Anyone who watched the BBC's election coverage could well be left with the impression that David Cameron's intention to alter marriage legislation was a significant factor in the poor Tory results. Early on Friday morning Nick Robinson referred to Gerald Howarth's remarks - not once but several times.

At about the same time Robinson tweeted: "Gerald Howarth, defence minister, adds voice to those calling for change on gay marriage [and] Lords reform."

For those who don't know much about Gerald Howarth, he was once a prominent member of the far right Monday Club which supported the racist apartheid regime in South Africa. I don't recall Nick reminding viewers about Gerald Howarth's unsavoury past.

Nick did, however express surprise at a remark by Baroness Warsi, comparing UKIP to the BNP. Sayeeda Warsi is wrong about many things, but this time she was spot on. Prejudice against LGBT people is seen, in some circles, as acceptable today as racism was thirty years ago. When a picture of gay mayoral candidate Brian Paddick was set alight in Soho just before election day, in a UKIP publicity stunt, the BBC barely gave it a mention.

Nick Robinson seemed to have set the mood for the rest of the day, putting 'gay marriage' as a recurring theme in the poor Tory performance.

Gerald Howarth, was briefly given time to air his views on Friday's Newsnight:-

Gerald Howarth MP on Newsnight 4th May 2012
Allegra Stratton (Political Editor): Discontented Tories appear to agree, though probably for different reasons, that the Government have been spending time on the wrong things.

Gerald Howarth: The proposal for gay marriage. A lot of Conservatives have written to me saying "I'm a lifelong Conservative, there's no mandate for this. Why is this being proceeded with?" There's the business of the House of Lords - trying to change the House of Lords. Do we need to do this?

Is religion good for children? That's the topic for discussion on next Sunday's The Big Questions on BBC One at 10am.

Last week it was revealed that the Catholic Education Service had been in touch with Catholic schools in England and Wales, advising them of a duty “to do all we can to ensure that the true meaning of marriage is not lost for future generations.” The duty is a reference to a letter by two archbishops, which was read out in Catholic churches on 11th March 2012.

St Philomena’s Catholic High School for Girls in Carshalton acted on the "duty" by suggesting pupils could sign a petition against marriage equality.

So why was this story ignored by Newsround?

Recall Newsround's 40th anniversary survey, and the spurious finding that kids these days are twice as likely to say religion is important than they were in 1972.

Newsround recently reported on human rights, but when it comes to secular and LGBT human rights there is a wealth of evidence that the BBC, and in particular BBC children's TV, is still mired in old-fashioned religious intolerance.

News of Lady Gaga was carried on most of yesterday's Newsround bulletins, including the ones at 7.40am, 8.15am and 3.20pm, as well as on the website.

From the 5pm programme on BBC One

Leah: Music news now, and Lady Gaga's kicked off her world tour in controversial style this afternoon ..

Joe: This is the star arriving in South Korea for the first leg of her 'Born This Way' tour. But authorities there have banned anyone under the age of 18 from going to watch the show, because they think her act isn't suitable for kids.

Newsround failed to give any detailed reasons why the Korean authorities thought Lady Gaga's concert was unsuitable for kids. However this report from the BBC News channel is more helpful.

To date, Newsround has never mentioned Lady Gaga's support for LGBT youth, nor her considerable efforts in the fight against homophobic bullying.

My open letter to the BBC Trust, sent this morning -

Thank you for your reply to my enquiry about the appointment of a new BBC Director-General (Ref: 1398002)

Naturally, I'm quite disappointed to learn that the appointment process will not be as open and transparent as I'd hoped.

The reason for my interest is a particular concern relating to diversity and inclusiveness failings since, in 2005, BBC management constituted its Diversity Board and substantially weakened editorial guidelines.

Some members of the Trust may recall that BBC journalist Gary O'Donoghue was paid a large sum to call off an employment tribunal hearing in 2008. The legal case would have exposed the speciousness of the Beeb's diversity policy.

The BBC settled with Gary before he went to court, but this wasn't the way things worked out more recently when Miriam O'Reilly sought redress over her age-related sacking from Countryfile. The BBC's solicitors fought the case to the bitter end ... and lost.

