Saturday, December 11, But apart from just being well known journalists Jeremy and Andrew have something else in common - they're both not entirely happy with blogs. If Jeremy is worried that blogs don't operate by conventional journalistic rules such as checking facts, then what does he make of some of the mistakes on CBBC?
And also on the topic of mistakes, the BBC has now admitted that Newsround misreported the total of cuts in the Government's spending review. There really was no excuse for a seven week delay before correcting such a major mistake. However the 'Last Updated' info on each of the pages is the same as before, and therefore incorrect.
Evan Davis didn't spot the major mistake, but then he didn't foresee the current economic mess we've been landed in either.
The impending collapse in our economy was obvious to some people. Better BBC journalism , more critically-minded of politicians and their policies, could have helped avoid it. Sunday, December 05, Previously Newsround Blog has hinted that there's an undercurrent of internalised homophobia in the showbiz world and in the media. Remember last year Simon Cowell's mock indignation at a spot-on comment by Dannii Minogue?
A recurring feature of The X Factor is banter amongst the judges, usually instigated by Simon Cowell, sometimes unfortunately taking the form of innuendo and stereotyping. I love to see you out of your comfort zone and not singing a ballad cos it's just nice to see the difference. And I thought Brian [Friedman] did a great job with the visuals. So well done. Simon: I don't think Brian was responsible for that.
I think this was a scene out of Louis' bedroom. To Louis Literally, it's exactly how I see you going home every night Louis: And what about Mary's singing? Lots of people singing and dancing to the song.. Friday, December 03, The English bid to host the World Cup should have been withdrawn immediately, and the likes of David Beckham, the Prime Minister and Prince William should not have demeaned themselves by going to Switzerland and talking to the dishonourable and despicable FIFA organisation.
Well done to Newsround. Earlier this week it picked up a Children's Bafta for a special programme called Living with Alcohol. Personally I think Sonali's reports from Haiti and Afghanistan were more deserving of the gong.
Tam has toured Scotland, to find out concerns of kids in all parts of the country. The Bafta award ceremonies celebrate the achievements of broadcasters and TV channels. But what about brickbat ceremonies for getting things badly wrong or misleading viewers?
And Newsround deserves criticism for its misleading reports and misinformation. A quick search of Newsround's website shows that AIDS was discussed and reported a lot more during the first half of the decade. Monday, November 29, It's actually quite a common stereotype. In a sketch from Little Britain , Daffyd tells his mum there's loads of jobs he'd like to do - hairdresser, airline steward, children's TV presenter - but he'll never get a job because, as he puts it, they simply don't employ the gays.
But if there really are so many 'gays' working for CBBC, why doesn't the channel have a good diversity record? Instead it avoids LGB characters in kids' dramas, and is unable to cope with the sexuality of stars like Joe McElderry. In contrast, heterosexual representation is no problem for CBBC. Leah, for example, is unable to keep her sexuality to herself in this clip. You'll see Leah make no secret of her attraction to Zac Efron.
Does anyone seriously believe that, if she had lesbian proclivities, Newsround would be happy to broadcast a similar show of affection for a female celebrity? Apparently Leah also quite likes teenage superstar Justin Bieber.
So much so that the programme she presented on 8th November captioned Justin as a "mega hunk" when he was featured following his success at the MTV Music Awards:- Leah You'd think a famous writer would have insight into the world around him and into humanity.
But when Anthony Horowitz answered questions in Newsround's When I Was 10 spot he simply demonstrated rather narrow-minded thinking. In answer to:- Anthony Horowitz: Erm.. Even though there are thousands of LGBT people in showbiz, the industry as a whole has a history of discrimination.
It looks like a similar cause for concern exists now, with winner Joe McElderry attracting less media attention than the X Factor runner-up, Olly Murs. The difference, these days, is that no-one now seems willing to speak out against prejudice.
It is also the case that some of the X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing outcomes are likely to have been the result of racism rather than intrinsic artistic merit.
