Anti-Bullying Week starts on Monday.
One way the BBC can help reduce bullying is to make programmes which represent all viewers, and, to some extent children's TV has succeeded in that aim. Last year, for example, CBBC tackled homophobia and homophobic bullying on Newsround for the first time. And CBBC's 'Our School' documentary series, included a deputy headteacher from London, Shaun Dellenty, giving a school assembly about the harm caused by homophobic bullying.
However, the Corporation still seems to have an issue with allowing young people to self-identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual, though the same is not true of those who identify as transgender. The 'My Life' documentary I Am Leo, about trans boy Leo Waddell is due to be repeated this Sunday.
Regrettably, no new children's drama portraying LGB young people was broadcast on CBBC in 2015. Rarely a day goes by without children's dramas portraying 'straight' romantic relationships.
A question about the lack of representation of children with disabilities was asked at this year's Children's Media Conference. The questioner, Camilla Arnold, explained that while growing up she saw little, if any, representation of deaf people on television, unless they were elderly - and only a handful of characters had any other form of disability. Camilla asked if more should be done to ensure children's programmes reflect real life.
Anna Home, who worked on BBC children's TV many years ago, agreed, and said there was a need to avoid ghettoisation but that drama is a very good way of bringing in new characters.
Alice Webb, said she was very proud of what BBC Children's is doing in terms of diversity - 26% of representation on CBBC and CBeebies. Alice couldn't remember the individual diversity figures, but said she'd be happy to get them out. However, the BBC has not since responded favourably to requests for the information.
Showing posts with label diversity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diversity. Show all posts
Friday, November 13, 2015
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
The theme of this year's Dyslexia Awareness Week (Oct 5-11) was 'Making Sense of Dyslexia'
To mark the event CBBC published a YouTube video with answers to common questions about the condition. Henry Winkler, author of the Hank Zipzer books, stresses that if you have a learning challenge, it's nothing to do with intelligence. He says just because we are not good in school does not mean that we are not smart human beings.
Henry Winkler talks about dyslexia - CBBC Hank Zipzer
To mark the event CBBC published a YouTube video with answers to common questions about the condition. Henry Winkler, author of the Hank Zipzer books, stresses that if you have a learning challenge, it's nothing to do with intelligence. He says just because we are not good in school does not mean that we are not smart human beings.
Henry Winkler talks about dyslexia - CBBC Hank Zipzer
Friday, September 04, 2015
From CBBC Newsround's TV bulletin at 7.40am this morning -
Leah: Taylor Swift is known for her hit songs and top videos, but her latest offering is facing some huge criticism from fans. It's all because the video for her new single, Wildest Dreams, is set in Africa, but people have complained that there are hardly any black African people in it. Taylor has not responded yet, but the director of the video has defended it saying it's supposed to reflect a certain point in history, and people of all different races were involved in putting it together. You can find out more about that story on the Newsround website ..
Also see this report in USA Today
Another interesting item on this morning's Newsround programme was Martin's report about Wheelchair Rugby.
Newsround Blog is still waiting for the details of diversity portrayal on BBC children's TV.
Leah: Taylor Swift is known for her hit songs and top videos, but her latest offering is facing some huge criticism from fans. It's all because the video for her new single, Wildest Dreams, is set in Africa, but people have complained that there are hardly any black African people in it. Taylor has not responded yet, but the director of the video has defended it saying it's supposed to reflect a certain point in history, and people of all different races were involved in putting it together. You can find out more about that story on the Newsround website ..
Also see this report in USA Today
Another interesting item on this morning's Newsround programme was Martin's report about Wheelchair Rugby.
Newsround Blog is still waiting for the details of diversity portrayal on BBC children's TV.
Sunday, August 02, 2015
One of the questions at this year's Children's Media Conference was about the lack of disabled representation on children's TV.
Anna Home agreed with the questioner that more needs to be done. She mentioned that, in the distant past, there was a BBC programme specifically for deaf children, but nowadays it's felt important to avoid ghettoising kids. Anna said that drama is a very good way of bringing in more diversity.
Alice Webb, Director of BBC Children's told the CMC that she was very proud of what the BBC is doing on TV: "26% of portrayal on CBBC & CBeebies are of diverse characters."
More recently, a piece appeared in The Guardian entitled Children's TV pretends disability doesn't exist. The journalist, Tim Smedley, believes that it's mainly the commercial TV channels, rather than the BBC, which are at fault. I did ask Mr Smedley whether he'd also investigated the lack of LGB portrayal on children's TV, but failed to get a response.
Anna Home agreed with the questioner that more needs to be done. She mentioned that, in the distant past, there was a BBC programme specifically for deaf children, but nowadays it's felt important to avoid ghettoising kids. Anna said that drama is a very good way of bringing in more diversity.