Then there is the matter of LGBT representation. In recent years, under the current Director-General, there has been a combination of discrimination and negative portrayal in programmes and online services. The Trust will note that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has made it clear that, on the contrary, an important role of the media is to combat prejudice.

I noticed that there is very little that is relevant in the Role Specification for the new Director-General. It says simply: ".. Candidates will have worked in organisations that have to serve diverse segments of the UK population" and ".. Candidates will be able to inspire employees and create an environment in which creativity thrives, but also build teams that have a diversity of skills and experience."

In view of the above, the Trust should ensure that the BBC is unequivocally committed to the furtherance of equality and diversity, and also ensure the Director-General coordinates this new steer.

Seems Miriam O'Reilly had a rather disappointing return to the BBC. But, of course, it came as no surprise to Newsround Blog which, some months back, suggested that the Corporation's motives for asking her back were disingenuous.

The BBC is a discriminatory organisation, and I'm concerned that won't change until leopards lose their spots.

Newsround recently celebrated its 40th anniversary. Newsround has been criticised for dumbing down the news with too many showbiz stories and other trivia. This was an issue considered in the latest edition of Newswatch on the BBC News channel.

Raymond Snoddy: ... Now it [Newsround] has several editions a day on TV, including Specials on subjects such as autism and domestic violence, and a significant online presence. Some, though, take issue with the programme's agenda: (email) I am a Year 7 Tutor in a secondary school and have found Newsround very celebrity-heavy and packed with irrelevant news, such as the story of a cat wandering away from home, yet it lacks reports about politics and other relevant news. Sometimes a major event will not even be mentioned. As a result, most sixth formers do not know who David Cameron is. Children would gain a lot from a daily news programme that is actually aimed at informing, rather than encouraging them to follow reality TV shows.

A 14-year-old who had enjoyed Newsround over the years nevertheless felt that the 12-16 age range is not being properly catered for by the BBC. Incidentally, children's drama has been criticised on the same grounds. Projects such as BBC Switch have come and gone, but there has been no overall improvement in teen services.

A 12-year-old from Edinburgh said Newsround is good, but doesn't give an in-depth view of the news that 12-16 year-old people expect. He wanted more "real current news." He felt that about half his school are satisfied with Newsround as it is at present, but the other half were interested to know more about economics, politics and current affairs. He suggested a new programme in addition to the current Newsround could meet that need.

The person in charge of BBC children's services, Joe Godwin, was invited on Newswatch to answer these criticisms.

The BBC has a duty to represent all groups in society - no group can be underserved. We've seen how much time Newsround has been devoting to news items about religion. But what about when religious bigots attack a section of society? Shouldn't kids understand that hate isn't just something promoted by racists?

On Thursday Pink News revealed that two 'Christian' groups intended to run a homophobic campaign on London buses. Within hours of this news coming to light, the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, intervened to stop the advertisement: "London is one of the most tolerant cities in the world and intolerant of intolerance. It is clearly offensive to suggest that being gay is an illness that someone recovers from and I am not prepared to have that suggestion driven around London on our buses."

The 'Christian' groups behind the advert want to persuade people that lesbian and gay people can become straight. This false hope sometimes causes young people a great deal of distress, leading to depression and even attempts at suicide.

Appointment of new BBC Director-General

It seems that the BBC Trust's promise to set new standards of openness and transparency does not stretch as far as the appointment of the new BBC Director-General.

I asked the Trust about it in January, but their reply (Ref: 1274181) failed to answer my specific enquiry. I sought clarification earlier this week:-

I was not entirely clear from your email [10th February] whether, as part of the commitment to set new standards of openness and transparency, the appointment of a new Director-General will be made in this spirit.

It is now clear that Mark Thompson will be leaving the BBC shortly, and I've read Chris Patten's Statement about this on the Trust website.

Please could you let me know whether

(a) the public will be given the opportunity to put questions to candidates?

and

(b) transcripts of Trust interviews with candidates will be published?

The BBC Trust reply today (Ref: 1398002) implied that the public will not have any say in the appointment process, and stated there is no plan to publish transcripts of interviews with candidates.