Take a look at this sketch from Hedz in TMi Friday. Cheryl ends the sketch with "Just my luck. Any suggestions? Saturday, November 27, The year began with Ore, in South Africa, reporting on the country's recent history and its preparations for the World Cup.
Sonali gave Newsround viewers an insight into how people in Haiti were coping in the aftermath of the earthquake. And more recently Sonali flew out to Afghanistan to see what it's like for young people in that country. But whilst Newsround has done excellent work with its reports from around the world, its reporting of local news has been less than satisfactory.
Yes, there's been plenty of showbiz news - especially X Factor - but what about news specially relevant to young people? In the summer we heard about the lack of spending on schools, but the programme didn't follow up on the story.
Lots of young people are unhappy about the hike in university tuition fees, but again that's an issue given little coverage by Newsround.
And then there's Michael Gove's new education plans - why no details on that issue? For a period during the summer Newsround took some account of the BBC Trust's remarks not to underserve particular groups.
We saw the views of older children as well as those in primary schools. But it didn't last long. Tuesday, November 23, Sometimes things move rather slowly at the BBC. For instance, remember my doubts about the accuracy of Newsround's report on the Government Spending Review?
Well, I'm still waiting to hear back on that matter. Newsround hasn't yet said anything about David Cameron's message of support to young people. He points out that it's when people are young that prejudice such as homophobia can take root. The Deputy Prime Minister: Right now there are simply too many children growing up thinking that 'gay' is an insult. Newsround became news itself when the press picked up on something Mark Sedwill told Sonali about the safety of kids in Afghanistan.
Newsround dealt with it yesterday at 5pm:- Sonali Over the years here on Newsround we've told you how British troops are fighting in Afghanistan trying to make the country a safer place. Ore: But what's it like being a child there, trying to get on with life with the violence around you? Sonali: A few weeks ago I travelled to Afghanistan to find out. While I was there I met loads of kids.
Here's what some of them told me about what it's like growing up in the capital city, Kabul. Their parents won't let them out in case a bomb goes off here. Mark Sedwill: Here in Kabul, and in the other big cities, actually there are very few of those bombs. The children are probably safer here than they would be in London or New York or Glasgow or many other cities.
Most children can go about their lives in safety. It's a very family-oriented society. So its a little bit like a city of villages. Now winning doesn't mean a big victory parade in a place like this. What it means is, that we bring peace and security to the people here..
And now with us on the sofa is Hannah Reichardt from Save the Children. Hannah Reichardt: We don't think the comparison's particularly helpful. But what we know is that Afghanistan is the worst place in the world for a child to grow up. One in four children who are born in Afghanistan won't live to see their fifth birthday. And they're dying from preventable diseases like diarrhoea and lack of food. Sonali: So kids don't only have to worry about security, but there are so many other things because Afghanistan is so poor.
Hannah: Exactly. Seven million children are out of school, which is a horrific number. All of these children who are suffering in Afghanistan live in families that don't have enough money. That don't have jobs and the means to support themselves. Lots of children don't have enough to eat, which leads to long-term stunting.
Which means they'll never reach their full potential in life. Ore: But the troops have been there for quite a long time. Have things improved for kids in Afghanistan? Hannah: In parts of Afghanistan things have improved.
But in other ways life has got a lot tougher. For some children access to school is actually harder now than it was. And access to healthcare, just basic things like being able to see a doctor when you're sick. Ore: Hannah thank you very much for coming in. Sonali: Thank you. And don't forget you can watch our special film from Afghanistan tonight.
It's called 'Growing Up in a War Zone' and starts at 6. Also see this news item. Sunday, November 21, The season is made up of the three-part drama Combat Kids , two Newsround Specials from Afghanistan presented by Sonali and a documentary, Toy Soldiers , looking at the lives of kids with a parent in the army.
It's been more than a week since Takeover Day, and I'm pleased to say that Newsround did get involved this year. CBBC should remember that it's supposed to be a day-long event, so kids should have been presenting the 7am bulletin onwards.
