Wednesday, August 08, 2012

Is children's TV getting the balance right? The BBC remit is to inform, educate and entertain. But to what extent is the Corporation meeting that remit on its children's services?

Kids interested in sports will have little to quibble about. British athletes are doing their best to inspire a generation, and BBC presenters are showing support for Team GB. But all this concentration on sports has meant that other news is on the back burner at the moment. After the Olympics, Newsround ought to make a catch-up edition which covers all the important news its audience might have missed out on. The tensions between the Coalition partners is one such news story which needs to be reported.

As for the 'educate' part of the BBC's mission, it seems that children's TV bosses think all facts have to be imparted in a flippant manner. So, for example, if 'history' isn't 'horrible' kids won't get to learn about it on CBBC. The result is a lopsided view of the past.

Finally, there is the mission to entertain audiences. If lavatorial humour counts as entertainment, then perhaps the BBC should get a gold medal of its own for this.

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