It's Easter and it seems the BBC has gone into overdrive promoting the religion agenda. Yesterday's Newsround reported the views of Cardinal Keith O'Brien, and today we were given chances to see both the Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury.

There was a short clip from Rowan Williams' Easter sermon on the 1.55pm bulletin -

Rowan Williams: Younger people, while still statistically deeply unlikely to be churchgoers, don't have the hostility to faith that one might expect.

Perhaps if Newsround didn't keep giving religion such a high profile, kids might better appreciate that it's not always a good thing. For example, bearing in mind the hateful way Cardinal Keith O'Brien talked about marriage equality and gay people, was it reasonable for Newsround to quote him yesterday?

I suggest that all BBC editorial staff think about the harm that can be done by unquestioning acceptance of religious bigotry. A 2009 film called 'Prayers for Bobby' is a stark reminder of what can happen. It is based on the true story of Bobby Griffith.

Ryan Kelley & Sigourney Weaver in 'Prayers for Bobby'

According to Newsround, kids find religion more important now than 40 years ago. The website states that "Children are now twice as likely to say that religion is very important to them compared to kids 40 years ago - when Newsround first went on air."


Newsround based their assertion on a survey of 1,000 six to 12-year-olds.

The Archbishop of Canterbury was surprised by the finding, as is Newsround Blog.

However one person who would not have been surprised by this result is BBC Director-General Mark Thompson. Recall that in 2008 he presented a lecture on the subject Faith, Morality and Media, where he told attendees that, quite simply, religion is back.

Whereas the Archbishop's surprise is probably based on his lifetime of direct personal experience, Newsround Blog's surprise is based on rather more technical issues based around the underlying statistics.

The BBC has a special duty of care not to mislead kids.

A claim such as the above needs to be based on robust methodology and convincing statistics. How does Newsround know the percentage of kids (aged 6-12) who thought religion was "very important" in 1972? Was an equivalent survey carried out in 1972?

Until the BBC publishes full survey details, there is reason to doubt the claims.

But there is another, more general, concern about this survey. How and why was the survey commissioned? Was the purpose of the survey simply to inform Newsround's audience of differing attitudes, or was it part of a wider agenda on the part the Corporation? If so, that would also have serious implications for the BBC's standards of journalistic ethics.

It's Newsround's 40th anniversary. Each day this week the programme is looking at a different decade between the 70's and now. Today it's the turn of the 90's.

Newsround Blog is celebrating the 90's by giving you a chance, courtesy of YouTube, to watch an entire episode from the classic Grange Hill series. This episode was from March 1993 - almost two decades ago.

In those days there was all kinds of prejudice against LGBT people. The age of consent for gay men was 21. And gay people were often discriminated against, or sacked from their jobs. In this episode, Grange Hill kids have recently found out that teacher, Mr Brisley, is gay. We see the attitudes of the other staff and the children at school.


Such overt prejudice is less likely these days. Today, there are laws intended to prevent all that nastiness. But what is really strange is that, whereas twenty years ago the BBC led the fight against prejudice, these days it has actually become part of the problem. Now it's the BBC that treats LGBT people unfairly. Think about it - when was the last time you heard a word like 'lesbian' or 'gay' on a BBC children's TV drama? Why isn't children's TV inclusive these days?

Newsround has carried out a survey into children's attitudes. Wonder if they asked about prejudice? And, if so, will they publish the findings?

Newsround's 40th Anniversary is Wednesday 4th April 2012.

These days, weekend updates of Newsround's website are a rare occurrence, but obviously those in editorial control thought Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams' thoughts about children being taught the Lord's Prayer were important enough to make an exception.

We might also get a chance to see more from the Archbishop on Newsround TV bulletins, as part of their week of celebrations.


I'd hate to think that the move to even more news items about religion on Newsround is part of an attempt to undermine the Government's marriage equality plans, but many may feel that is exactly what the BBC is up to.

Is 'The Beautiful Game' bigoted? That was the second of three 'big questions' for discussion on BBC One last Sunday morning.

Some guests, including John Amaechi, were clear that there is a problem. John said the football authorities take some forms of prejudice more seriously than others: They have decided that issues with racism are import, and then other things come underneath that in descending order: ".. when it comes to homophobia they still have people in there who openly giggle when you talk about gay people, as if they were still eight."

