Sunday, June 07, 2009

Diversity has been in the news recently, including in this report on Newsround's website. Diversity, however, is not just the group who won Britain's Got Talent last week. Quoted on the back of BBC staff identity cards, you'll find a set of six core values including: We respect each other and celebrate our diversity so that everyone can give their best.

In the first weeks of 2009 Newsround included reports about the first black President of the United States, a boy who has only two fingers and a thumb on each hand (7 January), Prince Harry's controversial remarks about race (12 Jan), difficulties for Travellers' families (22 Jan), Nintendo Wii used to help with physiotherapy for disabled kids (9 Feb), Paralympian gold medalist Ellie Simmonds received her MBE (18 Feb).

But in recent years there haven't been any reports at all about LGBT issues.

With the Government finding itself in such dire straits, it's clear that the new Equality Bill may not make any further progress. However one thing the proposals have achieved is to tease out the BBC's true position on diversity. The Corporation, as we've seen before, blatantly discriminates against some groups, including teenagers.

Now the BBC wants to ensure its discrimination is put on a formal basis, with an exemption to the proposed legislation. Or in the words of the BBC itself:

"... the commissioning, content and broadcasting of programmes and other output should be excluded from the positive duty to promote equality and also from the non-discrimination provisions."

So there you have it - what the BBC really thinks of diversity.

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