BBC newsreader ‘broke rules’ by pulling a face because her script said ‘pregnant people’ – but bosses don’t seem to care that Panorama doctored Trump speech

The BBC was last night accused of shocking double standards after scolding a newsreader who corrected the words ‘pregnant people’ to ‘women’.

Martine Croxall went viral and gained herself a fan base when she grimaced while reading the automated script during a livestream earlier this year.

But on the same day the company was accused of covering up stories that raised difficult questions about the trans debate, Ms Croxall found herself condemned for her response.

The BBC said only 20 viewers’ complaints were accepted because they “expressed a controversial view about transgender people”.

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch accused the company of ‘losing the plot’ and called for chief executive Tim Davie to intervene or resign. UK Reform Leader Nigel Farage said it was a ‘complete double standard’, adding: ‘The newsreader should be applauded, not scolded. Why should people continue to pay the license fee?’

The broadcaster also faced calls for an investigation after Panorama was accused of editing a speech by Donald Trump to make it look like he encouraged the Capitol riot in January 2021. Boris Johnson said Mr Davie must ‘explain or resign’ over the neutrality row.

‘The BBC has been caught red-handed in many Left-leaning actions,’ the former prime minister said. ‘They changed a speech by President Trump in a strange way. They took Hamas’s words as good news. They suppressed debate on trans issues.

‘Everyone who has a television has to finance this organization. Tim Davie must either explain or resign.’

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Ms Croxall, 56, who joined the company in 1991, received the complaints after presenting a brief report about vulnerable people in the heatwave.

When she read the phrase ‘pregnant people’ on Otocue, she immediately added ‘women’ and made a facial expression that the company said was ‘variously interpreted by complainants as disgust, ridicule, contempt or exasperation’.

The word change went viral and received praise from gender-critical campaigners such as Martina Navratilova and JK Rowling; They also called him their ‘new favorite BBC presenter’, adding: ‘You’d better not get into trouble.’

At that time, it was understood that the bosses were comfortable with this situation.

But the BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) upheld the objections yesterday, saying the newsreader had breached impartiality rules.

In a widely derided statement, he said: ‘The ECU considered her facial expression… making it open to the interpretation that it indicated a particular point of view in the debates currently surrounding trans identity, and the congratulatory messages Croxall subsequently received on social media, together with the critical views expressed in complaints to the BBC, tended to confirm that the impression that she was expressing a personal view was widely shared across the spectrum of views on the subject.

‘The ECU upheld the complaints because the strong impression of expressing a personal view on a controversial issue, however unintentional, did not meet the BBC’s expectations of impartiality from its presenters and journalists.’

The decision sparked outrage in political circles and Ms Badenoch argued Ms Croxall deserved an apology.

He told the Mail: ‘Whoever berated Martine Croxall has lost the plot. This is the latest in a seemingly endless series of complaints that the BBC is no longer acting as a public service broadcaster.

‘Licensing fee payers want the truth, not ideological nonsense force-fed by a cabal of agenda-driven activists. It’s time to end this madness.

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‘The chief executive must step in, if he cannot protect his staff he must leave and the board must employ someone who can impose common sense. Croxall deserves an apology, not a scolding.’

Fiona McAnena, from the charity Sex Matters, described the decision as ‘chilling’.

He added: ‘The activist term ‘pregnant people’ should not have appeared in the news bulletin in the first place, so it is outrageous that the BBC has punished Martine Croxall for her understandable frustration. Only women can get pregnant. BBC viewers know this fact of life and so do BBC bosses; So their sentence against Croxall appears to be further chilling evidence of their apparent willingness to put ideology ahead of independent reporting.’

Ms Croxall, along with others, brought a gender and age discrimination claim against the BBC earlier this year, which settled the case. He did not comment on the outrage but said following the broadcast on Saturday afternoon, when he gained 50,000 social media followers almost overnight: ‘Thank you so much to everyone who chose to follow me today for whatever reason. It’s been quite a journey.’

His condemnation came as BBC bosses were accused of ignoring a damning internal report on impartiality.

The 19-page document, sent in September to the BBC board, including Mr Davie and chairman Samir Shah, described “effective censorship” by LGBT staff in the news department. The report’s author, Michael Prescott, a former independent adviser to the BBC editorial watchdog, said he had spoken to employees at the company who had concerns about transgender coverage.

Mr Prescott’s report said the BBC had been ‘taken over by a small group’. [staff] Supporting the Stonewall view in the trans debate.

A company spokesman said: ‘When the BBC receives feedback it takes it seriously and considers it carefully.’

Mr Prescott will give evidence to the Commons culture, media and sport committee next Wednesday.