[Media-watch] FW: sectarianism on BBC childrens television
David Miller
davidmiller at strath.ac.uk
Mon Jan 17 21:31:49 GMT 2005
--- Emma Miller <emma_miller at talk21.com> wrote:
> Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2005 20:26:43 +0000 (GMT)
> From: Emma Miller <emma_miller at talk21.com>
> Subject: RE: sectarianism on BBC childrens
> television
> To: Blue Peter <bluepeter at bbc.co.uk>
>
> Dear Mr Marson
>
> Following from your reply to my complaint about the
> best of British feature last week, I subsequently
> wrote a complaint to the BBC about both the feature
> and your response. I am now writing to the BBC
> again,
> following today's programme. Copies of both letters
> are below.
>
> 17.1.05
>
> (To BBC complaints in Glasgow)
>
> Dear Sir/madam
>
> I have already written to you on two occasions in
> the
> past week about the Best of British competition on
> Blue Peter, broadcast on 10th January. The first
> letter I sent you was a copy of the email sent to
> Blue
> Peter about the use of the red hand - a symbol
> appropriated by loyalist paramilitaries. My second
> letter was about the response from the editor of
> Blue
> Peter, which was totally unsatisfactory.
>
> My children were watching Blue Peter again today.
> The
> presenters discussed the progress of the competition
> to design livery for a Boeing aircraft. The
> presenters selected their favourite entries to date.
>
> Zoe selected one which prominently displayed an
> outline map of Britain and Ireland, both of which
> had
> been completely filled in with Union Jack patterns.
>
> Both Zoe and the editor of Blue Peter must be aware
> that of course, Northern Ireland is part of the
> United
> Kingdom, not of Britain, and that the Republic of
> Ireland is an independent country. Taking these two
> images together, the red hand of Ulster, and the
> whole
> of Ireland presented as British, I must question
> what
> is going on with the agenda of this programme and
> the
> Best of British competition.
>
> Childrens television must not be a vehicle for
> sectarian game-playing. What measures are going to
> be
> taken to ensure that similar incidents are not
> allowed
> to continually emerge on screen?
>
> Yours faithfully
>
>
>
>
> Emma Miller
>
>
> (To BBC complaints in Glasgow)
> 14.1.05
>
> Dear Sir/madam
>
> (please see attached sheet for previous
> correspondence)
>
> I would genuinely rather not engage in protracted
> correspondence on a matter which I wrote to Blue
> Peter
> about earlier this week (copied to you).
>
> However, as I said in my initial correspondence to
> the
> programme, I am concerned about the use of a symbol
> on childrens television which has been appropriated
> by
> paramilitaries in Northern Ireland.
>
> In my home it is my children who watch Blue Peter.
> However, I happened to catch the relevant part of
> the
> programme on Monday. My attention was drawn to the
> programme when I heard the presenter Zoe refer to
> her
> origins in 'Ulster', a term not commonly heard now
> in
> British broadcasting. As I said in my original
> email,
> I was then amazed to see the red hand of Ulster
> presented as a design idea for a Blue Peter
> competition.
>
> When I sent the email raising concern about this
> feature, I did not expect to hear from the editor
> of
> Blue Peter quickly (I am sure the programme
> receives
> a lot of correspondence). I therefore also copied
> the
> email in the form of a letter to BBC complaints in
> Glasgow. In fact, the programme editor did respond
> within two days.
>
> The response from Richard Marson indicates that he
> has
> not taken my complaint seriously. I therefore
> remain
> concerned, and wish to raise a few short points with
> the complaints section.
>
> The first point is that Mr Marson repeats the use of
> the term Ulster in his email, as the programme
> presenter did. Although he says "each item is
> scrutinised thoroughly for (both) compliance to
> Editorial Guidelines" this represents a breach:
>
> 'while interviewees may refer to Northern Ireland as
> Ulster our journalists should not use Ulster as a
> synonym. (Ulster is one of the four provinces of
> Ireland. It consists of nine counties ñ the six in
> Northern Ireland and three in the Republic of
> Ireland)'
>
> BBC Producers' guidelines
>
http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/policies/producer_guides/text/section4.shtml
>
> I must also point to inconsistancy in Mr. Marson's
> response. He acknowledges that the red hand has
> been
> appropriated by loyalist paramilitaries, yet
> maintains
> that each item is scrutinised thoroughly for a sense
> of good taste.
>
> Finally I must question the basis for Mr. Marson's
> 'feeling' that "both communities are equally
> attached
> to the Red Hand as representative of their
> province."
