The BBC's sexist credentials were on show, once again, when the Corporation published Faces of the Year 2011. There's been considerable anger over the choice of a panda to represent the woman's face of December. The Guardian's Zoe Williams made her views known, last night, on Sky News' preview of today's papers.

The BBC's press office tried to play down the furore with this comment on Twitter:-

Sweetie isn't the first non-human on Faces of the year list, Peppa Pig last year and Benson the carp on the 2009 male list #pandagate

Sweetie (or Tian Tian) is the female giant panda which arrived at Edinburgh Zoo earlier this month, along with a male panda called Sunshine (Yang Guang)

So, reading the BBC's press comment, you could be forgiven for thinking the BBC wasn't sexist or misogynistic after all. If they chose a male carp in 2009 that proves the point, doesn't it?

No, actually.

Let's take a closer look at the evidence, to see why.

Newsround Blog has been able to trace BBC Magazine 'Faces of the Year' back to 2007. In that year and the following year the list was split into two, one for men and one for women. The were no non-human faces in either 2007 or 2008 -

Men 2007
Women 2007

Men 2008
Women 2008

However when we reach 2009, you will see that the lists are no longer titled "Faces of the year - the men" and "Faces of the year - the women" The titles are changed to "Faces of the year - part one" and "Faces of the year - part two" respectively

And if you check the two parts you will observe the wording of part 1 states: "Some of the males who have made the headlines in 2009 ... " whereas part 2 states: "Some of the women who have made the headlines in 2009 ... "

Take particular notice of the term "males" rather than "men" in part 1.

But now look what happens in 2010:-

Although the female list includes a pig, albeit a fictional pig, the BBC had no qualms about using the title "Faces of the year 2010 - the women"

Men 2010
Women 2010

And then in 2011 - when no women were shortlisted for BBC Sports Personality of the Year - a panda was chosen by the BBC as the "woman" best representing December 2011.

Men 2011
Women 2011

BBC misogyny?

Guilty as charged.

Newsround Blog's review of 2011 - In a nutshell there were signs of progress, but prejudice has yet to be overcome.

The first series of Sadie J began in January and, although gender traditional roles were challenged, the comedy stopped short at portrayal of even a single lesbian, gay or bisexual character. I suspect the second series will be no better.

Ballet Boys was a documentary about three brothers from Liverpool. The boys didn't identify as gay, but this documentary stood out for acknowledging and affirming children who are LGB. The programme was an exception, as no other CBBC programme of 2011 dealt with the issue.

If Ballet Boys was a high point of the year, in May we had one its lowest points - the CBBC drama Leonardo. The BBC has now confirmed that it is signed up to all four sections of the Creative Diversity Pledge (blog 11 December 2011) and Kindle Entertainment has confirmed it is signed up to two of the sections of the CDN Pledge, including "Encouraging diversity in output." So exactly why Leonardo da Vinci's sexual orientation was misrepresented is something of a mystery. Unless, of course, it was simply down to prejudice.

It seems that promises BBC children's TV would improve in terms of diversity have come to nothing. But what about programmes which, though not specifically targeted for children, are nevertheless popular with young audiences?

After years of doubt and occasional misdirection it is now known that Ben Mitchell from Eastenders identifies as gay. In September we saw him having to come to terms with it. On 29 September 2011 a greatly distressed Ben broke down in tears. Almost invariably, when the BBC screens a powerful story on Eastenders, there's a message during the closing credits with a BBC Action Helpline number to call for viewers "affected by any of the issues." But on that occasion there was nothing.

Despite the absence of young lesbian and gay role models on TV the BBC has no qualms in portraying Ben as an obnoxious, evil teenager. Perhaps it's because BBC producers accept the Vatican's teaching that "homosexual persons" have a tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil.

BBC bosses ought to read the recently published Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (A/HRC/19/41) which makes clear that the media have a role to play by eliminating negative stereotyping of LGBT people in television programmes popular among young people.

