Thank you again David for continuing to put a spotlight on this issue. I emailed Ruth Hill very shortly after the article was published with the same information I shared with you. As of today, I still have not heard back. The silence is maddening and deafening. Thank you for responding to me so quickly and getting Alex's story out there and allowing his own voice to set the record straight.
Thank you Angel for sharing Alex's story and the truth. Heartbreaking to read just how terrible the parents were but Alex seemed like a wonderful human who deserved better. Lots of hugs to you and everyone who knew and loved him.
I share your concerns that those 'professionals' did not do their job as best as they could have. It's disgusting that this happened in today's society.
David, I went to the BSA website with the intention of lodging a complaint, but I see that they require a complaint to be made straight to the broadcaster first. So I've sent a formal complaint to RNZ. I hope I'm doing this the right way and haven't missed anything. I'll see how the RNZ complaint goes and then take it to BSA if needed.
Thank you so much for covering this story, it's so important to have journalists who will speak up when another journalist and news organisation does something so blatantly unethical and harmful. Alex deserved his voice to be heard in any reporting about him, and that piece deprived its readers not only of his voice but even his name. Thank you for sharing Alex's story through his own words and giving him back that small piece of basic human dignity.
I'm thinking a lot today about how hard it has been to encourage journalists to pick up things like media releases about trans health issues. There have been many stories this year that have received very minimal coverage and I worry that our media is avoiding covering these stories properly. Where RNZ used to be a reliable outlet to offer evidence based coverage and not lean so far into "balance" that it becomes blatant misinformation, it just is not anymore. While this happens, in trans health, we have the puberty blockers review results that turned into an unprecedented public consultation on how to provide healthcare (goodbye evidence based, hello the clinic of public misinformation), we have the approved, evidence-based, and TWO-commissioned gender affirming care guidelines being stopped by Matt Doocey in an unprecedented ministerial overreach, we have the government attacking perinatal health services who dare to use best practice to support and treat transmasculine birthing parents, we have Winston and David doing whatever fucked up Americanised anti-trans bullshit that they want to, it goes on and on and on.
I'm also thinking a lot today about the way that the South Island has only about 15-16 dedicated, specialist, public eating disorder beds for the whole entire island. They serve to refeed a patient and discharge them, often for that patient to relapse because they never got the chance to fully recover. Canterbury has a private, dedicated residential eating disorders clinic based off of models used very successfully overseas, run by a practitioner who I know is trans-inclusive, but it is very new and is not receiving any public funding besides ACC sensitive claims. Otago has a generalist private residential mental health facility that does have an eating disorders pathway and accept patients with public funding, but everyone I know who has been there has felt pressured to leave care early because of endless toxic drama - and the trans patients I know who have been there have experienced gross transphobia and a refusal to *let them* affirm their own gender identities.
I work in health policy. This is my area of expertise. I have dedicated my career to trans health, policy, education, professional development. I have lived experience with eating disorders. I am autistic. And circling back to Alex, I am just devastated that as we continue doing the work we are doing to try and prevent more tragic and unnecessary deaths like his, we are blocked at every fucking front by backwards minded extra hot milky flat white drinkers in shitty suits with egos too big to fit in their tiny little brains.
I understand after making a complaint to RNZ it would then go to the Media Council rather than BSA as online content? Could be wrong! https://www.mediacouncil.org.nz/complaints/
Thank you again David for continuing to put a spotlight on this issue. I emailed Ruth Hill very shortly after the article was published with the same information I shared with you. As of today, I still have not heard back. The silence is maddening and deafening. Thank you for responding to me so quickly and getting Alex's story out there and allowing his own voice to set the record straight.
Thank you Angel for sharing Alex's story and the truth. Heartbreaking to read just how terrible the parents were but Alex seemed like a wonderful human who deserved better. Lots of hugs to you and everyone who knew and loved him.
I share your concerns that those 'professionals' did not do their job as best as they could have. It's disgusting that this happened in today's society.
David, I went to the BSA website with the intention of lodging a complaint, but I see that they require a complaint to be made straight to the broadcaster first. So I've sent a formal complaint to RNZ. I hope I'm doing this the right way and haven't missed anything. I'll see how the RNZ complaint goes and then take it to BSA if needed.
I updated the story above to get a bit more specific (a media council complaint is best).
Thank you!
Can log the media council complaint 10 days after the complaint to RNZ.
💙
Thank you so much for covering this story, it's so important to have journalists who will speak up when another journalist and news organisation does something so blatantly unethical and harmful. Alex deserved his voice to be heard in any reporting about him, and that piece deprived its readers not only of his voice but even his name. Thank you for sharing Alex's story through his own words and giving him back that small piece of basic human dignity.
I'm thinking a lot today about how hard it has been to encourage journalists to pick up things like media releases about trans health issues. There have been many stories this year that have received very minimal coverage and I worry that our media is avoiding covering these stories properly. Where RNZ used to be a reliable outlet to offer evidence based coverage and not lean so far into "balance" that it becomes blatant misinformation, it just is not anymore. While this happens, in trans health, we have the puberty blockers review results that turned into an unprecedented public consultation on how to provide healthcare (goodbye evidence based, hello the clinic of public misinformation), we have the approved, evidence-based, and TWO-commissioned gender affirming care guidelines being stopped by Matt Doocey in an unprecedented ministerial overreach, we have the government attacking perinatal health services who dare to use best practice to support and treat transmasculine birthing parents, we have Winston and David doing whatever fucked up Americanised anti-trans bullshit that they want to, it goes on and on and on.
I'm also thinking a lot today about the way that the South Island has only about 15-16 dedicated, specialist, public eating disorder beds for the whole entire island. They serve to refeed a patient and discharge them, often for that patient to relapse because they never got the chance to fully recover. Canterbury has a private, dedicated residential eating disorders clinic based off of models used very successfully overseas, run by a practitioner who I know is trans-inclusive, but it is very new and is not receiving any public funding besides ACC sensitive claims. Otago has a generalist private residential mental health facility that does have an eating disorders pathway and accept patients with public funding, but everyone I know who has been there has felt pressured to leave care early because of endless toxic drama - and the trans patients I know who have been there have experienced gross transphobia and a refusal to *let them* affirm their own gender identities.
I work in health policy. This is my area of expertise. I have dedicated my career to trans health, policy, education, professional development. I have lived experience with eating disorders. I am autistic. And circling back to Alex, I am just devastated that as we continue doing the work we are doing to try and prevent more tragic and unnecessary deaths like his, we are blocked at every fucking front by backwards minded extra hot milky flat white drinkers in shitty suits with egos too big to fit in their tiny little brains.
💙💙💙
I understand after making a complaint to RNZ it would then go to the Media Council rather than BSA as online content? Could be wrong! https://www.mediacouncil.org.nz/complaints/
Correct - my apologies.
I have updated the story above to reflect all that.
In short - BSA for the Morning Report story that was on air - but for the online only stuff at RNZ, Stuff and 1News, the Media Council is the place.
Yeah, think that is correct, so not quite as many teeth unfortunately. If that OneNews piece was aired defo make a BSA complaint about that.
It was online only I believe - so another Media Council complaint.