CSOFringe

Meanwhile, the BBC runs articles like this - which read more like activism than journalism. Nobody should abuse or assault ambulance staff. That is completely unacceptable. But this article presents patients refusing care as prejudice. Without acknowledging a crucial fact: that the paramedic is male. Neither does it acknowledge that some women may have legitimate reasons for refusing care from a male paramedic - regardless of how he identifies - including previous experiences of sexual violence, religious beliefs or a desire for single-sex care. Good journalism should be able to reflect both positions: that no healthcare worker should face abuse - and that female patients have legitimate sex-based privacy and dignity concerns. The BBC has too often fallen short of its duty of due impartiality on this issue. And by presenting one perspective while overlooking legitimate competing rights and interests, it has helped embed an ideology rather than critically examining it.