Here is the news

Is the appearance of a disabled activist as a newsreader a breakthrough in disability equality in the broadcast media or just a publicity stunt asks Cathy Reay

When the founder of disfigurement charity Changing Faces, James Partridge (pictured right), appeared on TV screens to read the Five News lunchtime bulletin for a week in November it marked the first time a major television channel had given a presenting job to someone with a facial disfigurement.

This, of course, is great news and a big leap of faith for Channel Five. Five News was prepared to run the risk of alienating viewers that may have felt negatively about James’s presence in front of the camera. But how much of this was just a publicity stunt for the channel or, furthermore, for Changing Faces?

“We don’t duck the publicity ‘stunt’ question because it kind of is one; it’s a high profile means of creating discussion and we’re not trying to claim it’s anything other than that,” James told Disability Now.

“From our point of view, we wanted to find a way in which we could not be seen as doing something silly just to draw attention to an issue; this is a serious project and I’m not about to go out there and make a fool of myself.”

A survey recently commissioned by Five News and YouGov showed that 64 per cent of people questioned said that none of them would change channel if they saw a presenter with a facial disfigurement. Speaking to us halfway through his week at Five News, James said he has received nothing but support from viewers: “The reaction has been very positive. I’m really delighted that we’re moving in the right direction and it’ll be interesting to see what comes from this.”

Channel Five has also promised to conduct further research once James is off-air, hopefully with the intention of encouraging more disabled people to step in front of the camera.

David Kermode, editor of Five News, spoke to Disability Now after James’s week presenting the lunchtime bulletin.

“In over 300 emails we’ve received from viewers only three of those had negative feedback. Most people wrote that they hoped this would result in Five News having more presenters with disfigurements. We’ve been set a challenge and we need to figure out what to do next.”

The Guardian published figures last month that show the BBC has the highest percentage of disabled staff at 4.4 per cent (Channel Five wasn’t tallied, but only one per cent of Channel 4 employees are disabled). Consider then that around 20 per cent of Britain’s population are disabled and these figures are suddenly very alarming.

Kermode said: “People can ask: have we done enough? No. But have we done enough to highlight one particularly prominent issue? Yes, and that’s a start.”

Gary O’Donoghue, disabled political correspondent for the BBC, said that it’s vital all television channels, not just Channel Five, follow this up. “It’s great that Five News are doing this for a week but I hope that there is something more permanent planned down the line. Research has shown the public don’t have a problem with it and broadcasters should do their damn best to reflect what society is calling for.”

• For more information on Changing Faces and James Partridge’s appearances on Five News visit www.changingfaces.org.uk