BBC Sports Personality and Young Sports Personality (Part 2)

Generally speaking the BBC is not noted as being a politically correct organisation - in fact the current Director-General, Mark Thompson, has sometimes been forthright in his support for anti-politically correct voices such as Jeremy Clarkson. And perhaps Clarkson, with his unashamed male chauvinistic message, has served to encourage the Corporation's disdain for women.

In September 2006 I blogged about misogyny on children's TV. Things have been slow to change, with boys dressing up as girls still good for a laugh, but never the other way round. Mark told Sam to "run like the girl that you are."

Three years later, on 8th October 2009 (3.55pm) CBBC continuity presenter Iain Stirling was similarly addressed by a CBBC colleague: "Iain you run like a girl, scream like a girl, are you a girl?" And a few minutes later: "Iain, I still can't get over the fact that you run like a girl. What's with you man? Sort it out."

Iain has frequently been a target at the BBC, and was referred to as a "pansy" during a continuity break on 23rd September 2010.

It's only been a year since solicitors for the Corporation were doing their best - with licence payers' money - to defeat Miriam O'Reilly in an Employment Tribunal after she'd been brave enough to stand up to the discrimination. Since then Miriam has been offered a few morsels of work at the BBC, but hardly enough to demonstrate any real degree of contriteness for what happened.

The BBC needs to improve its diversity credentials.

Surprising as it may seem, from the 1960's onwards the proportion of female winners of Sports Personality of the Year declined over each decade of the 20th century. And boys have outnumbered girls by more than two to one in the Young Sports Personality category, since its inception in 2001.

This year the shortlist for the Young Sports Personality was decided on 21st November. The panel reconvened on 6th December, and narrowed the shortlist to the top three - Lucy Garner, Lauren Taylor & Eleanor Simmonds. Maybe the panel thought this would help paper over the controversy about the main award. But only a complete culture change at the BBC, especially amongst its sports commentators, will subvert long-standing sexism and homophobia.

Following today's announcement that John Terry is to be charged over alleged racial abuse, Lord Ouseley from Kick It Out told BBC News at 4.09pm : ".. It's a very sad day for football, but it's also a day where hopefully the authorities are making it clear that racism, homophobia, sexism and other forms of unacceptable behaviour will not be tolerated. People will not be allowed to get away with it, however difficult it is to establish the facts ..."

BBC Sports Personality and Young Sports Personality (Part 1)

It's 2011. Not that you'd guess that from a quick look at the names on the shortlist for BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Many, including the British Olympic Association, are furious about the fact that there isn't a single woman on the list.

So how did this unfortunate situation come about?

There is a problem at the BBC. On the face of it, the Corporation is modern and forward-thinking. But look a little deeper and you soon see the old-fashioned male-dominated macho culture which led to women being sidelined in this year's list.

The BBC says that a range of sports experts from newspapers and magazines across the UK were asked to send in their top 10 selections. But, really, what on earth are magazines like Nuts and Zoo doing there?!

Now, it is true that women occupy senior positions at the BBC, with nearly half the current BBC Executive Board being women, and even a female Head of Sport. Nevertheless the old macho culture prevails.

Newsround is quite good on gender equality issues, and reported the SPOTY controversy on 29th November. Their 5pm bulletin that day included an interview with Peter Spencer of the Manchester Evening News, and a sofa chat with BBC sports reporter Matt Slater. But perhaps they could have asked some women on too. Clare Balding, for example, has been outspoken about the issue.

Hayley read out a short comment by Rebecca Adlington: "I think there have been some great women in sport this year, including my best friend Keri-Anne Payne. I'm sad they haven't been recognised."

On Thursday 8th December Ore told Newsround viewers that the final three nominees for BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year had been announced. He said it's an all-girls shortlist, and that "the decision will be made by sporting experts, including me."