> How can this be the case when paramilitaries
> associated with one community have appropriated the
> symbol? It is not difficult to find evidence of the
> sectarian use of the red hand as an emblem. A few
> examples follow:
>
> Bill Rolston at Ulster University has written on the
> subject of Murals on Ireland. In a section on
> loyalist murals he notes: "The Red Hand of Ulster
> also
> figured prominently, whether traditionally
> represented, or clenched in a fist, a symbol of the
> UFF, Ulster Freedom Fighters, or encircled in barbed
> wire, the preferred depiction of the LPA, Loyalist
> Prisoners' Association. There is no reference to
> its
> appearance in republican murals.
>
> Oona Woods at the same university refers to the "Red
> Hand of Ulster which is, in certain contexts,
> associated with Protestant loyalism."
>
> The Orange Historical Society website prominently
> identifies the Red Hand of Ulster - as an Emblem of
> Ulster's Identity.
>
> I do not belong to either community. I am a
> Scottish
> atheist. I have however visited Ireland several
> times
> and have repeatedly witnessed the use of the red
> hand
> of Ulster as a sectarian symbol. Following from
> the
> Blue Peter programme I asked an Irish friend what
> the
> red hand meant to her and she replied 'loyalism and
> Ian Paisley.'
>
> I would like reassurance that neither the red hand
> nor other sectarian symbols, representing either
> community, appear on Blue Peter in the future.
>
> Yours faithfully
>
>
>
> Emma Miller
>
>
> --- Blue Peter <bluepeter at bbc.co.uk> wrote:
> > Dear Ms. Miller,
> >
> > We are very sorry you felt offended by the red
> hand
> > symbol Zoe choose to
> > illustrate her Best of British livery for the Blue
> > Peter paint a plane
> > competition.
> >
> > Whilst we recognise that the Red Hand of Ulster
> has
> > been appropriated by
> > some sectarian organisations, as I'm sure you are
> > aware, it's also the
> > official symbol of the province of Ulster. Of
> > Ulster's 9 counties, 3 are
> > located in Eire and 6 in Northern Ireland. This
> was
> > the reason why we
> > used the symbol as we felt that both communities
> are
> > equally attached to
> > the Red Hand as representative of their province
> in
> > much the same way as
> > a Lancastrian would align himself with a Red Rose.
> >
> > Blue Peter would never wilfully want to offend its
> > audience and we are
> > sorry if you have been upset. We are always very
> > particular when
> > researching items for Blue Peter and each item is
> > scrutinised thoroughly
> > for both compliance to Editorial Guidelines and a
> > sense of good taste.
> >
> > We hope you will continue to watch and enjoy Blue
> > Peter.
> >
> >
> > Richard Marson
> > Editor, Blue Peter
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Emma Miller [mailto:emma_miller at talk21.com]
> > Sent: 10 January 2005 18:56
> > To: Blue Peter
>
> > Subject: sectarianism on BBC childrens television
> >
> >
> > I am writing to complain about your programme
> today,
> > specifically about
> > a provocative presentation by your
> > new presenter Zoe. During her discussion of the
> > competition to design a Boeing aircraft she
> > presented
> > her own design suggestion, which she explained was
> > inspired by her origins in Ulster. She then
> > proceeded, to my amazement, to show her design
> > consisting of three red hands, which she explained
> > represented the red hand of Ulster.
> >
> > The red hand of Ulster is, as you must be aware a
> > potent sectarian symbol, associated as it is with
> > loyalist paramilitaries. The Red Hand Defenders,
> > for
> > example, are associated with sectarian murders in
> > the
> > North of Ireland. In a public statement two years
> > ago, Amnesty International repeatedly cited this
> > organisation for sectarian killings. Amnesty
> > further
> > stated: "Amnesty International was also concerned
> > that
> > earlier this week, the Red Hand Defenders issued
> > threats against teachers and other staff at
> Catholic
> > schools and against Catholic postal workers in
> north
> > Belfast as "legitimate targets".
> >
> >
>
http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGEUR450012002?open&of=ENG-370
> >
> > As an icon, the red hand is banned in some schools
> > in
> > Scotland, where it is rightly viewed as
> deliberately
> > provocative.
> >
> > Your presenter Zoe, who grew up in Belfast, cannot
> > be
> > ignorant of this information. I must also
> question
> > your editorial staff who must have made a decision
> > to
> > broadcast this material. I am deeply concerned
> > about
> > the intention behind this presentation. Could
> you
> > please explain.
> >
> > Emma Miller
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
___________________________________________________________
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>
>
>
>
>
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