There was a Doctor Who-themed same-sex wedding on this morning's episode of Marrying Mum and Dad.

An excellent report about gay rights in Uganda on Newsround this afternoon (1.50pm bulletin) -

Ricky Boleto: Next - what rights gay people should have is a big issue around the world, particularly in Africa. In the African country of Uganda, gay people have been holding rallies to try to change the law.

Ricky reports on gay rights in Africa

Ricky: Hundreds of people waved the Ugandan national flag and Rainbow banners. They danced and sang. They say they're fighting for more freedom to admit you're gay across Africa. It's against the law to be openly gay in Uganda and in many other African countries. But there have been some changes recently. Up until last year gay people could be sentenced to life in jail. Now that can't happen any more, and the demonstrators think African governments should be more understanding. They say they want equal human rights for gay people.

Moses Kimbugwe (gay rights supporter): Violence, discrimination, harassment and stigma against all LGBT people is bad. So we are here to send a message to the wider population that we do exist and we do want rights like any other Ugandan.

Ricky: The demonstrators say they're proud to be gay and they want society to respect them. In Africa many people hold traditional beliefs and do not approve of gay people. Some African leaders have said it's not part of their culture. But a few weeks ago President Obama visited East Africa and gave his support for equal rights. The gay rights demonstrators are hoping that President Obama's words and today's marches will begin to change people's minds.

Young dancers (aged 11-15) are being offered the chance to try out for a guest role in The Next Step. CBBC has been advertising this opportunity for a while now, and this morning's Newsround bulletins included a message from Blue Peter's Lindsey Russell asking for kids to take part. It's not clear whether lesbian and gay teens are welcome.

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."

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.

BBC: "Watch the new BBC trail celebrating the unique role that the BBC plays in all of our lives"


For All of Us - BBC
The Government's public consultation about renewal of the BBC's Charter briefly refers to a BBC study into LGB portrayal which was carried out a few years ago:-

Despite that government claim, there actually is no specific mention of LGB portrayal in the recently published BBC document Equality and Diversity at the BBC 2014/15. BBC Director-General Lord Tony Hall, who wrote the Foreword, does not appear to consider lesbian and gay portrayal as important as other diversity strands.

Last week was quite an important one for the BBC. The Annual Report and Accounts 2014/15 were published, and Lord Tony Hall even made a rare appearance in front of the cameras, though some were concerned at his reluctance to be interviewed by non-BBC media organisations -

Maddening that Lord Hall refused interviews with any non-BBC journalists. Beeb firmly saying today that detractors have 'vested interests'

— Julian Druker (@Julian5News) July 14, 2015

BBC launches defence of its role but tell us Lord Hall isn't available for @itvnews interview then appears on @BBCNews at 6 #BBCFail

— Richard Frediani (@FredianiITV) July 14, 2015

Another development was the publication of GoodCorporation's Report about the BBC's whistleblowing and child protection policies - something I've covered in a few recent blogs. The BBC Executive response suggests they are fairly happy with GoodCorporation's findings (pdf).

But probably the most important media news was publication the Government's public consultation on the future of the BBC (pdf).

BBC Media Centre - Statement in response to Government Green Paper on the future of the BBC

Doctor Who is a programme made by the British Broadcasting Corporation. Peter Capaldi got a chance to meet some of his fans at Comic Con in San Diego, USA -



Newsround report about Doctor Who (12th July 2015 at 10am)
Peter Capaldi: Doctor Who wouldn't have been around for this length of time if wasn't for its fans....

It seems Peter forgot to mention the help of TV licence payers in the United Kingdom ... yet, two days ago, Newsround reported that a trailer for the new series of Doctor Who was unveiled in America.

Newsround report (24th May 2015 @ 12.05pm) on the same-sex marriage referendum in Ireland : ".... almost 2 million people voted, with 62% saying they wanted to allow two men or two women to be married. But lots of people disagreed ..."

Newsround report (6th July 2015 @ 7.40am) on the economy referendum in Greece : "Yesterday there was a big vote, and the Greek people decided to say 'no' to a deal with the countries that lent them the money. Many Greeks felt it was unfair to keep paying back money in the way they have been doing ..."

Although the percentage of dissenters was marginally higher in the Greek referendum than in the Irish referendum, Newsround only mentioned dissenting views in the report about the same-sex marriage referendum.

Email just sent to BBC Director-General, Tony Hall -

Dear Lord Hall,

You say that you spend a day a week out around the BBC talking to people, but I'd like to know how much time you devote to dealing with the concerns of TV licence payers. Please could you advise how many letters and emails get responded to, and how many get ignored?

Thanks.

GoodCorporation "conducts independent and confidential assessments of ethical management practices." They were founded in 2000, and have worked with a diverse range of organisations including BBC Worldwide, the main commercial arm of the BBC.

In March last year GoodCorporation was asked by the BBC to carry determine whether the BBC’s child protection and whistle blowing policies are fit for purpose. The BBC is in possession of that report, but thus far they have declined to make it public.

The substantive part of my email to a senior figure at GoodCorporation (29th June 2015) -

... I did get in touch with the BBC to ask about a publication date. Unfortunately, however, I've not received a reply, despite a reminder last week.