Cerrie Burnell is a presenter for CBeebies, so it was a surprise to see her answering questions on Sunday's CBBC Newsround, in what Leah called "a festive" When I Was 10, as questions put to Cerrie were mainly about Christmas. Cerrie has most of her right arm missing and, perhaps coincidentally, it is currently UK Disability History Month (22nd November - 22nd December)

When Cerrie first appeared on CBeebies some parents complained that their kids were frightened by her. In fact, young children are usually more curious than frightened, and responsible parents would have taken the opportunity to carefully explain that not all people are the same, but that we are all entitled to equal respect.

Considering the theme of this year's UKDHM is Celebrating Our Struggle for Equality, it was a pity that Cerrie wasn't asked what it was like for her at school with a disability, and how she was treated by other kids.

The Creative Diversity Network, or Cultural Diversity Network as it was known until September 2011, held its award ceremony last Tuesday.

When I contacted CDN in 2010 I was told by the Secretariat's Nick Sammons that the CDN dealt with issues around ethnic diversity, not sexual orientation. However, since then, the CDN claims "a broader remit than previously, to include all aspects of diversity." I have asked the BBC which aspects of the Diversity Pledge it has signed up to, and am awaiting a reply.

Tony Marchant's new drama Postcode is about the interaction between a number of teenagers living in the same part of town, but from very different backgrounds and cultures. The first episode was broadcast on the same day as the CDN Awards.

Jamal, a refugee from Somalia, and Zac, who is white and attends a posh school, first meet whilst browsing through an Arsenal FC magazine in a shop owned by Sheela's dad.

Jamal is about to steal the magazine, but Zac warns him about the CCTV camera. Zac gets hassled by gang leader Anthony outside the shop, but Jamal speaks up for Zac. We see the ups and downs of a developing friendship between the two, and how that ultimately helps to secure Jamal and his family's refugee status in the UK.

Postcode portrayed characters from diverse backgrounds, but as I feared it was one further demonstration that BBC children's TV is still failing to address the portrayal of LGB people. In fact the short series took us no further along that route than did the Sadie J comedy series broadcast earlier this year.

A Newsround Special: Welcome to My World was about two boys from Lewisham, Sachen and Patric, who agreed to live with each other's families for a few days. It was first broadcast immediately after Postcode.

This week there'll be a new documentary series about the working lives of kids from other countries: Show Me What You're Made Of. Also this week Ricky will present a special series of reports from the USA. He's been on a road trip, to find out what Americans think about Barack Obama three years after he became President. I'd say it's a pretty safe bet we'll hear absolutely nothing about LGBT rights, even though that's been a major area of political interest in the States.

At least two BBC employees have recently used the term 'pansy' in a pejorative sense on a social networking site, contrary to this part of BBC Editorial Guidelines. Will the Corporation treat these incidents seriously, as it undoubtedly would had racist terms been used instead?

The theme of Anti-Bullying Week 2011 was "Stop and think – words can hurt." But condemning hurtful words alone isn't always enough. Some words such as "gay" need to be used - and used in a positive way. Black History Month, LGBT History Month and UK Disability History Month are helpful reminders, but they're not an excuse to ignore diversity at other times. Inclusive children's TV all year, with affirmative portrayal of minorities, has the potential to get the message across a lot more effectively.

In December 2010 I was told by Joe Godwin, Director of BBC Children's that, in 2011, I could expect to see more programmes on CBBC that "portray encouraging role models" as well as a diverse range of families and programming that tackles issues.

So how has BBC children's TV measured up to the claim?

As far as I'm aware only one kids' programme in 2011 said anything positive about being gay. That was the Bafta-nominated Ballet Boys documentary. I've blogged several times already about CBBC's Leonardo, which could have been a perfect opportunity to counter homophobia. And there were literally dozens of other kids' programmes toeing the heteronormative line.

