Disfigured newsreader for Five

**Maggy** · 14-11-2009, 19:18

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8360092.stm

Quote:

A charity chief with a facial disfigurement will read the news on Channel Five for a week in an attempt to try to break down prejudice.
James Partridge, who is chief executive of Changing Faces, suffered severe burns in a car accident aged 18.
He will front the Five News lunchtime bulletin for a week from Monday.

I think this should become a much more regular occurence.The only way for people with disfigurement to feel really part of society is to be doing such high profile jobs and it just to be a normal matter of fact occasion.

piggy · 14-11-2009, 19:27

it will be interesting, will people hear the news or see the disfigurement? imo it will be the latter and a pointless exercise.

**Paul** · 14-11-2009, 19:29

I seriously doubt this will make any difference to peoples desire to see a "nice" news reader.

Peter_ · 14-11-2009, 19:34

I have seen him on tv before and he comes across very well and will probably be better than 5's present newsreaders as he actually has a personality.

Stuart · 14-11-2009, 19:34

So, the news organisations who have spent the last 15-20 years hiring ever more pretty news readers, and slowly getting rid of the ugly ones (John Snow, Alistair Stewart and Trevor McDonald being three exceptions, although none are really ugly as such), are now going to show someone who is disfigured for one week on probably their least viewed bulletin?

Russ · 14-11-2009, 19:49

There'll be complaints....

**Paul** · 14-11-2009, 19:50

Well since some people complain about just about anything, I guess there will.

14-11-2009, 19:53

if channel 5 feel that strongly this then why not hire someone disfigured permanantly instead of for a week ?

**Maggy** · 14-11-2009, 19:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by martyh

if channel 5 feel that strongly this then why not hire someone disfigured permanantly instead of for a week ?

Well I think the point is to stimulate discussion about this issue and possibly open the gates for it to become a normal occurrence.

Russ · 14-11-2009, 20:07

I bet there'll be people claiming that he "scared the children".

14-11-2009, 20:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maggy J

Well I think the point is to stimulate discussion about this issue and possibly open the gates for it to become a normal occurrence.

i appreciate that but to me it smacks of experimenting with people who already have things a bit hard ,and how will they feel if at the end of the week they are told that "sorry we won't be doing this again because the public don't like looking at you"

**Maggy** · 14-11-2009, 20:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by martyh

i appreciate that but to me it smacks of experimenting with people who already have things a bit hard ,and how will they feel if at the end of the week they are told that "sorry we won't be doing this again because the public don't like looking at you"

So we shouldn't even bother?And yet these people have to already put up with ignorance and stupidity in their everyday life.I guess they shouldn't bother leaving home in that case.

The fact is if we don't start here when do we start?It's called pushing the boundaries and challenging people to alter their viewpoint.That's never going to happen unless you just take a leap of faith and try it.

14-11-2009, 20:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maggy J

So we shouldn't even bother?And yet these people have to already put up with ignorance and stupidity in their everyday life.I guess they shouldn't bother leaving home in that case.

The fact is if we don't start here when do we start?It's called pushing the boundaries and challenging people to alter their viewpoint.That's never going to happen unless you just take a leap of faith and try it.

like i said (if you bothered reading properly) Maggie hire him permanantly it will stimulate the same discussion possibly more ,and won't appear as an "experiment"

**Maggy** · 14-11-2009, 20:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by martyh

like i said (if you bothered reading properly) Maggie hire him permanantly it will stimulate the same discussion possibly more ,and won't appear as an "experiment"

Well yes that would be my way but it has to be baby steps in the media.Look at the complaints about the one armed children's presenter.There was no 'experiment' there.

Anyway this chap is always doing stuff like this.There is a superb portrait of him in the National Portrait Gallery in London.It's brilliant.

Flyboy · 14-11-2009, 20:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maggy J

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8360092.stm

I think this should become a much more regular occurence.The only way for people with disfigurement to feel really part of society is to be doing such high profile jobs and it just to be a normal matter of fact occasion.

Reading the lunchtime news bulletin on Channel Five is hardly high profile.

But I can see a similar abhorrent campaign leveled at Cerrie Burnell from CBBC. Some of the comments made by the public were very, very disturbing and bordering on the criminal. I cannot understand some people's attitudes to this sort of thing. I wonder if they were ever to be in this situation, that they would want to treated in such a way?