The ECU said it considered Croxall’s facial expression laid it open to the interpretation that it “indicated a particular viewpoint in the controversies currently surrounding trans ideology.”
Following her introduction, Dr Mistry, an assistant professor at the LSHTM, spoke about the story, and referred to “pregnant women.”
The ECU added that “congratulatory messages Ms Croxall later received on social media, together with the critical views expressed in the complaints to the BBC and elsewhere, tended to confirm that the impression of her having expressed a personal view was widely shared across the spectrum of opinion on the issue”.
Harry Potter author JK Rowling was among those who praised Croxall, external at the time.
The ECU noted that “Ms Croxall was reacting to scripting, which somewhat clumsily incorporated phrases from the press release accompanying the research, including ‘the aged’, which is not the BBC style, and ‘pregnant people’, which did not match what Dr Mistry said in the clip which followed”.
It explained that “giving the strong impression of expressing a personal view on a controversial matter, even if inadvertently, falls short of the BBC’s expectations of its presenters and journalists in relation to impartiality, the ECU upheld the complaints”.
The finding was reported to management of BBC News and discussed with Ms Croxall and the editorial team concerned.