School for Stars, for example, has just finished its run on CBBC. It's a reality series about the lives of pupils attending the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts. In episode 1 the narrator, Reggie Yates, said "Like any school, who's going out with who matters." The words "boyfriend" and "girlfriend" were heard a total of 29 times throughout the series, but never once in the context of a same-sex friendship.

A new children's drama series, Postcode, will be screened over the next three evenings on the CBBC Channel at 5.45pm. According to this press release, Postcode is "a contemporary, urban drama reflecting the realities of life for young people in Britain today. ... [it] will follow the friendships and frustrations among a group of young people – from backgrounds as diverse as Somalian, Polish, Pakistani and Irish – who share a postcode but very little else."

I don't know much else about this production, but I'd be very surprised, in a pleasant way, if this drama actually included even one LGBT character. Not holding my breath though.

My previous blog on Wednesday ended with the hope that Newsround would take human rights more seriously. And to be fair, it has recently been doing quite a lot to enlighten viewers about women's equality. Tuesday's Newsround led with a report on the controversy surrounding the BBC Sports Personality of the Year nominations - all of which were for men, for the first time in 5 years. The BBC has since said it will review the procedures by which nominees are chosen.

Thursday's Newsround at 5pm began with another women's equality story - this time a report by Nel Hedayat, who used to live in Afghanistan.

Ore: First to Afghanistan. Improving women's rights there was a key target of British and American troops after they overthrew the Taliban 10 years ago.

Hayley: The Taliban had been ruling the country, and under their strict regime women weren't allowed to do basic things like go to school.

Ore: But international troops are now getting ready to leave Afghanistan, and women there are really worried that things will go back to how they used to be. Here's Nel with more.

Nel's video report.

Hayley: Well Nel has come to speak to us now. Is it right that you used to live in Afghanistan?

Nel: Yes, yep.

Hayley: And you've recently gone over there to make a documentary about what it's like.

Nel: Yes.

Hayley: How do you feel girls and women - how is their life over there?

Nel: Well under the Taliban it was really, really strict. And women suffered immensely. My auntie, for example, she used to be a teacher. And under the Taliban she was forced to do it secretly. And my cousin had to attend a secret school just to be able to learn to read. With the troops there it was safe for her.

Ore: So would you say that it's fair to say when the troops were there it changed young girls' lives hugely?

Nel: Absolutely. Absolutely, it just meant that girls were able to go outside and play. They were able to go to school. That they were able to eventually get a job. And the worry is now that the girls that were able to do this - you know they're not going to be able to do it once the troops leave.

Hayley: So it's quite risky. What's the biggest risk they've got?

Nel: The biggest risk they've got is that they could be punished for doing the very things that they enjoy doing. Otherwise they'll be forced to stay at home and just completely be ignored.

Hayley: Thank you Nel.

Ore: Right, cheers for that.

Today's Newsround included a short Q & A section with the Archbishop of York answering questions put to him by pupils from York Minster School. The Archbishop was keen to promote it on Twitter - here and here.

Ore: ... This is the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu - the second most important man in the Church of England. Over the years he's chopped up his dog collar on TV and lived for a week in a tent to protest against human rights abuse around the world. And he's hiked 280 miles for charity ...

Unfortunately the Archbishop of York has a poor record on some human rights issues. Here is a case where Sentamu, quite disgracefully, invokes the name of William Wilberforce to support discrimination against gay people.

So Newsround does cover human rights, and as we've seen, it's particularly good on gender equality. But, like the Archbishop, the programme still hasn't demonstrated any interest in lesbian rights and equality.

Newsround frequently includes stories about Lady Gaga, though her estimable efforts to end bullying have never been acknowledged on their TV bulletins.

Lady Gaga has been very supportive of lesbian, gay, bi and trans kids, but regular readers of this blog will know that children's TV badly fails this group. So when news came out that Lady Gaga had sent a video message to a school pupil in Canada, I was reasonably sure Newsround wouldn't report the story. And, indeed, it hasn't been mentioned on air. However - and to my surprise - the story did at least appear on their website yesterday.

