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MUMBAI: People in the UK are more concerned with the portrayal of age
on TV than on other platforms. Age is considered much less of an issue
on radio, as participants could not readily tell the age of
contributors and would choose a radio station that reflects their
needs and interests.
Younger people are most concerned with how they
are portrayed on TV, and many feel they are portrayed negatively. This
view was also shared by some older people.
The Creative Diversity Network (CDN) has published the findings of its
research in portrayal of age in the media, ‘Serving All Ages’. The
research was commissioned by the BBC as current chair of the CDN.
The CDN is a partnership of media companies made up of ITV, Channel 4,
Sky, S4/C, Pact, MTV, Media Trust, Turner and Bafta, which exists to
improve diversity across the industry.
The key findings are:
- Older people are less concerned with portrayal on TV, but some
expressed a feeling of invisibility. This was particularly the case
for middle aged and older women and more so in some genres (news and
factual) than others
- Audiences wanted television in particular to reflect reality and
wanted to avoid stereotyping and see a focus on accurate portrayal of
all ages
- Industry experts focused on the need to find imaginative and
creative ways to challenge existing stereotypes without being
formulaic and stressed the importance of tracking and reviewing
progress
BBC DG and CDN chair Mark Thompson said, “There are lessons here for
the BBC and the rest of Britain’s broadcasters. It is young people who
are most concerned with the way they are portrayed and we need to look
at this. But we should also note the concern, expressed by older
people generally, about the need for greater visibility for older
women. While of course there are many older women presenters and
actors across our airwaves, this is something that needs to be
addressed.”
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