Championing diversity
| 11:16 UK time, Thursday, 8 June 2006
The following Â鶹Éç television's decision to appoint a Diversity Executive.
Why is it that everyone seems to think that "diversity" is just about race? Six months ago I agreed to become the diversity champion for the news division. I did it because I believe Â鶹Éç News has to reflect the UK all our audiences are part of.
For me diversity is about a whole variety of things; age, views, tone of voice, class and sexuality - as well as race. It's not about box ticking, or political correctness. It is about serving the people who pay our wages - ensuring they see themselves and their life experiences reflected in our output.
The alternative is we simply report the bit we, mainly white, middle class, university educated journalists live in. That's a recipe for certain disaster. Already younger audiences watch and listen to the Â鶹Éç less than they once did; young black audiences watch and listen even less. More than two thirds of UK homes now have multi-channel television; digital radio has transformed listening for millions across Britain.
At the point at which our audience think the Â鶹Éç is out of touch and failing to report the stories, the issues and the people that they're interested, they've got plenty of other channels to turn to - not just for News, but for soaps, entertainment and music too. So why should they tune to the Â鶹Éç? Since they pay their licence fees too, that's potentially a huge problem for us!
Back in March, Mark Thompson unveiled his vision for the Â鶹Éç's Creative Future - one in which audiences are at the centre of everything we do. So the appointment of a diversity executive to look after television is common sense. This is about so much more than political correctness. The stakes couldn't be higher; it's about a Â鶹Éç that remains relevant to all our audiences, ensuring its very survival in an increasingly competitive media world.
Comments
Interesting Jon that the only specific example you use is "young, black".
It's hardly surprising then that people assume diversity is about race.
I agree with this article. Britian is growing rapidly with different backgrounds and cultures. This reflects in what kind of activities they do e.g. the type of programmes they watch and the type of music they listen to, so t.v. channels and radio stations need to start doing multi-cultural programmes and music. This might help the understanding of races and might help with racist attacks beacuse they then understand why they do these things.
I've been asking on the Ouch! guestbook for a response from the Â鶹Éç as to why in every release, page, or other information source regarding diversity at the Â鶹Éç, they only highlight ethnic diversity, never disability diversity.
There was a claim made that the Â鶹Éç was actively reducing the amount of focus on disability diversity in favour of ethnic diversity, when the director of such things was replaced with someone from an ethnic minority.
Would the Â鶹Éç care to supply additional statistical breakdown, similar to the solely ethnic based diversity figures posted on the website, relating to disabled staffing levels with the Â鶹Éç? Or are they going to continue to avoid the potentially disturbing numbers that lend more credence to claims made by disabled staffers of a severe reduction in disability related diversity activity at the Â鶹Éç?
I absolutely concur with miika - you cannot seriously commit to a "diversity" agenda in either broadcasting content or staffing without including Disabled people - the last minority it is deemed OK by society to discriminate against - idly or consciously - regardless of the existence of legislation.
"For me diversity is about a whole variety of things; age, views, tone of voice, class and sexuality - as well as race."
Disabled people don't count?
I sometimes wonder about the ratio of satff levels who work at the Â鶹Éç with a disability as you tend not to see many. I hope that the Â鶹Éç will allow it's schemes of work offered to disabled staff more accessible and more allowing for the fact that some disabled people may not have wanted to work in the high pressure areas that it provided on it's Extend scheme.
I myself tried to get a job on that very same scheme and found the jobs given were too advanced for a disabled person like mine and would like to see workshops where disabled people and people with learning disabilities such as myself be given jobs that suit our abilities, such as I would wish to work in Ouch, helping to do computer admin, or research or any data work, as I have skills in Powerpoint, Word for Windows, and some parts of Excel.
I like what Jon Williams says, he has a bit of fire in his belly!
The Â鶹Éç ought not to try and immitate the commercial media but to stand firm for correct values and to help all sections of this diverse British community to feel they each have a stake and a voice in this fast changing world.
Communication and not political correctness has to be the only decent way forward.
America,s diverse cultural successes where so many different nationalites live side by side, as in the Bronx, could teach us a lot about multiculturalism and maybe
help stem this rising tide of home grown disaffected terrorists.
My generation grew up waving the Empire flag but that has all gone now and we all have to adjust to a new tomorrow.