The BBC has been forced into a grovelling apology after allowing a claim suggesting JK Rowling is transphobic to go unchallenged on air.
A debate on BBC Scotland on the new Harry Potter video game called Hogwarts Legacy descended into a culture war discussion as two gamers criticised the author.
While one had bought the game and another had boycotted it, both sides of the debate were critical of Rowling.
Lee Rob, who did buy the game, said on Good Morning Scotland what it was “possible to separate the artist from the art”.
He added: “I don’t align myself with some of the things which JK Rowling has put out in recent years, particularly about transgender people, but neither do I agree with her on Scottish independence.”
Trans woman Carrie Marshall boycotted the game, claiming money used could be used to “fund the anti-trans movement”.
She said: “This is having a measurable effect on trans people’s lives and potentially our safety too.
“I think that’s why so many trans people are concerned about this game.”
Following the February 10 broadcast, BBC confirmed they had received a complaint that “the contributors inaccurately attributed anti-transgender views to the author JK Rowling and that this went unchallenged by the programme”.
JK Rowling has strongly denied claims she is transphobic
Yui Mok
The corporation admitted the segment in question had not met their editorial standards.
In a statement, a BBC spokesperson said: “The intention of this discussion was to focus on the release of the video game Hogwarts Legacy.
“Within the gaming community a debate has been underway, with some taking the decision not to purchase the game and some websites not reviewing it.
“The debate was cast with two gamers - one who had bought the game and one who was refusing the purchase it.
“It was our intention to focus on this issue within the gaming community, hearing from two contributors with different views.
“However, having reviews the discussion as broadcast, it’s clear the debate got into the issue of gender identity and claims were made about JK Rowling’s views.
“We accept that the programme failed to challenge these claims and acknowledge that our contributors gave their opinion as fact.
“This fell below the rigorous editorial standards we’ve applied to our broad coverage of trans and gender recognition stories across BBC Scotland’s news and current affairs output, and we apologise for that.”
The BBC have been forced into making an apology for a debate on JK Rowling
Image: PA
It is not the first time the BBC have been forced to apologise over comments surrounding JK Rowling, after a pundit on Evan Davis’ Radio 4 show accused Rowling of “having a platform that she uses to push transphobia.”
Speaking on the incident, Davis admitted criticism of the show had been “fair”.
It comes after Rowling said she “never set out to upset anyone” over her past comments on transgender issues.
The 57-year-old spoke in a new podcast series, the Witch Trials of JK Rowling, where she claims to have been “misunderstood profoundly”.
The discussion surrounding the Harry Potter author’s views has hotted up following the release of highly-anticipated video game Hogwarts Legacy.
The open world adventure game has attracted controversy online, with many fans calling for it to be boycotted as a result of Rowling’s views on gender.
She has strongly denied accusations of transphobia.