1. Why is Changing Faces doing this?

For two reasons:

a) We believe that television and the media can play a big role in changing attitudes and breaking down prejudice.

When given a list of the most common facial disfigurements a TV presenter could have, a YouGov survey commissioned by Five, revealed that 64% that would not switch channels. Changing Faces is keen to learn whether the public would really accept someone with a disfigurement in this role once they see James Partridge reading the news next week.

b) We also aim to increase the visibility of people with disfigurements in everyday and public roles. A person with a disfigurement reading the news, if only for a week, is one way of doing this.

Major research published by Cardiff University’s School of Journalism in March 2009 on TV portrayals of disfigurement and audience impact, showed that a) TV rarely featured people with disfigurements in everyday roles b) portrayals of disfigurement on TV tended to be based on stereotypes and assumptions.

We want to raise awareness of this issue with all broadcasters and to encourage them to commit to:

• Including more incidental coverage of people with disfigurements (as extras or characters in soaps where their scar, mark or unusual feature is irrelevant to the story-line, as participants on game-shows, as commentators on current affairs)
• Examining whether their current representations of disfigurement are based on stereotypes and assumptions about disfigurement
• Examining whether the language/tone/imagery regarding the portrayal and coverage of disfigurement is offensive/derogatory or prejudicial in any way
• Redressing issues of imbalance, stereotyping and offensive coverage.

2. Why are you working with Channel 5?

We see this project as a way of raising the awareness of the issue amongst all broadcasters.

The idea of having a newsreader with a disfigurement originated from a panel discussion with broadcasters which we hosted to examine the findings from Cardiff’s research in March 2009. One of the participants suggested Five would be willing to take the opportunity to try this.

3. This is tokenism. Five is not going to employ a news-reader.

The aim of this project is to create public discussion/debate about disfigurement, a subject which is often misunderstood and misrepresented in society and in the media. We particularly want all broadcasters to take this issue seriously so that people with disfigurements are seen as capable of playing differing and various roles in society.

4. Why your CEO rather than someone who really wants to be a news-reader?

The aim of this project is not to train someone with a disfigurement to become a news-reader but to draw public attention to a misunderstood and underrepresented subject.

It was important to involve someone who had extensive experience of being in the limelight and could handle wide media exposure. James also has experience of radio interviewing.

5. It is not the role of television to campaign or raise awareness of issues.

TV can be educational and informative. Factual and news broadcasting particularly needs to be based on real knowledge and an understanding of disfigurement.

Broadcasters are increasingly paying attention to issues of representation and balance in relation to race, gender, sexuality and disability. Broadcasters may think that they have covered disfigurement within their policies on disability but we believe they do not have enough factual knowledge and understanding of the subject for this to be the case.

Find out more about how disfigurement is currently represented on television.

Broadcasters - find out more about how you can improve the representation of disfigurement on television.

Everyone – find out how you can raise awareness of current portrayals of disfigurement on television and tell us what you'd like to see.