Alice Webb, Director of BBC Children's told the CMC that she was very proud of what the BBC is doing on TV: "26% of portrayal on CBBC & CBeebies are of diverse characters."
Alice Webb: I think it's right that we look at the whole range of diversity, not just disability. I think we cover that with LGBT, and, as I say, we cover 26%. I don't think that we need to do any more in terms of measuring individual elements because we cover it all.
Steve Hewlett: Except that the overall figure hides a multitude of sins, doesn't it potentially? Especially if you're disabled?
Alice Webb: Yeah. And I'll look to the guys across the piece in terms of how we break that down. I don't exactly ... I'm very happy to get those figures out.
More recently, a piece appeared in The Guardian entitled Children's TV pretends disability doesn't exist. The journalist, Tim Smedley, believes that it's mainly the commercial TV channels, rather than the BBC, which are at fault. I did ask Mr Smedley whether he'd also investigated the lack of LGB portrayal on children's TV, but failed to get a response.
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Harriet's Army
This excellent CBBC mini-series continued the theme of last Monday's special Newsround programme about how World War 1 changed attitudes to women (see previous blog). Below is a synopsis of the story, with spoilers.
(Spoiler alert)
Harriet Grange lives with her dad and brothers Edward and Sam. Harriet, a feisty girl, is forced to leave the Girl Guides after fighting with some boys. War is declared and most of the local men are anxious to sign up. Edward is too young to join, but is pleased that the government has agreed to allow Scouts and Girl Guides to act as a second line of defence. Harriet, although kicked out of the Girl Guides, still wants to help the war effort.
The Brown family moved to the town two months earlier and people start to gossip when neighbours discover that the Mrs Brown's daughter is living in Germany and is married to a German. A lot of hostility gets directed towards the Brown family.
Harriet's young brother, Sam, gets his foot trapped between railway points, but is rescued by Thomas Brown just before a train passes. Thomas and Harriet gradually get to know each other better and Harriet realises Thomas and his family are being treated unfairly. Harriet enthusiastically adopts Thomas's suggestion of starting her own vigilante kids' army, and goes out in the streets to recruit volunteers.
Thomas's autistic younger brother, Lewis, is bullied by the other kids, but Harriet rebukes them for their cowardly behaviour. Life becomes intolerable for the Browns, so Harriet and her best friend, Violet Croft, help them to escape to a secret hideout in the countryside. Harriet's older brother, Edward, still doesn't trust the Browns, and is really angry when he finds out that she's helped them escape. He tells her she's helped the enemy - it's treason. She convinces Edward that he's wrong about the Browns.
It's April 1915, and Mrs Brown has gone to Whitby looking for work, leaving Thomas and Lewis in the hideout. Harriet and her 'army' have kept the two brothers supplied with food purloined from the allotments.
Lewis has noticed flashing lights in the distance, which he believes represent numbers. Harriet tells Edward she thinks the lights are coded spy messages.
Violet receives a letter from brother, Stephen, describing the unpleasant conditions on the front line. She's been knitting him a pair of wooly socks.
Harriet persuades her volunteer army to help track down the spies. They will need to triangulate the light source in order to determine its precise location.
Violet is devastated to hear that Stephen was killed when the ship he was returning on was sunk with the loss of all on board. But in the course of the search for spies it turns out that Stephen did return safely to Britain on a cargo boat, and was living in the woods, stealing supplies in order to survive. Stephen tells Harriet that every one of his mates had been killed on the front lines and, as the sole survivor, he'd been too ashamed to go back to his family.
Harriet realises that her army still need to find out who's responsible for the light signals. Edward, meanwhile, has discovered a piece of paper with Lewis's decoded numbers. It dawns on him that the numbers match the dates on which British ships were torpedoed. Edward is quick to conclude that Thomas Brown is spying for the Germans, but when confronted with evidence, he's persuaded that his suspicions were unfounded.
The signals are tracked to some old ruins, and Harriet's army catch the harbourmaster red-handed, signaling messages to U-Boats out at sea. British army soldiers arrive at the scene in time to apprehend the culprit. That evening Mr Grange tells his family how proud he is of them. Harriet was, in some ways, a reminder of his late wife.
The series ends on a romantic note with Harriet and Thomas walking hand in hand through the woods.
(Spoiler alert)
Harriet Grange lives with her dad and brothers Edward and Sam. Harriet, a feisty girl, is forced to leave the Girl Guides after fighting with some boys. War is declared and most of the local men are anxious to sign up. Edward is too young to join, but is pleased that the government has agreed to allow Scouts and Girl Guides to act as a second line of defence. Harriet, although kicked out of the Girl Guides, still wants to help the war effort.
