matters.

Separate reports have indicated that BBC journalists harbour anxieties about being labelled "racist" and that some avoid stories which might appear critical of migration.

These revelations emerge against a backdrop of mounting scrutiny over the corporation's editorial independence and impartiality standards.

The corporation faced renewed controversy in November last year when a 2024 Panorama episode was found to have misrepresented Donald Trump's remarks during the January 6 Capitol riot.

The programme spliced together two separate statements from the US President, creating the misleading impression that he had urged supporters to storm the building.

The incident fuelled accusations of institutional hostility towards Mr Trump and the political Right more broadly, ultimately leading to the resignation of Director-General Tim Davie.

A BBC spokesman told GB News: "BBC News has taken a number of actions relating to our reporting of sex and gender including updating the news style guide and sharing new guidance, making our Social Affairs Editor responsible for this coverage, and where there have been concerns about particular stories, we have addressed them.

"We continually review our coverage to reflect developments such as the Supreme Court Ruling.”

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