BAI upholds complaint about transphobia debate on Today FM
The BAI also noted that the show’s presenter “did not challenge” the panelist’s view on JK Rowling's comments or “facilitate the exploration of alternative viewpoints.” File Picture: PA
The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) has upheld a complaint made by a listener about a panelist's comments on the issue of transphobia on Today FM’s .
The complaint related to an episode of The Last Word which aired on September 18 last year.
During the show, one panelist expressed their belief that Harry Potter author J.K Rowling was transphobic.
The listener who made the complaint said that this allegation was made "without supporting evidence" and was not challenged by the present or by any other panelist on the show.
This accusation, the complainant said, was “serious” and lacking in “balance, impartiality and objectivity” and therefore did not meet standards set out in the Broadcasting Act 2009.
On the show, a panel of guests discussed several topics, including a number of tweets sent by Jedward, in which the singers criticised several celebrities for comments made about Covid-19 and the wearing of masks.
From there, the panel moved on to a tweet by pop duo Jedward which condemned JK Rowling for comments she had made about transgender people.
In their response to the BAI Compliance Committee, Today FM cited the UNESCO definition of transphobia as “the irrational aversion, anxiety, discomfort or hatred of people because they are or are perceived to be transgender”.
The panelist said that Ms Rowling had exhibited some of these characteristics - namely, anxiety and discomfort.
As to the issue of balance, Today FM said that, had the programme been solely about the issue of transphobia, there would have been “guests present to represent both sides of the argument", and that Ms Rowling was just one of a number of topics discussed on the show.
Today FM said the discussion "was not a news or a current affairs piece" but rather “a lively miscellany in which opinions are encouraged.”
Responding to this point, the BAI noted that is in fact “generally understood to be a current affairs programme.”
The BAI Committee said that, though the content of much of the discussion was “quite light-hearted”, it still related to a current affairs topic and “did contain some analysis of same."
As such, in its latest Broadcasting Complaints Decisions Published Report, the BAI said the discussion was subject to requirements set out in the Code of Fairness, Objectivity and Impartiality in News and Current Affairs.
The BAI also noted that the show’s presenter “did not challenge” the panelist’s view or “facilitate the exploration of alternative viewpoints.”
In the closing line of their judgment, the BAI Committee said that “given the seriousness of the statements made by the panel member, and the lack of challenge by the presenter, the broadcast was not fair” and therefore the listener complaint.
The BAI rejected nine other listener and viewer complaints submitted between October 2020 and February 2021
Several related to Covid-19 and public health advice surrounding it, while three others related shows which discussed the remarks and policies of former US President Donald Trump.
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