The BBC has upheld 20 impartiality complaints against news presenter Martine Croxall after she changed the wording of a live script and appeared to express a personal view during a broadcast.
The complaints stem from a segment on the BBC News Channel earlier this year, when Croxall introduced an interview about UK heatwave risks and altered her script from “pregnant people” to “women.”
“The research says that the aged, pregnant people … women … and those with pre-existing health conditions need to take precautions,” she read, referencing findings from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
I have a new favourite BBC presenter. https://t.co/l2gkThccty
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 22, 2025
The BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) said her facial expression at the moment of correction “gave the strong impression of expressing a personal view on a controversial matter,” breaching impartiality standards.
BBC cites impartiality breach
In its ruling, the ECU found Croxall’s reaction was “variously interpreted by complainants as showing disgust, ridicule, contempt or exasperation.”
It added that social media praise she later received “tended to confirm that the impression of her having expressed a personal view was widely shared.”
BBC News management defended the incident as a reaction to “clumsy scripting,” noting that phrases such as “the aged” and “pregnant people” were drawn directly from a press release and did not reflect BBC style or the language used by the interview subject.
Nonetheless, the ECU concluded that “giving the strong impression of expressing a personal view on a controversial matter, even if inadvertently, falls short of the BBC’s expectations of its presenters and journalists.”
Second breach in two years
This marks the second time Croxall has breached BBC impartiality rules. In 2022, the presenter was found to have risked “expressing opinions” during a newspaper review segment following Boris Johnson’s decision not to re-enter the Conservative leadership race.
The latest finding has been discussed with Croxall and the editorial team involved.
While author JK Rowling briefly praised the presenter’s comment on social media, the BBC reaffirmed its stance that neutrality on divisive social and political issues remains non-negotiable for its journalists.