What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
NEW DELHI: The BBC has come under intense scrutiny for its selective reporting on issues of sexual violence, particularly in its contrasting coverage of the Nirbhaya rape case in India and the ongoing grooming gang scandal in the UK. While the BBC was quick to amplify the global outrage surrounding the Nirbhaya case, its coverage of the grooming gangs scandal, which has affected countless young girls in the UK, has been relatively muted.
The 2012 Nirbhaya case in Delhi, where a young woman was brutally gang-raped, sparked widespread protests and international condemnation. The BBC’s coverage of this incident framed India as a country grappling with a “rape crisis,” with headlines such as “India is the rape capital of the world.”
The extensive media attention given to Nirbhaya helped fuel debates about India’s treatment of women and its systemic failure to protect them. The case became emblematic of India’s supposed rape culture, with the BBC’s coverage contributing to the global outcry and urging India to confront its deep-seated issues of sexual violence.
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In stark contrast, the grooming gang scandals in the UK, involving the sexual abuse and exploitation of young girls by organized gangs, have received far less coverage from the BBC. Despite the scale of the abuse, which has affected thousands of victims over the years, the BBC has been criticized for downplaying the issue.
A recent analysis using the Lexis database, which tracks content across UK newspapers, found that BBC News and BBC Radio 4 had only 357 mentions of the grooming gang scandal between 2011 and 2025. In comparison, coverage of issues like “George Floyd” (7,537 mentions), “Black Lives Matter” (7,416 mentions), and “Islamophobia” (2,259 mentions) was far more extensive.
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The disparity in coverage has led to accusations of media bias. Many critics argue that the UK media, including the BBC, has been reluctant to fully address the grooming gang issue due to political sensitivities. The perpetrators of these crimes are often from ethnic or religious minorities, and addressing the issue head-on risks challenging politically correct narratives around multiculturalism, immigration, and diversity. As a result, the grooming gang scandal, which has plagued cities like Rotherham, Rochdale, and Telford, has often been relegated to the background.
This imbalance points out that in the 2011-2025 period, UK newspapers published just 4,659 articles focused specifically on grooming gangs, compared to 17,152 articles on “Islamophobia” and 59,338 on “Black Lives Matter.”
Criticism is also growing for The Guardian for its meagre 113 articles on grooming gangs, compared to its 3,325 articles on Islamophobia. This stark contrast illustrates how the media has prioritized certain narratives over others, even when the scale of the abuse in the UK far exceeds many of the issues that have garnered more attention.
The BBC, which once led the charge in covering the Nirbhaya case, has failed to similarly champion the voices of the young girls affected by grooming gangs. This failure to adequately cover such a significant scandal raises questions about the priorities of the UK media class. Critics argue that the media’s reluctance to address this issue has allowed it to remain in the shadows, despite the profound impact it has had on communities across the country.
As public awareness of the grooming gang scandal grows, the question remains whether the BBC and other UK media outlets will finally give this issue the attention it deserves.
In India, there is growing criticism of Western media’s focus on India’s democracy index. The Democracy Index, compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit, measures the state of democracy in 167 countries based on factors like electoral process, civil liberties, and political culture. India is currently classified as a “Flawed Democracy” and is ranked 41st out of 167 countries. Critics argue that Western media often highlights India’s shortcomings while downplaying issues in their own countries, leading to a perception of bias.