Lady Gaga's message of support for Jacques St Pierre's anti-bullying campaign work was screened at a school assembly. Jacques, now 17, had been bullied with homophobic taunts at primary school.

The term 'gay' is often used as an insult at school, and the fact that the word is almost never heard in an affirmative context on BBC children's TV only adds to the widely-held but mistaken belief that being gay is something to be ashamed of. The BBC could help change things by treating all people fairly, by making inclusive kids' dramas.

Newsround has always been happy to report on animal rights issues. It's time they took human rights seriously as well.

Kindle Entertainment has been receiving plaudits for, once again, winning the Independent Production Company Of The Year BAFTA. Kindle was the company behind Leonardo, shown on BBC children's TV this year.

Although Leonardo itself won nothing, any company prepared to censor LGBT people from history should not be rewarded in the way Kindle was last night. If a company were to treat racial groups in a similar way it would not be tolerated.

BAFTA should stand for the very best of British film and television, and in that respect the award to Kindle Entertainment was a serious mistake.

CBBC Newsround receives a Children's BAFTA award later today. It's to celebrate the programme turning 40 in April next year.

Newsround was originally broadcast twice a week but, says BAFTA, "over the past 40 years it has grown and grown and now over 800,000 of you watch it." That claim is somewhat misleading because audience figures peaked years ago, and the number of people watching has been declining since then.

Celebs and others have been sending or tweeting their good wishes to Newsround, but not everyone has been quite so generous. Andrew Brown, writing for The Telegraph, called it "the programme all children want to switch off." Mr Brown suggests that the only award Newsround deserves is one for surviving such a long time.

There's no doubting that Newsround is, on occasion, outstanding children's TV - especially the investigative reports such as school funding cutbacks. And then there are the excellent Newsround Specials, the most recent of which helps nurture a spirit of understanding and acceptance for people with autism.

However in one particular respect Newsround has failed to move with the times and is still stuck in the 1970's when it was presented by John Craven. I wrote to John in January 2005 via the BBC Countryfile email address, to let him know that Newsround had not been inclusive, and that it failed to tackle homophobia and homophobic bullying. Unfortunately John did not reply, and since then there's been no improvement.

Showbiz is too insensitive to care about such details. In fact the industry prefers to hide these issues out of the way.

I hope that anyone who's never heard of Alan Turing had a chance to see last night's Channel 4 docudrama: Britain's Greatest Codebreaker. The programme highlighted Turing's codebreaking skills which helped win WW2. It also covered his post-war work on computing carried out at Manchester University, and his persecution as a result of being gay.

The person in charge of BBC children's TV, Joe Godwin, has an honours degree in History from the same University. I contacted Mr Godwin in January 2011 to suggest that the BBC might be interested in a children's drama about Alan Turing:

Excerpt from email to Mr Godwin dated 5th Jan 2011:

.. Might I suggest a drama on the life and work of Alan Turing would be a good idea? It could be done in time for the Turing centenary next year, and I hope would be a sensitive and nuanced portrayal, including Alan's affection for schoolfriend Christopher Morcom. ..

As far as I'm aware the idea has not been taken up. And regrettably, BBC children's TV chose to misrepresent another LGBT genius and hero.

I fleshed out my idea in an email to Joe Godwin on 10th Jan 2011 (excerpt):

.. I was thinking of a dramatisation of Turing's life for children's TV. I watched the remake of Just William over the holiday period, and noticed that romance and relationships were quite prominent. We see William's brother and sister dating, and William's teacher saying that "our society is founded on a man and a woman wanting to be together." By the fourth episode William's antipathy towards girls has gone, and he wants to be friends with Dorinda.