The Brown family moved to the town two months earlier and people start to gossip when neighbours discover that the Mrs Brown's daughter is living in Germany and is married to a German. A lot of hostility gets directed towards the Brown family.
Harriet's young brother, Sam, gets his foot trapped between railway points, but is rescued by Thomas Brown just before a train passes. Thomas and Harriet gradually get to know each other better and Harriet realises Thomas and his family are being treated unfairly. Harriet enthusiastically adopts Thomas's suggestion of starting her own vigilante kids' army, and goes out in the streets to recruit volunteers.
Thomas's autistic younger brother, Lewis, is bullied by the other kids, but Harriet rebukes them for their cowardly behaviour. Life becomes intolerable for the Browns, so Harriet and her best friend, Violet Croft, help them to escape to a secret hideout in the countryside. Harriet's older brother, Edward, still doesn't trust the Browns, and is really angry when he finds out that she's helped them escape. He tells her she's helped the enemy - it's treason. She convinces Edward that he's wrong about the Browns.
It's April 1915, and Mrs Brown has gone to Whitby looking for work, leaving Thomas and Lewis in the hideout. Harriet and her 'army' have kept the two brothers supplied with food purloined from the allotments.
Lewis has noticed flashing lights in the distance, which he believes represent numbers. Harriet tells Edward she thinks the lights are coded spy messages.
Violet receives a letter from brother, Stephen, describing the unpleasant conditions on the front line. She's been knitting him a pair of wooly socks.
Harriet persuades her volunteer army to help track down the spies. They will need to triangulate the light source in order to determine its precise location.
Violet is devastated to hear that Stephen was killed when the ship he was returning on was sunk with the loss of all on board. But in the course of the search for spies it turns out that Stephen did return safely to Britain on a cargo boat, and was living in the woods, stealing supplies in order to survive. Stephen tells Harriet that every one of his mates had been killed on the front lines and, as the sole survivor, he'd been too ashamed to go back to his family.
Harriet realises that her army still need to find out who's responsible for the light signals. Edward, meanwhile, has discovered a piece of paper with Lewis's decoded numbers. It dawns on him that the numbers match the dates on which British ships were torpedoed. Edward is quick to conclude that Thomas Brown is spying for the Germans, but when confronted with evidence, he's persuaded that his suspicions were unfounded.
The signals are tracked to some old ruins, and Harriet's army catch the harbourmaster red-handed, signaling messages to U-Boats out at sea. British army soldiers arrive at the scene in time to apprehend the culprit. That evening Mr Grange tells his family how proud he is of them. Harriet was, in some ways, a reminder of his late wife.
The series ends on a romantic note with Harriet and Thomas walking hand in hand through the woods.
Monday, June 30, 2014
Children's Media Conference 2014
The Conference begins this Wednesday, 2nd July.
BAFTA Award winning drama, ‘The Dumping Ground’, continues to resonate with its young audience. Or at least that's what the website says about a conference session entitled BAFTA Creative Masterclass: Laying Foundations for The Dumping Ground. The panel have been asked to examine the programme's "winning formula" by talking about emotional truth, moral and editorial responsibility, and on screen diversity, with reference to specific case studies, including gay adoption and racism.
Presumably the "gay adoption" case study will look at episode 5 from the first series: What Would Gus Want? The episode has been discussed by Newsround Blog on a few occasions, including 26th, 29th and 30th January 2013.
Lesbian couple Ronnie and Dawn (foreground)
Some points the CMC panel might like to consider:
1) Children's programmes which deal with gay themes are extremely rare.
2) The words 'gay' and 'lesbian' were used more than a dozen times in that episode. Those words are never heard on other kids' dramas or, for that matter, on other episodes of The Dumping Ground.
3) It was quite unfortunate that such 'loopy' lesbian characters were portrayed in the episode - all the more so in view of the scarcity of other lesbian and gay portrayal on kids' TV.
4) The arguments against prejudice were made by children, none of whom identified as gay. The result is that, in contrast to the racism storyline, we didn't get to see the hurt caused to children themselves as a result of homophobic attitudes.
5) The BBC children's department is refusing to converse on matters of fair portrayal and representation.
BAFTA Award winning drama, ‘The Dumping Ground’, continues to resonate with its young audience. Or at least that's what the website says about a conference session entitled BAFTA Creative Masterclass: Laying Foundations for The Dumping Ground. The panel have been asked to examine the programme's "winning formula" by talking about emotional truth, moral and editorial responsibility, and on screen diversity, with reference to specific case studies, including gay adoption and racism.
Presumably the "gay adoption" case study will look at episode 5 from the first series: What Would Gus Want? The episode has been discussed by Newsround Blog on a few occasions, including 26th, 29th and 30th January 2013.
