'BBC attitude to Wales was patronising'

[Harold Schiffman]

'BBC attitude to Wales was patronising'
Mar 25 2008 by Karen Price, Western Mail

A FORMER leading BBC correspondent has revealed the negative and
patronising attitudes displayed by London-based managers at the
corporation towards coverage of Wales. Guto Harri, who recently left
the corporation for a new career in public affairs, has also spoken
about the "linguistic divide" that once used to bedevil the
corporation in Wales. But he is confident that the network has now
started to present Wales in a much more positive light since his
formative experiences in the 1990s. During his early years with the
BBC, Mr Harri says Wales rarely featured on the corporation's UK
network – and when it did, it was portrayed negatively.

"When I first joined the network news, I was sent to cover the Islwyn
by-election when Neil Kinnock stood down (in 1995) and the producer
said, 'Just get me lots of poor people with strong Welsh accents'.
"It's hard to imagine them doing that now, although we still have
quite a long way to go." But thanks to the emergence of Welsh
presenters on the network, including BBC 10 O'Clock News anchorman Huw
Edwards, and a host of successful homegrown programmes – such as
Doctor Who and Torchwood – Harri believes such views have been firmly
consigned to the past.

"These days, much of the news coverage (on the network) is not
necessarily specific to Wales but a story may be given a Welsh slant.
That's the way ahead – it should not be done as a form of tokenism or
in a patronising way," said the Cardiff-born journalist, who now lives
in London.He added, "It helps that the main anchor on the 10 O'Clock
News is someone who's Welsh. Huw has been a huge help in raising the
profile – he's the best newscaster on the network and just happens to
be Welsh and Welsh-speaking." The representation of Wales on the BBC
network has proved contentious in recent years. Particular concerns
have been raised over the differences in health and education policy
since devolution, changes which are not always reflected in main news
bulletin stories about England-only policies.

As a result, four months ago the BBC Trust announced a review into the
coverage of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland on flagship news
programmes such as News at 10. Meanwhile Mr Harri, 41, said he also
experienced a few tensions a little closer to home. When he started
his career at BBC Wales he says there was a "linguistic apartheid" in
the newsroom. "The people on Radio Wales and Radio Cymru did not speak
much," he said. "Some people on the Welsh language station thought
journalism graduates were only using Radio Wales as a stepping stone
and they weren't really committed to Wales.

"And those on Radio Wales thought the Welsh language station was
employing people who wouldn't have got jobs in journalism if they had
not spoken Welsh. "That all changed around the time I started and now
that feeling has completely gone – there's lots of co-operation and
mutual respect. It shows how the barriers have come down in Wales."
Harri, whose roles at the BBC included chief political correspondent
and North American correspondent, decided to quit after 18 years to
take up "a fresh challenge". He has now joined Fleishman-Hillard
London, a public relations agency, as a senior policy adviser in
public affairs.

"I had been chief political correspondent, on foreign postings and
worked on a string of radio programmes which I loved. But it was time
for something different," said Harri, who travelled abroad with three
Prime Ministers and reported from Afghanistan, Iraq, China, Japan and
across Europe with the corporation. Harri, the father of twin
six-year-old boys, has also just taken up the post of honorary
president of the National Eisteddfod for 2008, which will be held in
Cardiff in August. And he believes it will be a good opportunity to
show English-speaking people that the traditionally Welsh festival
welcomes all – whether or not they speak the language.

"Imagine Brecon Jazz, the Hay Festival, Edinburgh and Glastonbury all
rolled into one. That gets close to describing the Eisteddfod. There
is something for everyone," said Harri. "I would like to think that
the Cardiff and District Eisteddfod will help confirm the presence of
the Welsh language in the capital city, help Welsh speakers feel
confident of their language and make non-Welsh speakers more aware of
the culture around them."

Eisteddfod provides a showcase for talent, says honorary president -

The honorary president of the 2008 National Eisteddfod in Cardiff
believes the festival will introduce audiences to a host of emerging
creative talent this year. And Guto Harri believes that there will be
something for everyone – whether or not they speak Welsh.
"So many talented people are featured at the Eisteddfod before
becoming word famous," he said. "If you are interested in music, you
would have seen the likes of Super Furry Animals and Catatonia before
the rest of the world. "If you are interested in classical music, you
would have seen Bryn Terfel at the Eisteddfod years before the rest of
the world. And if you are interested in acting, you would have seen
Daniel Evans at the Eisteddfod first."



  http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/03/25/harri-says-bbc-attitude-to-wales-was-patronising-91466-20668053/


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