Of course kids have crushes at the age of 11, or sometimes at an earlier age. CBBC recognised that fact with programmes like Eliot Kid and Little Howard's Big Question, but I doubt that those stories turned any gay children straight. Using the same reasoning, a children's drama about an LGB person is not going to alter the sexual orientation of straight kids. However making children's TV inclusive is likely to encourage tolerance, as was recognised in past storylines in CBBC programmes such as Byker Grove and Grange Hill.

Alan Turing is an apposite subject for a British children's drama for 2012, which is the centenary of his birth and the year of the London Olympics. Alan was a top class runner as well as mathematician, codebreaker, gay rights pioneer and a senior figure in the development of the computer. He succumbed to the prejudices of a bygone age.

Turing's teenage crush on Christopher Morcom was no different to, say, six-year-old Eliot Kid's crush on Loretta or Little Howard's feelings towards Little Susan. And if the BBC is to represent everyone, with no group underserved, it needs to deliver for LGBT children and teenagers. What better luminary could there be for the CBBC to celebrate in 2012? ...

Highfurlong School update

Looks like I need to eat my words.

My blog dated 6 October 2010 effectively accused Newsround of putting the government's side and ignoring the plight of schools like Highfurlong which hadn't received the cash they really need for improvements.

But this morning Newsround did follow up Hayley's original report with this one by Leah. And it seems Michael Gove was indeed disingenuous when, in July 2010, he told Sonali every school that needs the funding will get it.

The BBC can be trusted, after all - well sometimes, at any rate.

When asked whether the BBC has a duty to promote an ethical message, newsreader Jane Hill replied that the duty is not to promote a message but to reflect society. Our duty, says Jane, is to represent the UK in all its forms. Class religion, colour, disability and so on.

So I wonder how Jane's view squares with what appears very much to be a "help children in need" message that the BBC has been putting out recently.

Oddly enough the BBC children's TV news programme Newsround didn't mention Anti-Bullying Week on any of its bulletins, although there is something about it on this web page.

How does the Corporation decide which children are the ones in need? Because I still get the impression that gay kids are the ones losing out. Challenging gender stereotypes alone is not a substitute for directly challenging homophobic prejudice.

When David Bond interviewed Sepp Blatter yesterday, he didn't ask Blatter a single question about homophobia.

Surely the main purpose of a news programme ought to be to keep the audience up to date with current events. And Newsround often does that very well, for example with Leah's report on the financial problems in Greece. Her report was intended for kids, but I'm sure Leah also helped a lot of adults understand what's been going on.

Sometimes, though, Newsround is far too slow to respond. The occupation at St Paul's wasn't mentioned until five days after it began. And there's been nothing today about the escalating protests in New York.

Newsround has, for a while now, played down the issue of racism in sport, and has completely failed to acknowledge the existence of homophobia.

The John Terry/Anton Ferdinand racism controversy wasn't mentioned by Newsround until 2nd November - some ten days after the incident. And it took them over a month, until today, for any mention of the Luis Suarez/Patrice Evra controversy.

At 8.15am on CBBC we had:-

Joe: Hi guys. Joe here with all the stories you'll be talking about with your mates at school today. First up - there's been an angry reaction to Sepp Blatter's claim that football doesn't have a problem with racism. During a TV interview, the international footie chief also said he thought racist incidents could be solved between players with a simple handshake. Well Rio Ferdinand says his comments were laughable, but Blatter says he's been misunderstood. Several former players have called for Blatter to resign, but current Premier League striker Jason Roberts wants more done.

Jason Roberts: He can resign - certainly. But if the relevant authorities don't act differently with the issues that are prevalent in football, then I think we will be in danger of telling society that it's not an issue we care about.


And at 5pm:-

Ricky: First tonight. A massive row over .. a handshake. According to the most powerful man in the footballing world, it's the best way to sort out racist abuse on the pitch. But lots of the game's biggest stars are furious with FIFA boss Sepp Blatter. They say they want him to quit, saying his comments send out totally the wrong message.