The debate went on to consider use of language. Daily Mail blogger, Abhijit Pandya felt that ethnic minorities tend to be far more sensitive to words than other people, which he said is a worrying state of affairs: Why should you always have to protect people from words? They're only words - grow up for God's sake.


John Amaechi (above) said that research dating back to the 1950's had proved that words are important: Words can inform opinion. They can make it clear that certain types of people are less. And the moment people are less than human you can start doing things to them that you would never do to a person you decide is human.

Abhijit Pandya wanted to know why human beings should be so obsessed with what other people think of them. To which Amaechi suggested he put that argument to the young people in Britain who endure endemic bullying in schools, for example, for being gay and lesbian.



Former Premier League footballer, Michael Johnson talked about how language had affected his family.

...I have a seven year old son who recently came home from school after being racially abused, after just being called names, and I have to stand there and explain to him why he has to put up with that. Would you like your seven-year-old son or child ... to come home, crying their eyes out, saying "Dad why am I different, why are they picking on me?"

A little later on Michael Johnson was asked whether he supported the fight against homophobia. His response was was somewhat less forthright than he had been about racist abuse :-



Where else have we seen this kind of dichotomy?

I think this attitude mirrors BBC programmes for young people. Human diversity is celebrated, but not when that diversity is related to sexual orientation. The Corporation is doing little to help prevent homophobic prejudice and, furthermore, BBC programmes such as EastEnders, with its current Ben Mitchell storyline, are only making matters worse.

Marriage is a hot topic at the moment. Many are adamant marriage is a union of one man and one woman for life, and therefore the Government's intention to allow gay couples to marry amounts to redefinition.

Many on the other side, including Newsround Blog, believe that marriage is a human right, and that everyone should be entitled to marry the person they love.

But what stance does BBC children's TV have on this issue?

It could be argued that the BBC is supposed to be impartial, and therefore it cannot hold any position. But, hang on a minute, aren't equality and diversity good things? Can the BBC, in all honesty, opine we respect each other whilst continuing to shun gay rights issues on children's TV?

In sharp contrast to the continuing discrimination on CBBC, Newsround's support for traditional family values is still very obvious. Main bulletins broadcast yesterday included news that the Queen had found time to drop in on a wedding at Manchester Town Hall. This is the 9am bulletin.

Diversity on BBC children's TV

Queen at MediaCityUK yesterday

If the BBC wanted to suggest that gay people are ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil, they could hardly be doing a better job than they are at the moment with Ben Mitchell from Eastenders. Dozens of tweets after the programme testify to the homophobic hatred engendered by his storyline and character. (see also blog on 22 Jan 2012)

Another BBC drama series, broadcast on Wednesday evenings - Waterloo Road - also includes a gay teen. But there, too, the gay character of Josh Stevenson, though by no means in the same league as Ben Mitchell, is hardly someone teens can look up to.

Why aren't there any positive lesbian and gay role models on BBC TV programmes popular with young people?

In her Report, "Discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity," the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is clear that isolation and stigma generate depression and other health problems. The Commissioner says LGBT youth frequently experience violence and harassment, including bullying, in school from classmates and teachers.

Confronting this kind of prejudice and intimidation requires concerted efforts from school and education authorities, and integration of principles of non-discrimination and diversity in school curricula and discourse. The media also have a role to play by eliminating negative stereotyping of LGBT people, including in television programmes popular among young people.

BBC School Report

A great deal of hard work was put in by schools from around Britain.

How many of the participants in BBC School Report have considered the extent to which journalism actually affects attitudes? Who was making the editorial decisions in the two hour live web stream which went out from 2-4pm?

Newsround at 3.45pm yesterday began like this: "Hi guys. It's Ore here with everything you need to know this afternoon. Now it's our job on Newsround to tell you the stories that matter to you ...."

The programme went on to include three items. Firstly the BBC School Report, which was already underway on the web. Next there was a story about boyband One Direction, who are making it big in the American charts right now. And the last story was about the British Animation Awards:-

Ore: "And finally Peppa Pig, Postman Pat and Shaun the Sheep and these guys Wallace & Gromit will be dusting off their bow tie for the big British Animation Awards taking place tonight. Up for grabs is the best cartoon character of all time award ..."

