27 March 2008
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| Andrew Lee and Olivia Hill present Your News |
A groundbreaking pilot TV news programme made with and for people with a learning disability airs at the end of March.
This Friday (28 March) the Your News pilot hits TV screens. Media Trust (which runs the Community Channel) and ITN have worked with Mencap to produce the test programme.
Your News features accessible mainstream news, entertainment and reports on learning disability issues. Ofcom has funded the project, and the hope is that a funder will pay for a weekly series.
The idea for Your News came from the 2005 BBC report ‘Not seen, not heard’. It found that less than 30% of people with a learning disability watch the news, compared with 83% of the general population. Many of those surveyed for the report said that news programmes contain too much jargon, lack context and are not always relevant to their lives.
The pilot is co-presented by ITN’s Olivia Hill and Andrew Lee, director of People First. He says: “Filming Your News was exciting, enjoyable and nerve-wracking all at the same time. I think it could be a groundbreaking project to educate the media and public about the issues people with learning difficulties face.”
To watch Your News
‘Your News’ will be shown on the Community Channel on Friday 28 March, as well as on the website before and after this date.
The Community Channel is available on Sky channel 539, Virgin TV channel 233, Freeview channel 87, or at www.communitychannel.org
You can give your feedback on the programme by visiting the website.
