By Sheila Mckenzie
The Independent Press Standards Organisation has commissioned a research into the editorial standards applied to transgender reporting in the UK.
Charlotte Urwin, head of standards at the press regulator, said coverage of transgender issues made for some of the “most contentious and sensitive issues” dealt with by IPSO.
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The regulator had published guidance on reporting transgender matters since 2016, alongside the Editors’ Code of Practice to inform editorial decisions. However, due to fresh and complex challenges, head of standards at the press regulator Charlotte Urwin, says coverage of transgender issues has made for some of the most contentious and sensitive issues dealt with by Ipso
This research will quantify the amount of articles about transgender issues over the past ten years and see industry figures and groups representing the transgender community interviewed over the coverage.
It is hoped this research will examine what changes in editorial standards have taken place and what has driven any positive changes.
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REPORTING
Urwin said: “By examining changes in the reporting in this area and the continuing challenges facing both transgender individuals and journalists writing about these issues, I hope to shed new light on this challenging area”. She believes there is inadequate research in this area, and a new evidence base for discussions around editorial standards will be formed.
Some of the conflicts that have arisen can be exemplified in a case by The Times tribunal claim from former Scotland night editor Katherine O’Donnell, a transwoman, who was unfairly dismissed and discriminated against as a result of a newsroom culture that is both sexist and discriminates against transgender people.
O’Donnell claims the volume of content in the Times and Sunday Times that is “hostile” to trans people has “increased many-fold since October 2017”.
The paper denies O’Donnell’s claims, with Times editor John Witherow telling the tribunal last Friday that there is no trans bias in his newspaper. The Times withdrew its nominees from the Editorial Intelligence Comment Awards last year partly because of backlash against its shortlisted columnist Janice Turner, who frequently writes about transgender issues.
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