Some points the CMC panel might like to consider:
1) Children's programmes which deal with gay themes are extremely rare.
2) The words 'gay' and 'lesbian' were used more than a dozen times in that episode. Those words are never heard on other kids' dramas or, for that matter, on other episodes of The Dumping Ground.
3) It was quite unfortunate that such 'loopy' lesbian characters were portrayed in the episode - all the more so in view of the scarcity of other lesbian and gay portrayal on kids' TV.
4) The arguments against prejudice were made by children, none of whom identified as gay. The result is that, in contrast to the racism storyline, we didn't get to see the hurt caused to children themselves as a result of homophobic attitudes.
5) The BBC children's department is refusing to converse on matters of fair portrayal and representation.
Monday, April 28, 2014
One of Newsround's main stories yesterday was about the canonisation of two popes. It was reported like this at 9.04am
Jenny: Hundreds of thousands of people are gathering in Rome this morning to witness history being made. It's the very first time two popes will be made saints at the same time. Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII will be honoured in an open-air ceremony in Vatican City. Up to a million people are expected at the event, with hundreds of millions more watching on TV around the world.
Alan Johnston: Well the Catholic Church has simply never seen a day quite like this in all its 2000 years of history: Two much-loved popes being recognised as saints in the same ceremony, and extraordinarily two living popes presiding over that ceremony. But this is a really huge religious event.
Fairly positive reporting, then, with not even a hint that the canonisation was controversial because of the young people who suffered abuse whilst John Paul II was still in charge, and the fact that he did not act strongly enough to stamp it out.
The two other Newsround reports yesterday were no better -
Alan Johnson explained the ceremony like this - We've just witnessed a hugely important religious event here at the Vatican: Two former popes being made saints. Now to become a saint the Church has to believe not only that you're in heaven, it has to believe also that you're so important there that you can actually persuade God to deliver miracles. In the case of one of these popes - the former Polish pope John Paul II - the Church believes that two women, who were very very ill, prayed to him and were miraculously cured. The Church believes John Paul II cured two women miraculously, and that qualifies him to be a saint ........
Johnston went into quite a lot of detail on the religious beliefs surrounding canonisation, but he failed to tell Newsround viewers that, only days beforehand, a young man named Marco Gusmini was killed when a giant crucifix collapsed on top of him. The really spooky thing about Marco's death is that the crucifix which killed him had been dedicated to John Paul II. So wasn't the Catholic Church worried that Marco dying in those circumstances might cancel out the other miracles? I suspect that neither Alan Johnston, nor any other BBC journalist made enquiries to the Vatican on that score.
Newsround stressed the bit about history being made yesterday. Unfortunately it was nowhere near as positive about another historical event last month - the first same-sex marriages ever to take place in Britain. People might wonder whether the BBC holds its LGBT viewers in lower esteem than those of faith.
Jenny: Hundreds of thousands of people are gathering in Rome this morning to witness history being made. It's the very first time two popes will be made saints at the same time. Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII will be honoured in an open-air ceremony in Vatican City. Up to a million people are expected at the event, with hundreds of millions more watching on TV around the world.
Alan Johnston: Well the Catholic Church has simply never seen a day quite like this in all its 2000 years of history: Two much-loved popes being recognised as saints in the same ceremony, and extraordinarily two living popes presiding over that ceremony. But this is a really huge religious event.
Fairly positive reporting, then, with not even a hint that the canonisation was controversial because of the young people who suffered abuse whilst John Paul II was still in charge, and the fact that he did not act strongly enough to stamp it out.
The two other Newsround reports yesterday were no better -
Alan Johnson explained the ceremony like this - We've just witnessed a hugely important religious event here at the Vatican: Two former popes being made saints. Now to become a saint the Church has to believe not only that you're in heaven, it has to believe also that you're so important there that you can actually persuade God to deliver miracles. In the case of one of these popes - the former Polish pope John Paul II - the Church believes that two women, who were very very ill, prayed to him and were miraculously cured. The Church believes John Paul II cured two women miraculously, and that qualifies him to be a saint ........
Johnston went into quite a lot of detail on the religious beliefs surrounding canonisation, but he failed to tell Newsround viewers that, only days beforehand, a young man named Marco Gusmini was killed when a giant crucifix collapsed on top of him. The really spooky thing about Marco's death is that the crucifix which killed him had been dedicated to John Paul II. So wasn't the Catholic Church worried that Marco dying in those circumstances might cancel out the other miracles? I suspect that neither Alan Johnston, nor any other BBC journalist made enquiries to the Vatican on that score.
Newsround stressed the bit about history being made yesterday. Unfortunately it was nowhere near as positive about another historical event last month - the first same-sex marriages ever to take place in Britain. People might wonder whether the BBC holds its LGBT viewers in lower esteem than those of faith.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
The first news story on both of this morning's Newsround TV bulletins was about a petition to the makers of Moshi Monsters.
