BBC & NSO’s meeting “positive” on faith shows
Concerns were raised by the NSO media monitoring group earlier this year over the BBC’s lack of coverage in its television programming devoted to the Sikh and Hindu faiths.
A breakdown of programming from the BBC’s Religion and Ethics department, revealed that since 2001, the BBC made 41 faith programmes on Islam, compared with just five on Hinduism and one on Sikhism. This research and subsequent concern within both the Sikh and Hindu communities caused some furore and was widely reported in the press.
The group recently had a meeting in Westminster with Parliamentarians and amongst other agenda items, discussed potential programmes on the Hindu and Sikh faiths which may help readdress the imbalance of religious programming in the year 2009 and beyond.
“The group was delighted with the discussions, we jointly brainstormed potential ideas for the type of programmes that would be desirable on the Sikh and Hindu faiths,” said Hardeep Singh, secretary of the Network of Sikh organisations, media monitoring group.
“The range of programmes that could be commissioned is clearly extensive, for example a historical Sikh military drama equivalent to the ‘Tudors’ on BBC2 , would be both educational and entertaining. It would also be beneficial to see additional positive Sikh or Hindu role models in sitcoms as well as perhaps getting a celebrity to do a travelogue type documentary visiting say the Golden Temple, in Amritsar. We would also very much welcome the BBC to cover the Herculean achievements of the Tenth Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, who’s battle against tyranny and persecution centuries ago in India, still resonates an eternal message of hope for the whole of humanity,” he added
The group has also engaged positively with the BBC and is looking forward to a meeting with the head of religion and ethics at the BBC Michael Waitlin and Mary FitzPatrick Editorial Executive of Diversity. The group looks forward in discussing programme ideas with the BBC and working together in partnership with them, in order to support proportionate coverage on the Sikh, Hindu, Buddhist and other faiths respectively, in the future. This will ensure that licence fee payers from all faiths are represented in a way that mirrors demographics in society.
“A number of MP’s are concerned at the apparent imbalance in religious programming in the BBC, as the major public service broadcaster in the UK which is funded by the taxpayer. Therefore we salute the work of the NSO media monitoring group and their constructive engagement with the BBC,” said MP for Wolverhampton South West, Rob Marris.
