The Controller of BBC Children's says content should be treated in a way appropriate for children. Duh - he was talking about children's TV, wasn't he?
Sadie J doesn't have any "adult themes" and so fits the bill perfectly -
An unofficial blog about BBC Newsround, started in December 2005. This blog takes a critical look at the British Broadcasting Corporation, especially as regards equality and diversity.
I've been reviewing the BBC's Christmas Day news reports, and wonder if you can help me with one or two queries.
The BBC news at 1pm on Christmas afternoon was introduced by Chris Eakin.
Chris Eakin: The leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales has used his Christmas Message to make his most outspoken attack yet on the Government's proposals to introduce gay marriage. The Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols, said the process had been undemocratic and shambolic. Our Religious Affairs Correspondent, Robert Pigott, reports.
Robert Pigott: (strains of 'Once In Royal David's City') With carols, candles and Holy Communion, Roman Catholics at Westminster Cathedral heralded the coming of Christmas. The Church's leader in England and Wales, Archbishop Vincent Nichols told them that Christmas was a reminder that human lives could be raised to an entirely new realm. But Archbishop Nichols claimed that this Christmas the Christian ideal of marriage was under threat. He accused the Government of behaving in an Orwellian fashion, and using undemocratic means to create a new sham version of marriage.
Viewers then saw Vincent Nichols (not in the main body of the Cathedral) say the following: "Frankly the process is shambolic. There was no announcement in any party manifesto. There's been no Green Paper, there's been no statement in the Queen's Speech. And yet here we are, on the verge of primary legislation. From a democratic point of view it's a shambles."
After that you were shown speaking to camera (apparently as people were just leaving the Cathedral)
Robert Pigott: This was Archbishop Nichols' strongest attack yet on the Government's plans for gay marriage. There was real anger in his passionate criticism of the Government's plans, and a call to Catholics to join the political struggle against them. ......
Now, I'm not entirely clear that what the BBC reported the Archbishop as saying in his Christmas Message was indeed said to congregants at a service in Westminster Cathedral . Please could you clarify that point?
The other thing I'd like to know, relating to the above question, is precisely how the interview with Archbishop Nichols came about?
I look forward to hearing from you, and would appreciate it if you could treat this as an urgent request. Thank you.
Thank you for contacting us. Robert Pigott has passed on to us for a response.More about this development in a future blog
The cue to Robert's piece referred to Archbishop Vincent Nichols' "Christmas message", not to his homily. There is a clear distinction between the two.
Robert's script said correctly that Archbishop Nichols had used his homily to warn that the Christian ideal of marriage was under threat. In fact, the archbishop specified that the government itself was itself the cause of this threat.
His report then switched to what was clearly a television interview, and not the homily, in which Archbishop Nichols described the government's actions as "shambolic" and explained why he felt the process of introducing gay marriage had been undemocratic. Robert's address to the camera also clearly referred to the interview and not the homily.
The interview was carried out shortly before Midnight Mass solely to provide material for the BBC's coverage of Christmas messages on Christmas Day, as is our usual practice. The questioning was prompted - by agreement with his staff - by the reference in the homily to marriage and the alleged threat to it by the government. Its use in that way was entirely clear to, and intended by, Archbishop Nichols. It did, therefore, constitute a Christmas message, as distinct from his homily, to Roman Catholics.
We hope that addresses your concerns.
Welsh rugby player Gareth played more times for his country than anyone else. The former Welsh captain hit the headlines in 2009 when he revealed he was gay. Now a movie's being made about his life.It is true that Gareth "hit the headlines" in 2009, when he came out as gay. However I can confirm that the news was, at that time, kept well away from Newsround viewers. The rest of the BBC, however, was very keen to make Gareth's 'coming out' into a huge story. You see, a few days earlier the Corporation had attracted the ire of millions for publishing a web 'debate' entitled "Should homosexuals face execution?"
Robert Pigott speaking to Fiona Bruce - BBC News at Six (4th Jan 2013) |
A few days ago the Member of Parliament for Monmouth, David Davies, said he believed "most parents would prefer their children not to be gay."
Whether or not David Davies is right, the prevalence of prejudiced attitudes on the part of parents is quite troubling. So I was wondering what BBC Children's is doing to help kids feel OK about themselves, no matter what their sexual orientation.
Please could you advise of any recent CBBC drama series, or any in the pipeline, which actually include lesbian, gay, or bisexual portrayal as part of an inclusive approach? I believe that, in the past, such portrayal was considered appropriate by the BBC.