Cultural Diversity: Political Correctness Or Pragmatism? TIM ELLIS TIM

Race in the media Recruitment and representation of ethnic minorities in print journalism, broadcast media and the internet Cultural diversity: political correctness or pragmatism? TIM ELLIS TIM Produced by the Guardian in association with the BBC 2 Race in the media Moving into the mainstream The trend is for multicultural programming, but at what cost to ethnic minorities? ollywood has shown Yasmin Anwar,commissioning between what’s happening on Enders,says great efforts have inclusivity.The actor David Yip trend,have realised the value in that brown is the new editor for multicultural the periphery and what’s in the been made in recent years,with points out that the Chinese,who including ethnic minorities in black.Asian culture programmes at Channel 4,rejects mainstream.Programmes that the instigation of a “10% rule” form a large part of the British mainstream advertising. But just is moving into the the view that programmes start out on the edges can end for guest actors in these shows. ethnic minority population,are as the television agenda has British mainstream should appeal simply along ethnic up in the mainstream.” The number of ethnic minority barely visible in the media. become feminised with the Band broadcasters are being lines.“A monocultural approach He argues that programmes parts in leading roles has also Farrukh Dhondy, a former promotion of women to the top forced to follow this cultural lead. assumes that people can be such as those about Bollywood been increased,he says,pointing commissioner of ethnic minority of the executive tree,real and The days in which the BBC’s attracted to programmes along would have been regarded as to the introduction of a credible programmes at Channel 4,and credible change may not happen “immigration department”,set racial group lines.While that minority and monocultural a black family in EastEnders. now a freelance producer, is until people from ethnic up in the 1960s,produced films might have been feasible in the few years ago.But now,they can Young says: “I was struck scornful of the entire concept minorities enjoy similar success. to teach English to Indian days of the BBC’s immigration have wide appeal.It simply takes three or four years ago when I of multicultural programming. With the woefully small immigrants are over,and broad- department,now we are at a a shift in culture to bring about read that in Leicester by 2010, He believes it is motivated by a number of ethnic minority casters are increasingly willing to stage when there are second and change.“At the moment,the whites would be an ethnic “politically correct agenda” commissioners in British place “ethnic” programming in third generation Britons who Somali community is expanding which obscures rather than television,the process of change the mainstream.Babyfather,The speak English as a first language in Southall in west London.So ‘There is a reflects the reality. He believes is unlikely to be anything other Kumars at No 42 and Caribbean and who are increasingly maybe we should be making that the “multicultural than long. Summer played at peak time and culturally diverse.” Broadcasters programmes for Somalis:these trade off when programming agenda” has sold Matt Wells drew wide audiences. must move with the times,she would be monocultural to begin ethnic minorities short,and But this trend towards “multi- argues,and young Britons do with,but they might break entering the does not reflect their cultures 76% of Indian males and 58% cultural” programmes,in which not define themselves by race through into the mainstream.” accurately. It has led to of Indian females are in work, race is not always a defining alone any more. The BBC,with its public mainstream,but “patronising comedy” that compared to the UK average of issue,has not been met with There is an argument that,in service remit,has put a great features “people with funny 79% and 69% respectively universal acclaim among those bringing such programmes into deal of thought into this twin- better slots get accents complaining that their Source: BBC Audience & Consumer Research commentators and programme- the mainstream,their message is track approach.It has maintained daughters are becoming too makers who believe a place is lost in the attempt to appeal to a a slate of both monocultural and bigger budgets’ British”.This does not reflect being lost for programmes wider audience.“There is a trade multicultural programmes:Black the reality of ethnic minority specifically designed with ethnic off,but better slots get better Britain,Mega Mela and Network minority,and it really shocked culture:“You couldn’t have a minorities in mind. budgets,” Anwar says.