(video) Ricky: Racism in football is big news right now. England captain John Terry is being investigated for apparently making a racist comment towards QPR's Anton Ferdinand during a match - he denies it. And just last night the FA charged Liverpool star Luis Suarez with racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra. But Suarez says he's innocent. Now famous footballers have been queuing up to slam Sepp Blatter's idea to just shake hands over racist abuse. Rio Ferdinand tweeted the man himself. He said "I am astonished. I feel stupid for thinking that football was taking a leading role against racism." Blackburn's striker Jason Roberts said "I am absolutely disgusted - lost for words. I am absolutely fuming." Strictly Come Dancing star and ex-player Robbie Savage called for his head: "What planet is this guy on. That's a shocking statement from the leader of world football. For me Blatter should go. Blatter out."

Ricky: Strong stuff. And with me on the sofa is former Premier League star Mark Bright. Now Mark, he's saying he's been misquoted. But what do you think about this?

Mark: Well he hasn't been misquoted. I think we all saw the interview and we've heard it as well. He said that during 90 minutes players can say what they want to each other as long as at the end they shake hands and everything's good. That's not the case - you can't racially abuse someone on the football field.

Ricky: So you think he's sending out the wrong message - not just to us but to children too?

Mark: Absolutely. It starts at the top. He's at the top of the pyramid, the head of FIFA, the world governing body. And what he's saying to kids on a Saturday and Sunday morning: You can go out and you can say what you want to the other child while the games going on. But at the end of the game just shake hands. That's not right - no. In this country it's an offence to racially abuse someone on the pitch.

Ricky: And have you ever had any abuse on the pitch?

Mark: Everyone of my era who played had abuse. We had it every other week when we played away from home , from the fans from opponents. And I'm glad to say that all that has nearly been eradicated. We rarely get it from players. The fans are so much better now. And we've all embraced the Kick Racism Out of Football campaign. That's why it's so much better.

Ricky: Alright Mark. Thanks so much for joining us on the sofa today. Thank you for coming in.

The latest Newsround Special is called My Autism and Me. It was presented by Rosie King, who wanted to show viewers what it means to be autistic. Rosie said that although it can be a problem she wouldn't swap her autism for anything: "It makes me who I am. I just wouldn't be the same without it."

My Autism and Me featured a number of different kids besides Rosie.

Rosie: Because it's not always obvious that people have autism, some people think we're just mad or being naughty. This lack of understanding is one of the worst things about being autistic.

Ben: ... I was bullied at school because people didn't understand the fact that I had autism. ....... People figured I had an anger problem. They continuously taunted me, going at me. Most called me a bear. I was feared, I was hated. It wasn't fun. It wasn't fun at all. ...

Rosie's introduction to autism was easy to understand and very informative - another example of Newsround at its best. Lady Gaga's iconic Born This Way accompanied the closing title sequence.

Paparazzi is another song by Lady Gaga, and was chosen for the X Factor's Craig Colton on Saturday. Although it's been widely reported that Craig is gay and proud, it seems programme bosses wanted the words of the Lady Gaga song altered so that he was singing about fancying a girl. Many viewers expressed their dismay about this on Twitter.

In 2009 Dannii Minogue quite rightly drew attention to the X Factor's unnecessary changing of song lyrics. But unfortunately anti-gay prejudice is still frequently encountered in the showbiz industry, as well as in society at large.

Today is the start of Anti-Bullying Week, and the theme this year is Stop and think – words can hurt

The Anti-Bullying Alliance website says that derogatory language – words and expressions that are homophobic, racist, sexist or disabilist, that seek to demean particular groups and individuals - are far too common in our schools, colleges and communities." The website suggests some aims for the week:-

• challenge the casual use of derogatory language in our schools, colleges and communities


• raise awareness of the consequences of using demeaning and harassing language through technology


• encourage schools, colleges and other settings to create language charters that makes it clear what is and isn't acceptable


• give children and young people the tools to challenge others when they use derogatory language, to find new ways of expressing how they feel if they are angry or upset, and to make a conscious effort to speak positively and to compliment others


• encourage adults to consider how they model the use of language with children and young people (this includes all practitioners working with children and young people but also celebrities and people in positions of power)

Anti-Bullying Week 2011 begins in three days, on 14th November. The theme this year is Stop and think – words can hurt

A major exhibition of Leonardo da Vinci's paintings opened this week at the National Gallery in London. The exhibition runs until early February which, in the UK, is LGBT History Month.

