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Here is a link to the BBC complaints procedure page. I have complained in the past about biased coverage and they normally respond with an email from the producer or similar. If enough of us email them they have to at least acknowledge that the broadcast caused offence...... http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/ Linda >From: James Simpson <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: James Simpson <[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Re: ESOL in the media >Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2006 17:21:05 -0000 > >Hello all > > > >I too watched the Newsnight report last night, with steam pouring out of my >ears. It was an appalling broadcast: biased, ill-informed, insensitive, >pandering to the very prejudices which many of us spend our working lives >trying to counter. It misrepresented the purposes of translation and >interpreting services. It displayed a complete misunderstanding of the >realities of multilingualism. It showed fundamental ignorance of some of >the basic principles of language learning and language education. The >report even wheeled in a human rights lawyer - of all people - who seemed >to believe quite sincerely that access to translation and interpreting >services for non-expert users of English should be scrapped. The discussion >which followed was fairly useless as well. Paxman was even more irritating >than usual. Phil Woolas, the minister for local government, had clearly >been briefed to divert the conversation to say how much the government has >spent on English language teaching provision, which is ironic given recent >LSC decisions. But Paxman wouldn't let him get a word in edgeways - Poor >old Woolas may as well not have bothered turning up. > > > >Of course the whole report was barking up the wrong tree: instead of asking >why local governments provide translation services, Newsnight should have >been asking why central government, i.e. the DfES via the LSC, is busy >cutting English language education provision for those who need it most. > > > >What to do to redress the balance? I don't even know if Points of View >still exists. But I'd be happy to contribute to a strongly worded letter to >Auntie. > > > >By the way, I remember Phil Woolas as the leader of the NUS when I was an >undergraduate. Googling him just now for the correct spelling of his name I >came across this little gem from his bio-notes: > >"After leaving University he went to work for the organisation War or Want >as a fundraiser, followed by a job as a Television Producer for BBC >Newsnight and Channel 4 News." >(http://www.epolitix.com/EN/MPWebsites/Phil+Woolas/3090EBE9-FA62-4980-8E7F-1FE186BCA7CE.htm ><http://www.epolitix.com/EN/MPWebsites/Phil+Woolas/3090EBE9-FA62-4980-8E7F-1FE186BCA7CE.htm> >). Maybe there are old scores being settled live on air... > > > >Yours, > >Outraged of Leeds (James) > > >________________________________ > >From: ESOL-Research discussion forum on behalf of Tim Deignan >Sent: Wed 12/13/2006 9:43 AM >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: ESOL in the media > > > >Hello all > >Concerns have been expressed recently on this list about the negative >portrayal of ESOL students in the media. Some of you may have seen Mark >Easton's report on the BBC last night which looked at the cost of >translation. I thought Easton's report was very unbalanced and highly >irresponsible. > >To view Easton's report, click on the link below and (when it opens) click >the button just to the right of the picture (video and audio news): > >http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6174303.stm > > >Tim Deignan > >*********************************** >ESOL-Research is a forum for researchers and practitioners with an interest >in research into teaching and learning ESOL. ESOL-Research is managed by >James Simpson at the Centre for Language Education Research, School of >Education, University of Leeds. >To join or leave ESOL-Research, visit >http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/ESOL-RESEARCH.html >A quick guide to using Jiscmail lists can be found at: >http://jiscmail.ac.uk/help/using/quickuser.htm >To contact the list owner, send an email to >[log in to unmask] > >*********************************** >ESOL-Research is a forum for researchers and practitioners with an interest >in research into teaching and learning ESOL. ESOL-Research is managed by >James Simpson at the Centre for Language Education Research, School of >Education, University of Leeds. >To join or leave ESOL-Research, visit >http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/ESOL-RESEARCH.html >A quick guide to using Jiscmail lists can be found at: >http://jiscmail.ac.uk/help/using/quickuser.htm >To contact the list owner, send an email to >[log in to unmask] _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live™ Messenger has arrived. Click here to download it for free! http://imagine-msn.com/messenger/launch80/?locale=en-gb *********************************** ESOL-Research is a forum for researchers and practitioners with an interest in research into teaching and learning ESOL. ESOL-Research is managed by James Simpson at the Centre for Language Education Research, School of Education, University of Leeds. To join or leave ESOL-Research, visit http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/ESOL-RESEARCH.html A quick guide to using Jiscmail lists can be found at: http://jiscmail.ac.uk/help/using/quickuser.htm To contact the list owner, send an email to [log in to unmask]