“Audiences East are produced with a specific me.We weren’t reflecting reality. Muslim or Hindi Life of Brian. As multicultural Britain are pretty intelligent and they ethnic minority audience in In a script,the default would be It wouldn’t be considered becomes more of a reality,the understand the deal.” mind,while Heart of Harlesden, white: a character would not be appropriate. debate between “multicultural” Narinder Minhas,joint head Babyfather and the Islam UK black or Asian unless it was “There is this idea that and “monocultural” of programming at the season were designed to have a specified. And then,it would be programming or articles should programming becomes more independent production broader appeal. an Asian woman running away represent somebody. I expect acute.The development has company Diverse,believes that a The BBC has also made a from an arranged marriage or a my MP or my trade union leader been mirrored by the strategy combined approach is needed. concerted effort to boost the black drug dealer. But black to represent me. I don’t expect of Channel 4,which started out “In the ideal world we wouldn’t number of ethnic minority people can break their legs too. a playwright to represent me.” by producing carefully targeted need anything called multi- actors in its mainstream dramas. We have to reflect reality.” Nevertheless it is dawning on programmes at particular ethnic cultural programmes at all.The Mal Young,the head of Some,however, argue that broadcasters that they cannot groups. Now,it produces multi- difference between mono- continuing drama,who has issues,even whole minorities, continue reflecting a vision of cultural programming rather cultural programming and responsibility for shows such as such as the Chinese, are left out Britain that no longer exists. Top:The cast of Babyfather than minority programming. multicultural programming is Casualty, Holby City and East- in the headlong rush towards Even advertisers,quick to spot a Above:Bollywood poster Race in the media 3 but they just don’t apply. Black journalists say they don’t apply because jobs aren’t advertised. Lisa Urquhart, a UK companies reporter on the Financial Times, who has been involved in setting up an ethnic minority internship at the paper,says,“If more jobs were advertised in the paper, more black and Asian journalists would apply for them.There’s a perception by a lot of young black and Asian people that recruitment for these jobs is done at dinner parties,and the situation is not helped by the fact that hardly The Guardian’s Gary Younge any key jobs are advertised.” Joy Francis, a former editor of black women’s lifestyle magazine ‘Most black Pride, is now managing director and co-founder of the Creative people in Collective, an organisation set up to create internships in newspaper newspapers for ethnic minority students.Since its inception,the cafeterias are collective has scored a number of coups, persuading theTimes, serving food’ the FinancialTimes,the Big Issue, the Manchester Evening News raise the issue with the NUJ, but and the Bradford Argus to sign he calls on the CRE, and on up to its scheme,which gives newspapers,to be more upfront ethnic minority journalism about the numbers.As British graduates a paid three-month institutions become increasingly placement on the papers. aware of overcoming Although the Creative institutional racism,the media’s Collective tackles recruitment, “colour-blindness” looks less Francis says that the issue is like inclusiveness and more like subsidiary to the larger problem wilful ignorance. of the perception by black and Newspapers have also been Asian graduates that the slow in grasping the significance newspaper business doesn’t of cultural nuances in white consider their needs. mainstream society which could “Recruitment is only about one- put off black or Asian potential fifth of the issue,”she says.“A lot journalists, says the FT’s of graduate students — white as Urquhart.“Many black and Asian well as ethnic minority students journalists don’t do the heavy — are uneasy about going into drinking thing,” she says,“and newspapers.Newspapers are particularly if you’re a female not a nurturing environment. I’m journalist from a Muslim meeting more and more print background.” journalists who are going into Several black journalists point broadcasting because there’s a out that, at worst,the press’s perception that broadcasting has refusal to tackle the dearth of a commitment to accountability ethnic minority journalists in its that newspapers don’t have.” ranks could affect its bottom line. Institutional racism in print? One of the biggest hurdles is With the circulation of national that even in the wake of newspapers acknowledged to be Macpherson, it’s still not possible in steady decline, papers can ill to obtain comprehensive figures afford to alienate large sections on the number of black and of the population.With several There may be 200 black and Asian journals, but national Asian journalists working for areas of Britain fast heading national newspapers.Because toward a situation where white newspapers are almost an ethnic minority-free zone newspapers are privately owned people are becoming an ethnic companies,they — in contrast minority,regional papers such as to broadcasters,most of which the Nottingham Evening Post early three companies cannot ignore the prove this.He notes a number have a public service remit — have been quicker to realise this.

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