Perhaps the London exhibition is one of the reasons why the BBC decided to repeat its fantasy adventure series about the life of the young da Vinci. The first episode will be broadcast on the CBBC Channel this afternoon at 1.40pm - though exactly why BBC is still using licence payers' money to broadcast children's programmes during the day in school term-time escapes me. How many are actually watching, I wonder.

The BBC Mission is to enrich people's lives with programmes and services that inform, educate and entertain. There's no denying that CBBC's Leonardo is entertainment - and to be fair it is often quite enjoyable entertainment. But as for the mission aim to inform and educate, I'm afraid the Corporation fails badly. The drama is packed with misinformation about the painter, inventor and all-round genius.

Here is an example. Leonardo is set in 1467 when the eponymous hero would have been 15 years old. But in one episode he's seen in competition with Michelangelo. The fact that Michelangelo wasn't even born until 1475 doesn't seem to bother the writers of this drama series. Incidentally Michelangelo, unlike Leonardo himself, is portrayed as somewhat effeminate. And this brings me to the last point - BBC Values.

One of the BBC's Values is to "respect each other and celebrate our diversity." But if that really is a BBC Value, I think we need to know why the BBC decided to have Leonardo fancying the opposite sex. This distortion of the truth doesn't sound much like a celebration of diversity to me. In fact it seems to be a very good example of disrespect. See blog on 28 July 2011.

If I worked at the BBC I'd ask for an apology.

Newsround wants to know whose face should be on banknotes.

A clue to my own preferred person can be seen on the right hand side of this blog. But my guess is that if any kids suggest Alan Turing they will not get their messages put up on this feedback page.

Next year being Turing's centenary makes him a particularly apt choice.

It was very foolish of Newsround to try and pretend that prejudice doesn't exist. But presumably that's the reason why they've only now decided to cover the John Terry / Anton Ferdinand racism controversy.

Newsround at 7.41am today

Nel: First - the England captain, John Terry's been investigated by the police after he was accused of calling another footballer a racist name. It's believed a fan complained about a word the Chelsea defender used in an argument with QPR's Anton Ferdinand during a Premier League game last month. Terry says he did not use racist language, and has welcomed an FA investigation. That's now been put on hold while the police look into it. But if he's found guilty, he could be stripped of the England arm band for a second time. ...

The Newsround report went on to give details of last night's Champions League match in Genk, but there was no mention of the chants from some Chelsea supporters.

BBC editorial judgement is often questionable, and last night children's TV seemed to lose any sense of proportion. Blue Peter centred on a Hallowe'en quiz hosted by Ore Oduba. The contestants were Blue Peter presenters Helen Skelton and Barney Harwood. The scoremaster was Richard Quincey from the London Dungeon. Before the quiz began we found out about Helen's worst fear:

Helen: Oh everybody knows that I hate rats.

Barney: You don't like rats?!

Helen: It's not that I don't like them - I know some people have them as pets and think they're cute. But I genuinely feel a little bit sick whenever I even see them.

Barney: Well then, you're gonna hate this. This is what's known as the rat coffin! Yes it's an ordinary coffin that we're going to lie in - well one of us is - and then they're gonna fill it with rats.

We never did get to find out what Barney feared most, although he said he didn't mind rats at all.

It turned out that Helen picked up fewer points in the quiz, and then got carried off over Quincey's shoulder to undergo her ordeal.