BFN & BBC

Sent this letter last night to Sally Challoner and Tim Pemberton at BBC Bristol, I look forward to posting the response:


Hi Sally and Tim,

I recently attended the "Meet the BBC" event at the Pierian Centre back in May. I was representing my professional workplace but I was particularly interested as a co-ordinator of Bristol Feminist Network.

Over time, BFN has had some rough handling from the BBC, particularly the radio arm of the network. Your colleagues seemed keen to encourage community groups to get in touch with stories, explaining what sort of things you were looking for, and the best way to make contact. It all seemed very positive, with BBC Bristol appearing to want to make a real effort to engage with local community groups.

However, I was particularly disappointed by the events of last week. My colleague, Sian Norris, was asked to go on to a radio show to discuss the uniform of the female beach volleyball players, following an article by Julie Bindel in the Guardian about the subject.

Sian gave her point of view about the representation of women in sport as an invited guest on the show, and the host even remarked that she was "very diplomatic". We had assumed this was the end of the contact on this point.

You can imagine our dismay when we were pointed towards this article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-14502888

I feel the article misrepresents what took place - that Sian was asked specifically to speak to BBC Bristol radio about the uniforms, with the clear intent that she would criticise them. Sian had not approached the BBC with this story. Other speakers were given the opportunity to air their views and it took the form of a "phone in show". Secondly, Sian was not told that anything she said would be placed on the web arm of the BBC. The phrasing of the headline implies that Sian was criticising the women, when in fact she was careful to discuss the wider issues around the representation of women in sport, an issue that is important to BFN. As a result of the online article, Sian has received a couple of aggressive emails that focus on one of the quotes in the article - a quote that was out of context when not heard alongside the rest of what she said during the phone-in interview.

I would ask that the BBC reassesses their contact with BFN. The event in May seemed to be asking community groups to contact the BBC with stories, and that the organisation was keen to represent a range of local activity and events. Do you not think that we communicate with other community groups? Do you not think that when we are misrepresented in this way, and our words taken out of context and used against us, this will disincline other groups to contact you with their stories?

I hope you will take on board some of my comments and I would willingly engage in conversation with you about how we can improve this relationship.

Best regards
Anna Brown
BFN co-ordinator