Newsround on Tuesday 14th January 2014 at 8.15am -
Leah: First this morning, an image charity is urging people to sign a petition to force the makers of Moshi Monsters to change the name of its evil characters. A group called Changing Faces says names like 'Fish Lips' and 'Freakface' reinforce negative views of people with facial disfigurements like scars, spots or bad eyes. The charity say the fact Moshi Monsters baddies have these traits makes people associate disfigurement with being bad, and could encourage bullying. Moshi makers say they're speaking to the charity, and apologise for any offence caused. Last summer Changing Faces made a similar complaint about Lego.
A new BBC children's interactive game show called Ludus starts next week. CBBC has already screened promos for the show and the accompanying app.
As you will notice from the trailer, supervillain Ludus is quite camp and speaks with a lisp. But Ludus is not the only camp villain on children's TV. Take, for example, Count Dracula on CBBC's Young Dracula series. He is as camp as Christmas. Even cartoons like Pet Squad include camp villains, yet camp hero figures are very few and far between. The thoughtless approach of having facially disfigured villains in Moshi Monsters is not entirely dissimilar to the thoughtless approach of having camp villains on BBC children's TV. Heroes are a diverse lot. We need to see (and hear) them fairly represented by the media.
Moshi Monsters criticised
Newsround on Tuesday 14th January 2014 at 8.15am -
Leah: First this morning, an image charity is urging people to sign a petition to force the makers of Moshi Monsters to change the name of its evil characters. A group called Changing Faces says names like 'Fish Lips' and 'Freakface' reinforce negative views of people with facial disfigurements like scars, spots or bad eyes. The charity say the fact Moshi Monsters baddies have these traits makes people associate disfigurement with being bad, and could encourage bullying. Moshi makers say they're speaking to the charity, and apologise for any offence caused. Last summer Changing Faces made a similar complaint about Lego.
A new BBC children's interactive game show called Ludus starts next week. CBBC has already screened promos for the show and the accompanying app.
As you will notice from the trailer, supervillain Ludus is quite camp and speaks with a lisp. But Ludus is not the only camp villain on children's TV. Take, for example, Count Dracula on CBBC's Young Dracula series. He is as camp as Christmas. Even cartoons like Pet Squad include camp villains, yet camp hero figures are very few and far between. The thoughtless approach of having facially disfigured villains in Moshi Monsters is not entirely dissimilar to the thoughtless approach of having camp villains on BBC children's TV. Heroes are a diverse lot. We need to see (and hear) them fairly represented by the media.
Moshi Monsters criticised
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013
BBC news and current affairs programmes, including Newsround, are a bit flaky when it comes to fair reporting of certain stories.
One such story, affecting the future rights of numerous CBBC viewers went unreported on Newsround: namely the news that lesbian and gay couples have now gained the unquestioned right to get married in England and Wales. The legislation was granted Royal Assent yesterday and is now known as the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act. The first marriages under this Act are expected to take place early next year.
One such story, affecting the future rights of numerous CBBC viewers went unreported on Newsround: namely the news that lesbian and gay couples have now gained the unquestioned right to get married in England and Wales. The legislation was granted Royal Assent yesterday and is now known as the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act. The first marriages under this Act are expected to take place early next year.
Tuesday, July 02, 2013
Children's Media Conference 2013
The Children's Media Conference begins in Sheffield very shortly. And as well as the usual stuff, this year's Conference will feature a session looking at whether children's media are really reflecting the diversity of society when it comes to the inclusion of gay and lesbian characters. Amongst those taking part in the discussion will be Mark Jennett, author of the influential Stand Up For Us guidance, which tackles homophobia and homophobic bullying in schools. The session's host/moderator is Julian Scott - former BBC Executive Producer and now CEO of Purple Pictures.
So does children's media reflect the diversity of society?
In fact BBC children's TV first included gay characters over 20 years ago. And BBC children's drama was certainly reflecting diversity when Julian Scott was the Executive Producer of Byker Grove. In this clip from Byker Grove (series 16 episode 15 - October 2004) Bradley comes out to Sadie, his long-term girlfriend.
From Byker Grove (S16E15 - October 2004)
Later he has a heart to heart with her about his sexual orientation. He has to endure a certain amount of homophobia from others at the Grove, but eventually is accepted and meets his soulmate, Nathan.
Bradley & Nathan (S17E20 - November 2005)
The BBC axed Byker Grove in 2006, much to the exasperation of its audience. Since then not one single BBC children's drama has featured a specifically teenage lesbian, gay or bisexual character. A recent episode of The Dumping Ground did include a middle-aged lesbian couple, but the two came across as a bit loopy - hardly the sort of portrayal needed when there are no other LGB characters on children's TV.
