The BBC has backed its newsreader Martine Croxall after vision of her correcting her autocue and changing the words “pregnant people” to “women”.
During a live broadcast over the weekend, Croxall interrupted her own sentence and appeared to roll her eyes after reading out a quote from a study that cited “pregnant people.”
Croxall was quoting, an assistant professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, not the wording of the BBC.
UK media have reported that Croxall is not facing a backlash from her employers over her correction.
The Times newspaper reports managers at the national broadcaster were “intensely relaxed” about the newsreader changing the words.
Sources at the BBC were quick to point out that the BBC News style guide did not mention the phrase “pregnant women”, according to reports.
Other insiders said it was highly unlikely that Croxall would be reprimanded over the matter, according to The Deadline.
In April, the UK’s Supreme Court ruled that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex.
At the time of the ruling, the BBC said: “BBC News is assessing the ruling to consider any updates which might need to be made to the style guide as a result.”
On Monday, Croxall tweeted: “A huge thank you to everyone who has chosen to follow me today for whatever reason. It’s been quite a ride…”
