Radio New Zealand has published one of the most ethically bankrupt pieces of journalism in its history, systematically erasing the identity of a deceased transgender youth to advance an anti-trans agenda orchestrated by known anti-transgender activist and bigot Fern Hickson.

Rights Aotearoa today reveals that RNZ's article "Teenager starves to death alone in emergency accommodation" fundamentally misrepresents the life and death of Alex, a 17-year-old trans man who died in 2023. The article, published on 12 June 2025, deliberately misgenders Alex throughout its 3,500 words, referring to him exclusively by his deadname and using female pronouns—a grotesque violation of journalistic ethics and human dignity.

The Truth RNZ Refused to Tell

Rights Aotearoa was given access to over 6,000 messages written by Alex on an eating disorder support forum between 2022 and 2023. These messages unequivocally demonstrate:

• Alex consistently identified as male and used he/him pronouns. He had a very stable gender identity, in fact, which is the opposite of what the RNZ story asserts.
• He explicitly stated: "I do not go by my birth name any more as hearing/seeing it makes me very uncomfortable. I am trans and don't really associate that name with myself at all anymore"
• His greatest source of pain was his parents' refusal to accept his identity: "My parents act like I never came out to them... casually misgender and deadname me even when talking to others"
• He never renounced his transgender identity, contrary to what RNZ's article implies

Angel, the forum moderator who knew Alex intimately through thousands of interactions, states categorically: "I want to say that Alex did not want to die from his eating disorder, and I fully believe that he would still be here today if he had been accepted for his identity."

Angel asked Rights Aotearoa to make sure Alex’s story was heard. We convened a zui of leading figures from the transgender, healthcare, and human rights communities, and we unanimously decided to give the leading journalist David Farrier access to the messages. His nuanced article, honouring the true story of Alex’s life, is available here: https://www.webworm.co/p/lifeanddeathofalex. The excellent NZ Herald journalist David Fisher has also been given access to the messages.

Fern Hickson's Manipulative Agenda Exposed

Evidence reveals that Fern Hickson of Resist Gender Education NZ actively "shopped around" this story to media outlets, ultimately finding a willing accomplice in RNZ journalist Ruth Hill. Within hours of publication, anti-trans activists celebrated on social media, with Ani O'Brien thanking Hickson for her "hard and determined work" in placing the story.

The article's framing precisely mirrors Resist Gender Education's ideological position—that transgender identity is a delusion that must be denied. RNZ failed to disclose Hickson's role or her organisation's anti-trans agenda, deceiving the public about the source and motivation behind this story.

Ruth Hill's Catastrophic Ethical Failure

Ruth Hill has:

• Wilfully misgendered a deceased youth throughout her article
• Failed to verify the accuracy of claims made by ideologically motivated sources
• Omitted crucial perspectives from those who actually knew Alex
• Published speculative assertions about Alex's death before any coronial findings
• Violated the most basic principles of ethical journalism

This is not merely poor journalism—it is an act of posthumous violence against a vulnerable young person who died seeking acceptance.

Rights Aotearoa's Demands

We demand the following actions from Radio New Zealand by 5pm today:

1. Immediate removal of the article from all RNZ platforms
2. A comprehensive public apology acknowledging the harm caused by misgendering Alex and failing to disclose source bias
3. A thorough examination of all the editorial processes that allowed this story to be published
4. The dismissal of Ruth Hill for gross ethical violations that have brought RNZ into disrepute

If these demands are not met by 5pm today, Rights Aotearoa will immediately proceed to the Human Rights Commission with a formal complaint regarding RNZ's discriminatory treatment of a deceased transgender person. We will rely on the Supreme Court’s findings in the case of Peter Ellis to seek justice for Alex posthumously. We will also add Sean Plunket and Lean Panapa from The Platform to the complaint.

The Human Cost

This is not merely about journalistic standards. Alex was a brilliant, kind young person who loved deeply despite the rejection he faced. His story deserved to be told with dignity and truth. Instead, RNZ has weaponised his death to advance a harmful anti-trans narrative, compounding the very discrimination that contributed to his suffering.

As Alex's friend poignantly noted: "The original article seems to suggest that 'because social services focused so much on Alex's gender identity, they neglected his eating disorder'. It is deeply ironic then, that all of the conversation now seems to be around Alex's gender identity, and people are neglecting to raise awareness about the eating disorder that killed him."

A Betrayal of Public Trust

RNZ, as New Zealand's public broadcaster, has a solemn duty to report the truth and present it fairly. By allowing itself to be manipulated by anti-trans activists, by erasing Alex's identity, and by publishing harmful speculation before coronial proceedings, RNZ has catastrophically failed in this duty.

The stakes could not be higher. Transgender youth in Aotearoa face extraordinary challenges. When our public broadcaster participates in their erasure—even in death—it sends a devastating message to every trans young person struggling to survive.

Rights Aotearoa will not allow this unconscionable act to stand. Justice for Alex demands nothing less than full accountability.

© Scoop Media