Significant opportunities have been missed. Why, for example, did CBBC choose to portray Leonardo da Vinci as essentially heterosexual? And why, so close to his centenary, wasn't the brilliant Alan Turing selected to be one of the ten historical individuals featured in the Absolute Genius series?
The sad truth is that, contrary to widespread belief, there is a lot of homophobia in the media/showbiz world and that prejudice has been in the ascendant over the last few years. A determined effort will be needed to turn children's TV around. We've seen plenty of straight heroes. Equity demands that we see realistic and proportionate representation of our diverse society.
So does children's media reflect the diversity of society?
In fact BBC children's TV first included gay characters over 20 years ago. And BBC children's drama was certainly reflecting diversity when Julian Scott was the Executive Producer of Byker Grove. In this clip from Byker Grove (series 16 episode 15 - October 2004) Bradley comes out to Sadie, his long-term girlfriend.
Later he has a heart to heart with her about his sexual orientation. He has to endure a certain amount of homophobia from others at the Grove, but eventually is accepted and meets his soulmate, Nathan.
The BBC axed Byker Grove in 2006, much to the exasperation of its audience. Since then not one single BBC children's drama has featured a specifically teenage lesbian, gay or bisexual character. A recent episode of The Dumping Ground did include a middle-aged lesbian couple, but the two came across as a bit loopy - hardly the sort of portrayal needed when there are no other LGB characters on children's TV.
Significant opportunities have been missed. Why, for example, did CBBC choose to portray Leonardo da Vinci as essentially heterosexual? And why, so close to his centenary, wasn't the brilliant Alan Turing selected to be one of the ten historical individuals featured in the Absolute Genius series?
The sad truth is that, contrary to widespread belief, there is a lot of homophobia in the media/showbiz world and that prejudice has been in the ascendant over the last few years. A determined effort will be needed to turn children's TV around. We've seen plenty of straight heroes. Equity demands that we see realistic and proportionate representation of our diverse society.
Friday, May 24, 2013
The Children's Media Conference programme has now been published. The session on LGBT-inclusion, mentioned in my blog last Sunday, has been scheduled to take place on Day 2 - Thursday 4th July 2013 at 5.10pm
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Lesbians can be heroes, too
Anne Gilchrist announced the axing of Grange Hill in 2008, saying that "the lives of children have changed a great deal since Grange Hill began and we owe it to our audience to reflect this."
Four years on, how well is CBBC reflecting the lives of children today?
Well, the second series of Leonardo begins this afternoon on CBBC. It's set in 15th century Florence. So, basically, not the ideal way to reflect the lives of 21st century children.
How about the brand new flagship series, Wolfblood? Yes, great at reflecting modern times, but only provided kids these days are secretly wolves.
Of course, Wolfblood could be seen as an allegory. Maddy and Rhydian might, for example, represent two gay kids who are worried that others at school won't accept them if they knew about their sexuality.
But if the BBC is serious about reflecting the lives of children today, bosses need to stop treating being lesbian or gay as something unmentionable. After all lesbians can be heroes, too.
Anne Gilchrist announced the axing of Grange Hill in 2008, saying that "the lives of children have changed a great deal since Grange Hill began and we owe it to our audience to reflect this."
Four years on, how well is CBBC reflecting the lives of children today?
Well, the second series of Leonardo begins this afternoon on CBBC. It's set in 15th century Florence. So, basically, not the ideal way to reflect the lives of 21st century children.
How about the brand new flagship series, Wolfblood? Yes, great at reflecting modern times, but only provided kids these days are secretly wolves.
Of course, Wolfblood could be seen as an allegory. Maddy and Rhydian might, for example, represent two gay kids who are worried that others at school won't accept them if they knew about their sexuality.
But if the BBC is serious about reflecting the lives of children today, bosses need to stop treating being lesbian or gay as something unmentionable. After all lesbians can be heroes, too.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Newsround's report of the John Terry trial outcome misled their intended audience.
According to a live report on Friday afternoon, John Terry had told the court that he was only repeating words that he thought he had already heard, and the judge agreed. The Chief Magistrate acquitted, but not because he thought Terry was telling the truth - he didn't. In fact the magistrate, Howard Riddle, said that "Mr Terry's explanation is, certainly under the cold light of forensic examination, unlikely." Mr Riddle also concurred with the prosecution that Anton Ferdinand had been "brave" to give evidence.
This legal case has highlighted the issue of racism in football. Anton's brother, Rio Ferdinand, has been in the forefront of the fight against racism and bullying, though he has been accused of prejudice himself. Some years ago Rio used a homophobic word on Radio 1, and more recently he's been criticised by some for endorsing a race-related term about Ashley Cole - a defence witness in the John Terry trial.