You will recall that I am not alone in having reservations about the BBC's integrity.

It seems to me that something of an ethical dilemma has arisen. The BBC has asked GoodCorporation whether their policies are 'fit for purpose' and now they appear reluctant to publish the results which, as stakeholders, we are surely entitled to know at the earliest opportunity. In fact, according to the BBC, the original terms of reference to the Dame Janet Smith Review were amended, and a separate assessment carried out for the very reason of avoiding further delay.

GoodCorporation has confirmed the report is confidential, and say it can only be made public by the BBC. Presumably the broadcaster will eventually publish. Watch this space.

Introducing his show last Sunday, Andrew Marr mentioned that Lord Hall was a giving a "relatively rare TV interview." Marr said that "both the Tories and the Labour Party, not to mention the SNP, complained loudly about the BBC all the way through the election campaign. After it, Auntie's enemies are circling."

Newsround Blog has previously commented on Lord Hall's reluctance to submit himself to tough questioning but, of course, Andrew Marr is not exactly noted for giving his guests a difficult time.

During the interview Lord Hall was asked about problems the BBC faces -

Andrew Marr: .. there are a series of things, which, if they all happen together, would be quite serious for the BBC. Decriminalisation of the licence fee, so you can pay it or not as you wish - that could cost something like £200 million.

Lord Hall: About two hundred

Andrew Marr: .. but it could be a lot more than that. We don't know how people will behave, so it could be much more than that. Then there's a possibility of a freeze of the licence fee going beyond 2017, and the BBC having to pay the licence fee for OAPs, for instance. If all of those things happened together, a kind of general squeeze, how serious would that be for the BBC?

Lord Hall: Well if all of those things happened together, then of course that would be serious.

Strange as it may seem, nowhere did Andrew Marr mention another issue which could greatly compound the BBC's predicament, namely, the possibility of having to pay very large sums of money by way of compensation to victims of Jimmy Savile & Stuart Hall. Neither did Mr Marr ask about inordinate delays to publication of the Dame Janet Smith Review or the BBC's separate independent assessment of child protection and whistleblowing policies carried out by GoodCorporation.

Topics which were discussed included cuts in staffing, severance payments, and changes to Top Gear.

A telling moment came right near the end of the show, when Andrew Marr asked Lord Hall about the satirical sitcom W1A


Lord Hall doesn't veto the scripts

In the absence of any response to enquiries about misleading information in the BBC online staff magazine, Ariel, it is probably worthwhile looking at the discrepancy in more detail.

This is the article in question. You should notice the article is currently dated 17th April 2015 at 9.15am. Now if you check this archive, made on 19th April 2015, you will notice exactly the same date/time information on the web page.

The present version is different from the archived version in at least one obvious respect: the photograph captioned "Future leaders? Adeluwoye, Abbey, Tezisler, Moncrieffe-Johnson, Pemberton and Berkeley with DG" was removed some time after 19th April, but that change hasn't been acknowledged by Ariel's editor, Claire Barrett.

Newsround Blog will, at a future date, consider why the page was edited.

Review of 'So Awkward'

CBBC's widely publicised, but only slightly amusing, sitcom series So Awkward began its first run on 21st May. The series follows the lives and mishaps of three teenage girls - Lily Hampton, Jas Salford and Martha Fitzgerald - who attend Cranmede Upper School.

Episode 1 starts with the three girls finding themselves being embarrassed by their parents. Lily has a big crush on Matt Furnish but, in an attempt to avoid embarrassment, Lily tells her mum that her boyfriend is actually the nerdy Ollie Coulton. Mrs Hampton suggests Lily invite Ollie for tea. So Lily has to ask Ollie to pretend to be her boyfriend, and he reluctantly agrees.

Martha, meanwhile, is getting increasingly frustrated by the lack of attention she gets from her mum who, by the way, is played by Carla Mendonça of My Parents Are Aliens fame. Jas tells the normally well-behaved Martha that a few detentions will get her mum to sit up and take notice.

Ollie isn't used to being a boyfriend, so he asks Matt for help. Matt teaches Ollie the basics of romance but Martha walks in and catches them in an embarrassing situation as the romantic music quickly grinds to a halt. It's not yet clear whether Cranmede school has any 'out' lesbian, gay or bisexual pupils. So, in context, the scene perpetuates somewhat old-fashioned homophobic attitudes.

Martha continues to struggle to get noticed by her mum, but follows Jas's advice leading to a meeting in school between the headteacher, Martha's mum and Jasmine's dad (played by Clive Rowe, best known as "Duke" from Tracy Beaker.) The plan works and Mrs Fitzgerald appreciates the need to devote more time to her daughter.

Lily pretends to be upset about breaking up with Ollie, but her mum has worked out the truth - that Lily really likes Matt, not Ollie. She tells Lily that any boy would be lucky to go out with her.

Episode 2 of So Awkward was devoted to fashion statements, and was exceedingly dull.

Jas, Lily & Martha in episode 2
The third episode dealt with the danger of taking studies too seriously at the expense of having fun.