But instead it seemed that there was an embargo until 5pm. Maybe we'll see more participation in future, but at least it was a start. Newsround marked the start of Anti-Bullying Week with celebrities talking about school bullying. Despite a promise six months ago to tackle homophobic bullying, the Coalition Government failed to announce any new initiative during Anti-Bullying Week.
However the Prime Minister, David Cameron, did send a message to young people:- The Prime Minister's words are unlikely to have any significant effect on reducing homophobic bullying unless or until there is a broad-based change in attitude, especially in schools and on BBC children's TV.
Whereas Newsround reported yesterday noon bulletin on David Cameron's concerns for the safety of the trapped miners in New Zealand, the programme has yet to report anything about his message to UK schoolkids. The BBC's recent record on diversity is poor. In July I discovered evidence that a BBC children's message board devoted to bullying problems had been systematically filtering out messages related to help with homophobic bullying.
Although that message board has now been closed, similar discrimination continues on BBC children's TV, and on the website. LGBT History Month is just around the corner - a belated chance for the Government to announce some concrete proposals for tackling homophobic bullying, and in the intervening period an opportunity for CBBC to change for the better.
Thursday, November 11, A few years ago Newsround promised to participate in Takeover Day, but it all fell through and they haven't even mentioned the annual event since then. Well there's another chance tomorrow because it will be Takeover Day So CBBC ought, by rights, help empower kids by letting them take control of Newsround, deciding what news stories are covered and fronting the programme itself.
So far it's a form of bullying which Newsround has avoided talking about. But experts believe that it won't be reduced unless and until the problem of homophobia is tackled head-on see blog on 20 October , and the YouTube video mentioned in that blog Over the last few weeks Newsround has asked celebrities to look back at their lives as year-olds and reveal, amongst other things, if they fancied anyone at school.
But gay celebrities are treated in a very different way. Suddenly CBBC doesn't want to know anything about who they fancied at school or even who they fancy as grown-ups.
Remember last year Newsround made a film about bullying - it was called Whose side are you on? So let's see if anything changes this year. Will Newsround mention homophobic bullying or will it once again show that it is, in effect, on the side of the bullies? One BBC drama is worth mentioning. It faces up to issues which CBBC fails to do. Jamie attends a faith school and gets bullied daily. He doesn't tell his family about the bullying, which has become so bad that one day Jamie tries to commit suicide.
Monday, November 08, Whether or not Miriam O'Reilly wins her claim against the BBC will probably be more down to which side has the better legal team than anything else. Miriam claims to have suffered age and sex discrimination, and believes the Corporation took revenge because she was thought to be behind stories criticising the BBC for dropping older women presenters.
Liberal Democrat equalities spokesperson, now Minister for Equalities, Lynne Featherstone, expressed her own concerns about age and sex discrimination at the BBC last year, when she blogged about Arlene Phillips losing her job as a judge on Strictly Come Dancing. Lynne later told her Party Conference that she was unable to to describe her feelings about the BBC decision "in parliamentary language".
Stephen Fry is often quick to proffer an opinion on almost anything that takes his fancy. Recently he commented on female sexuality. But when, a short while later, the BBC asked audiences if homosexuals should face execution, what did Stephen do then?
Nothing - not a single tweet of criticism. Andrew gave an interview to Attitude in May and commented about not being able to include a gay kiss in Dr Who because "they couldn't push it that far. Saturday, October 30, On Tuesday, Newsround reported that he might soon be back playing rugby again. Charlotte Church's ex has been doing more rumba than rugby recently. Er but by the end of the week the Welsh centre should be completing a move to London side Saracens.
Ore: Thing is, though, Ricky, he hasn't played rugby for more that 18 months. So he might need some time to toughen up again. He ain't gonna score any tries if he tries dancing down the wing - d'you know what I'm saying? Newsround confirmed the move early on Thursday morning - Leah: Now we might be used to seeing him in sparkly dance outfits, but get used to seeing Gavin Henson like this, in rugby kits. He's signed up to play for English team Saracens and will be straight into action once Strictly Come Dancing has finished.