Footballers are often seen as role models. Perhaps they would deserve this accolade more if they stood together to condemn all prejudice-based language, including homophobic language. Had football players like Rio Ferdinand and David Beckham been willing to speak out, it's unlikely this unfortunate case would have arisen.
According to a live report on Friday afternoon, John Terry had told the court that he was only repeating words that he thought he had already heard, and the judge agreed. The Chief Magistrate acquitted, but not because he thought Terry was telling the truth - he didn't. In fact the magistrate, Howard Riddle, said that "Mr Terry's explanation is, certainly under the cold light of forensic examination, unlikely." Mr Riddle also concurred with the prosecution that Anton Ferdinand had been "brave" to give evidence.
This legal case has highlighted the issue of racism in football. Anton's brother, Rio Ferdinand, has been in the forefront of the fight against racism and bullying, though he has been accused of prejudice himself. Some years ago Rio used a homophobic word on Radio 1, and more recently he's been criticised by some for endorsing a race-related term about Ashley Cole - a defence witness in the John Terry trial.
Footballers are often seen as role models. Perhaps they would deserve this accolade more if they stood together to condemn all prejudice-based language, including homophobic language. Had football players like Rio Ferdinand and David Beckham been willing to speak out, it's unlikely this unfortunate case would have arisen.
Saturday, March 03, 2012
Diversity and Faux Diversity (part 2)
If Sadie J was ever supposed to promote inclusiveness, it fails. You'd think anti-gay censorship laws in Russia also apply to BBC children's TV.
Right from the start of the first series of Sadie J - the first episode was called Crushamondo - there was plenty of traditional romance and affections, but any lesbian or gay characters have remained firmly in the closet.
We know that Kit is "fabulicious and proud," and although we're never told whether he's romantically attracted to girls or boys, or possibly to both, he is perceived by some as gay. But do we ever hear him say explicitly that such and such is a hottie? On the other hand his cousin Iolo, who we meet in series 2, episode 3, tells Kit he thinks Sadie is hot - and thereby affirms heterosexuality in the minds of all viewers.
Kit tells Sadie he's ashamed of himself. And the episode is carefully crafted so that both Kit and his friends avoid the substantive issue:-
Kit: ... I've never been able to be myself round him. He likes all the things I don't. He's big and macho, sporty, and I'm well ..
Sadie: .. Not. So what - you're fashiontastic and fabulicious instead.
Dede: Yeah. Does Iolo even know what you can do with sequins and a peacock feather?
Kit: As if! He'd hate the real me. (quietly) He doesn't even know I like Gaga.
Towards the end of the episode Kit finally plucks up the courage to proudly proclaim in front of his cousin: I love Gaga.
If we do eventually find out for sure that Kit is gay - impossible to imagine under the present de facto censorship policy - the BBC would then be affirming a stereotype. Far, far better for kids' TV to challenge stereotypes. For example, why couldn't Welsh rugby-player Iolo have revealed that he has a boyfriend? Has the writer even heard of Gareth Thomas?
It would be good to see the present faux diversity replaced with genuine diversity, but I'm not holding my breath.
If Sadie J was ever supposed to promote inclusiveness, it fails. You'd think anti-gay censorship laws in Russia also apply to BBC children's TV.
Right from the start of the first series of Sadie J - the first episode was called Crushamondo - there was plenty of traditional romance and affections, but any lesbian or gay characters have remained firmly in the closet.
We know that Kit is "fabulicious and proud," and although we're never told whether he's romantically attracted to girls or boys, or possibly to both, he is perceived by some as gay. But do we ever hear him say explicitly that such and such is a hottie? On the other hand his cousin Iolo, who we meet in series 2, episode 3, tells Kit he thinks Sadie is hot - and thereby affirms heterosexuality in the minds of all viewers.
Kit tells Sadie he's ashamed of himself. And the episode is carefully crafted so that both Kit and his friends avoid the substantive issue:-
Kit: ... I've never been able to be myself round him. He likes all the things I don't. He's big and macho, sporty, and I'm well ..
Sadie: .. Not. So what - you're fashiontastic and fabulicious instead.
Dede: Yeah. Does Iolo even know what you can do with sequins and a peacock feather?
Kit: As if! He'd hate the real me. (quietly) He doesn't even know I like Gaga.
Towards the end of the episode Kit finally plucks up the courage to proudly proclaim in front of his cousin: I love Gaga.
If we do eventually find out for sure that Kit is gay - impossible to imagine under the present de facto censorship policy - the BBC would then be affirming a stereotype. Far, far better for kids' TV to challenge stereotypes. For example, why couldn't Welsh rugby-player Iolo have revealed that he has a boyfriend? Has the writer even heard of Gareth Thomas?