So Awkward is, at best, mildly amusing; less so than Sadie J. And sometimes it has worthwhile points to make.

Part of last night's discussion on Newsnight between Evan Davis and Stephen Dubner, co-author of 'When to Rob a Bank'

Evan Davis: .. why is Britain's productivity - hourly productivity - lower than France's?

Stephen Dubner: Yeah, if I had to take a guess, I would say the one thing we know from this new field of what's called "workforce science" which is where you gather data on your workers on many dimensions - one thing we've learned is that salary, which most economists would say is the most important thing to making people happy and productive, is actually a very distant second, if that. The single most important thing in productivity is whether or not your boss and immediate co-workers are jerks.

Speaking of which, Newsround Blog is awaiting a response to the following email dated 13th May 2015:

FAO: Lord Hall, BBC Director-General

Dear Lord Hall,

I've recently been in touch with your Managing Director of Finance and Operations regarding misappropriation of funds. As I explained to Ms Bulford, whilst a licence fee of £2.80p per week may seem very reasonable, for those on the breadline and forced to rely on foodbanks and handouts, it is a significant sum of money. With that principle in mind, I trust you appreciate why I'm concerned about the wrongful use of licence-payers' money by a senior manager who is paid the better part of £200,000 per year.

Yours sincerely,

Yesterday, most news channels, including BBC news, devoted tonnes of time to reporting the same-sex marriage referendum count in Ireland - and rightly so. The large majority voting 'Yes' is a hugely significant result, not only for Ireland, but also for gay people around the world, who have been treated as second-class citizens for way too long. Most of the coverage was good and reflected modern-day thinking on the need to treat all people fairly, without discrimination.

TV producers have traditionally sought to include minorities such BAME and disabled people, though virtually no current children's series portray lesbian or gay characters. Hopefully the outcome of the Irish referendum will help to drive things forward.

Making factual programmes inclusive presents more of a challenge than making dramas. The ideal answer is simply to look out for opportunities to report stories, issues and facts relevant to diverse families and children.

Newsround did report the same-sex marriage referendum today. They could have improved their reports by mentioning that many thousands of young people, both gay and straight, returned to Ireland from abroad just in order to vote for equal rights - #HomeToVote

Ayshah Tull reports on the same-sex marriage referendum
Newsround reports at 10.05am ... 12.05pm

There is a discrepancy relating to update information in the BBC's online staff magazine, Ariel. I've contacted the editor, Claire Barrett, to seek clarification. The article in question is about a new mentorship scheme.

Email sent yesterday morning to the BBC's Anne Bulford, Managing Director, Finance and Operations -

Dear Ms Bulford,

One of the findings of the 'Respect at Work' Review, published in May 2013, was evidence of inappropriate behaviour/bullying. Dinah Rose stated that some individuals are seen as being “untouchable” due to their perceived value to the BBC.

The BBC spent over £300,000 on the Review, so it's rather disappointing that there's been no sign of any genuine intention to change. Jeremy Clarkson's attack on Oisin Tymon was clearly unacceptable, and a responsible organisation would not welcome him back. But within hours of a police announcement that no action would be taken, the BBC reported Clarkson would host Have I Got News For You on 24th April.

Clarkson, himself, reflected on the position and realised that an appearance on TV at such an early stage might be seen as a slight against Mr Tymon, and therefore would not be appropriate. It beggars belief that the BBC didn't get that.

I am still awaiting a reply to my email of 30th March 2015 in relation to what amounts to a fraudulent expense claim by one of your senior managers.

Yours sincerely,

Jeremy Clarkson will not, after all, make an appearance in Have I Got News For You on 24th April.

Jimmy Mulville, managing director of show producers Hat Trick Productions, said "On reflection, Jeremy Clarkson has decided not to host Have I Got News For You." Mulville expects Clarkson to host HIGNFY later in the year.

Clarkson's decision not to take part in the programme so soon after his verbal and physical attack on Oisin Tymon reveals at least a modicum of integrity that is totally lacking in the BBC's own top decision makers - Lord Hall in particular.

The 'Respect at Work Review' was set up in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal to look at BBC policies and processes relating to sexual harassment as well as what it is like to work at the BBC more broadly with regard to respect and appropriate behaviour for staff and freelancers. It was carried out with the help of Dinah Rose QC.

An important finding of the Review was evidence of inappropriate behaviour/bullying: Some individuals are seen as being “untouchable” due to their perceived value to the BBC. (pdf)

You might think the Respect at Work Review was carried out with the aim of changing the culture which had led to people abusing their status and position within the Corporation. However it's now less than two years since the Review was published, and it seems nothing has really changed.

Within hours of the police confirmation that no action would be taken against Jeremy Clarkson, the BBC announced he would chair an edition of Have I Got News For You on 24th April. What kind of message is that supposed to send out?

Difficult to decide who's the more pathetic: Lord Hall for agreeing to allow bullying thug Jeremy Clarkson to appear as host on Have I Got News for You (24th April 2015) - or Clarkson for accepting the invitation?

Of course Lord Hall knows full well that Clarkson will use the opportunity to aim loads of digs at the BBC.