Now we know that when a leading Welsh rugby player, Gareth Thomas, came out as gay last year, the story was ignored by Newsround.
Come to think of it, though, would Gareth or any other gay activist ever get invited to take part? I've previously blogged about the reluctance of Newsround to cover youth democracy. More of the same reluctance yesterday when the UK Youth Parliament convened for a series of debates in the House of Commons.
The first subject debated was Should sex and relationships education be compulsory from primary school onwards? The Team. Contact Us Help Teachers. Your fave Newsround theme tune! Vote for your favourite - and we'll play the one you choose in full on our birthday show on Thursday 4 April at 5. And, even better, the original Newsround presenter John Craven is coming back to present the show for one day only!
Watch each of the titles by clicking on the icon below. And if you want more old-style Newsround info, come back later this week when we'll have a full section looking back at the history of the programme! The theme tunes The original funk: John Craven and his legendary cardigans. No-one knows that better than these media types. They know it makes the difference between success and failure on talent shows, they know it affects marketability, they know that "straight is safe" and "gay is a gamble.
But in this clip he loses his cool after Dannii Minogue quite properly raised the issue of the altered lyrics in Danyl's song see blog on 11 October Had Joe McElderry not fibbed about his sexuality at the start of his X Factor challenge his chances of winning would have been greatly diminished.
He knew it. Simon Cowell knew it. In fact everyone in showbiz knows it. So we end up with a vicious circle whereby media moguls feed this prejudice for their own self-advancement.
That's why it's important that more people like Ben Cohen stand up and be counted. Sunday, May 15, Friday Download is possibly a sign that children's TV is spreading its wings, perhaps appealing to a wider range of kids including teenagers - a group which has, in recent years, been poorly served by the BBC.
The thinking behind Friday Download owes something to Channel 4's programmes for teens, but it seems CBBC is still reluctant to stray too far from its namby-pamby attitude.
On Friday 6 May , the so-called 'TV download' segment - a selection of recommended television programmes presented by Ceallach - included this about Leonardo - Ceallach This show is based on Leonardo da Vinci as a teenager. Now some of you may know Leonardo da Vinci was a very very famous artist It's a really factual show.
It's really enjoyable to watch. You've got all his friends - Machiavelli, Lorenzo. And it's about him as a teenager doing his drawings and making some inventions, but at the same time people are trying to take his inventions. And it's all about what he goes through in the town of Florence. Let's take a look video excerpt from Leonardo - Episode 6 - The Lightning Box Ceallach, for one, believes that Leonardo is factual see previous blog for context, and Friday Download did nothing to disabuse kids of that belief - in fact it reinforced it.
Kids who take the trouble to do a few minutes research on the Internet - say by checking out Newsround Blog - know the truth about Leonardo da Vinci, and of course the truth about CBBC. Why the title Friday Download? Well who doesn't like Friday, being as it's the start of the weekend. And everyone believes downloading is popular with kids.
So put the two together and, hey presto, you get Friday Download. Peter Salmon: Well a lot of us are in the process of moving. I'm renting, for instance, this year and I'm buying a home next year. Lots of my senior colleagues are already here - they've bought their homes.
We don't tend to hear stories of BBC bosses committing to buy homes. It just tends to be the odd individual who's still renting. That's because a lot of us are, you know, in a particular place in terms of our family lives. In terms of kids at school, all the rest of it, partners etcetera etcetera. But we're all very committed to this project. Inevitably bosses come and go just like staff.
Presenters come and go just like staff. That's our business model. We encourage fluid careers, but we're very committed to this Centre. Friday, May 06, This year he participated in a session which discussed children's heroes and superheroes blog 10 April Leonardo is being heavily promoted, and few kids who watch children's TV will have missed seeing the series trailer.
The website describes it as a "drama following the adventures of the teenage Leonardo da Vinci and his friends. Sons Of Admirals did a cover of the Arthur song! Reports Chat Vote Quiz Games. E-mail this to a friend Printable version. BBC Copyright Notice. Explore the BBC.
0コメント