The British Broadcasting Corporation has upheld complaints that its reporter broke protocol when, in a now viral video of a live broadcast, she changed the words ‘pregnant people’ to ‘women’ according to international reports.

The woman’s expression after the word switch was criticised by the BBC’s Executive Complaints Unit (ECU).

Martine Croxall had been introducing an interview about heatwave research and vulnerable groups when she altered her script saying: “Malcolm Mistry, who was involved in the research, says that the aged, pregnant people … women … and those with pre-existing health conditions need to take precautions.”

Complaints received soon after the broadcast said Croxall’s expression had appeared to be one of contempt or another similar emotion.

In a report announcing that the Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) had upheld those complaints, the BBC said:

“The presenter changed her script to instead say ‘women’, and the ECU said it considered her facial expression as she said this gave the strong impression of expressing a personal view on a controversial matter.”

The matter of transgender people and their identities has been a controversial one globally for decades.

The BBC newsroom management had said the reporter was reacting to a confusing script and pointed out that the person in the interview also said “pregnant women”.

However, the ECU found that even if it was done inadvertently, giving a strong impression of expressing a personal view on a controversial matter was not up to the company’s expectations of its presenters and journalists.