The event held on 30th March 2009, hosted by Guardian Society in association with the Media Trust, attracted executive producers, directors, commissioning editors from documentaries and drama, news editors, academics, media diversity experts and people with disfigurements. Overall around 70 people attended and listened and responded to comments from an experienced panel of speakers:

Chair: Sarah Montague, Presenter, BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme

Panel:

• Simon Bucks, Associate Editor, Sky News

• Winnie Coutinho, Head of Campaigns and Communications, Changing Faces

• Simon Dickson, Deputy Head of Documentaries, Channel 4

• Hilary Salmon, Senior Executive Producer, BBC Drama Production

• Claire Wardle, Lecturer, Cardiff University School of Journalism

• Victoria Wright, who has personal experience of disfigurement and the media.

Dr Claire Wardle, Lecturer, Cardiff University School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies and co-author of the research, presented the findings which showed that broadcasters can fall into stereotypical portrayals of disfigurement, for example as reclusive or villainous characters. Factual coverage can also often be overly “medicalised” with documentaries presenting them as quirks of nature, abnormal or in need of surgery. The research concluded that both audiences with and without disfigurement wanted more everyday, informed and balanced coverage.

Some of the issues covered in the discussion that followed included:

“Shock docs” with sensational titles: do they encourage people to look at people with disfigurements in a “voyeuristic way”: essentially as different or abnormal or are they a necessary part of getting people interested enough to watch the actual documentary which is often sensitive and informed.

Could there ever be a newsreader with a disfigurement or would this be too distracting? The argument being that having someone presenting the news would go some way to “normalizing” and mainstreaming the issue. The response to the “distraction” question was that it may only be distracting because there wasn’t enough of it.

The need for more incidental portrayal of disfigurements in soaps, game shows, dramas.

There weren’t enough role models of people with disfigurements on television.

The media is essentially a superficial medium whose role wasn’t really to raise awareness/ educate versus the idea that the media has an influence on the audience and therefore can be a powerful means of bringing about social change.

Winnie Coutinho, Head of Campaigns and Communications who has advised directors, producers on variety of programmes related to disfigurement said: “This event was an important step in encouraging the media industry to look at how they are currently portraying disfigurement and to discuss the why this might be happening and how they might make the necessary changes. Broadcasters are increasingly paying attention to issues of representation in relation to subjects like race, gender, sexuality etc. but until now the portrayal of disfigurement was not really even considered. We aim to work with the industry to ensure that we develop an appropriate and practical means of addressing this.”

The research funded by The Healing Foundation in partnership with the Wales Office of Research & Development, reviewed 8,650 hours of television footage, conducted 17 focus groups consisting of people with and without disfigurements and interviewed 16 media producers.

What do you think? How do you feel about television representation of people with disfigurements? What would you like to see more of? What is your opinion of ‘shock docs’? Do you have a disfigurement and felt acting or presenting was an option for you? Changing Faces would like to hear your views.