It would be good to see the present faux diversity replaced with genuine diversity, but I'm not holding my breath.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Diversity and Faux Diversity (part 1)
Writer Robert Evans, possibly had the best of intentions with Sadie J. But while the Series is, for the most part, enjoyable entertainment, it - like many other programmes on children's TV - suffers as a result of unwavering censorship restrictions imposed by BBC bosses. Note that the person in charge of BBC Children's also happens to be the most senior member of the BBFC Advisory Panel on Children's Viewing.
So how does this censorship affect children's TV programmes like Sadie J? As promised, I will now look in more detail at Gagalicious - the third episode in the new series.
In this episode, Kit's rugby-playing cousin Iolo is in town, but Kit doesn't want to meet up with him. Kit had previously pretended that he, too, was into sports and other "macho" interests. He's worried that Iolo will despise him when he sees what he's really like.
Sadie, Iolo and Kit (right)
Eventually Iolo discovers the truth, but tells Kit that it makes no difference: they're still good mates and there's no need to pretend any longer.
Presumably the intended message of this episode is that we shouldn't be ashamed of ourselves, and who we really are.
So who, exactly, is Kit?
He says he's fabulicious and proud. What does that mean?
To be continued ..
Writer Robert Evans, possibly had the best of intentions with Sadie J. But while the Series is, for the most part, enjoyable entertainment, it - like many other programmes on children's TV - suffers as a result of unwavering censorship restrictions imposed by BBC bosses. Note that the person in charge of BBC Children's also happens to be the most senior member of the BBFC Advisory Panel on Children's Viewing.
So how does this censorship affect children's TV programmes like Sadie J? As promised, I will now look in more detail at Gagalicious - the third episode in the new series.
In this episode, Kit's rugby-playing cousin Iolo is in town, but Kit doesn't want to meet up with him. Kit had previously pretended that he, too, was into sports and other "macho" interests. He's worried that Iolo will despise him when he sees what he's really like.
Eventually Iolo discovers the truth, but tells Kit that it makes no difference: they're still good mates and there's no need to pretend any longer.
Presumably the intended message of this episode is that we shouldn't be ashamed of ourselves, and who we really are.
So who, exactly, is Kit?
He says he's fabulicious and proud. What does that mean?
To be continued ..
Monday, February 06, 2012
LGBT History Month is underway, though there's been no sign of any move towards inclusiveness on BBC children's TV. Audiences are still being treated to casual homophobia. Last Wednesday, for example, on Sadie J, Jake came up with a clever plan to help out his friend. Danny exclaimed " .. that's genius! ... in fact I could kiss you right now!" Then, after glimpsing a scowl on his friend's face, Danny adds ".. but I won't."
Thursday's news that all twenty Premier League teams were to sign a Charter against homophobia was largely ignored by the BBC, and certainly not mentioned by Newsround and MOTD Kickabout. Sky, on the other hand did give the item substantial coverage, including this extended interview with John Amaechi.
MOTD Kickabout couldn't resist this on Saturday's programme: "His goals for Newcastle bought him love from fans, players - maybe too much love there."
So what exactly is the BBC doing to promote lesbian and gay equality on children's TV? And to what extent does worldwide commercial pressure affect how the BBC deals with the issue?
Perhaps we, or at least some of us, are about to find out in the next day or two. Because, assuming they're not stranded at the airport, Joe Godwin and his two chief underlings, Damian Kavanagh and Kay Benbow are due to speak at a summit session in New York Hilton's lavish Trianon Ballroom.
UK licence payers will want to know if we're getting value for money. So it is to be hoped that the BBC delegates will be reporting back in detail. Newsround Blog will be maintaining an interest, particularly during LGBT History Month.
Thursday's news that all twenty Premier League teams were to sign a Charter against homophobia was largely ignored by the BBC, and certainly not mentioned by Newsround and MOTD Kickabout. Sky, on the other hand did give the item substantial coverage, including this extended interview with John Amaechi.
MOTD Kickabout couldn't resist this on Saturday's programme: "His goals for Newcastle bought him love from fans, players - maybe too much love there."
So what exactly is the BBC doing to promote lesbian and gay equality on children's TV? And to what extent does worldwide commercial pressure affect how the BBC deals with the issue?
Perhaps we, or at least some of us, are about to find out in the next day or two. Because, assuming they're not stranded at the airport, Joe Godwin and his two chief underlings, Damian Kavanagh and Kay Benbow are due to speak at a summit session in New York Hilton's lavish Trianon Ballroom.
UK licence payers will want to know if we're getting value for money. So it is to be hoped that the BBC delegates will be reporting back in detail. Newsround Blog will be maintaining an interest, particularly during LGBT History Month.
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