He or She: Reporting court cases of trans-identified defendants in the UK

Abstract

Reporting of court cases with trans-identified defendants has become both more common and more difficult due to changing guidance to court officials, and a lack of regulatory guidance to media organisations. This has resulted in confusing articles and abuse of journalists. This research examined 138 media reports of 39 UK court cases concerning defendants who claimed to be transgender. The results showed great variation in journalistic practice regarding pronouns, use of names and terminology. Journalists were asked for the reasoning behind editorial decisions. Stakeholders were also invited to give their opinions on current and ideal reporting practice. Current legal and regulatory guidelines in the UK were reviewed. Guidance is given to enable journalists to report these cases safely and accurately.