The flagship 5pm bulletin on BBC One yesterday reported the following 7 stories -

1} Row about cruelty involved in horse racing

2} Refugees fleeing violence in Syria

3} BBC School Report

4} St Asaph has new status as a City

5} Prince Harry interview on the Jubilee celebrations

6} British Animation Awards

7} One Direction

So those were yesterday's stories which, as Ore said earlier, matter to Newsround's viewers.

As you can see, there wasn't a word to say about the big human rights story of the day - plans to end marriage discrimination against lesbian and gay couples. Isn't it just possible that a story about gay equality might be relevant to quite a lot of Newsround's audience and/or their families?

Religion, on the other hand, is treated as something quite suitable for kids. And today's announcement by the Archbishop of Canterbury was the lead story on Newsround at 3.20pm and 4.25pm today. In the 3.20pm report Nel told viewers that Rowan Williams is "the most senior person in charge of the Church of England, apart from the Queen and God of course."

With kids' TV happy to report on faith news, whilst the same time maintaining its anti-gay censorship policy, is it any wonder that homophobic attitudes are prevalent in Britain's primary schools?

A few years ago California had a referendum on whether lesbian and gay couples should continue to be permitted to marry. In the run-up to the referendum, Californian residents were bombarded with thousands of television adverts, both for and against Proposition 8.

Proposition 8 succeeded in getting slightly more than 50% support from voters, and as a result same-sex marriages could no longer take place in the State, despite California's Supreme Court having previously ruled that denial of the right of same-sex couples to marry was unconstitutional.

The UK government has made clear its intention to amend marriage laws, so that lesbian and gay couples will be able to marry in Britain. A consultation on how best to implement marriage equality is due to start very shortly. This change in British law will affect the lives of thousands of people who are now still at school - they might even watch Newsround.

Of course, not everyone in this country is happy about changing the law. Some religious leaders have stated their opposition. That was very clear on Sunday, when the Catholic Church position was reported in an almost completely one-sided way. There was very little attempt to balance out what is, in reality, nothing more than religious bigotry directed against a minority.

Robert Pigott - BBC One news on 11/3/2012
So when the Consultation gets underway in the next few days, what will Newsround have to say to viewers?

I'd be extremely surprised if we hear so much as a peep from them about the topic. And what will this silence signify? It is, of course, a most eloquent denial of the recognition and equal rights of lesbian, gay and bisexual children who might be watching.

If, after seven years of reading Newsround Blog, anyone still doubted that the BBC does not treat LGBT people fairly, any doubt must surely have been dispelled yesterday.

As Catholics were getting ready for church services yesterday morning they might have had time to catch a news report at the start of the Andrew Marr Show preparing the ground for the sermon they would hear in church. Throughout the day BBC reporting was so one-sided that the channel had more in common with Fox News than a UK public service broadcaster.

The final straw which brought Newsround Blog into existence was Newsround's failure to report what was, in 2005, a significant move towards the goal of equality - civil partnerships. Since then it has become very clear that BBC bosses believe virtually anything gay-related is inappropriate for children.

And why would they have that belief?

The inevitable conclusion is that, as far as the BBC is concerned, Catholic doctrine is accepted: gay people are "intrinsically disordered" and therefore not deserving of equal rights.

Thankfully all main political parties in the UK do believe in equality.

It will be interesting to find out whether all the BBC's LGBT staff and "BBC Pride" are content to put up with the Corporation's bigotry. Perhaps famous lesbian newsreader Jane Hill, who publicly came out just after the Should homosexuals face execution? furore, would like to clarify in the next edition of Ariel.

Marriage equality

There's a civil war underway in Britain at the moment. It's rather one-sided, with a Christian (many would say un-Christian) army and its press allies carrying out an onslaught against the minority of British people who aren't heterosexual. The un-Christian army isn't fighting for a noble cause; for them this battle is about denying other people equal rights - very much like the Confederate States during the American Civil War.

Is the BBC neutral in the current fight for equal rights, and should it be?

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.