Tag: Birmingham

28th March 2007

Radical Impartiality

Thanks to Sunny at Pickled Politics for this quote from Peter Horrocks, the head of BBC News at the BBC:

So, the days of middle-of-the-road, balancing left and right, impartiality are dead. Instead I believe we need to consider adopting what I like to think of as a much wider “radical impartiality” – the need to hear the widest range of views –all sides of the story.
So we need more Taleban interviews, more BNP interviews – of course put on air with due consideration – and the full range of moderate opinions. All those views need to be treated with the same level of sceptical inquiry and respect.

The notion that the views of the the BNP did not deseve the same respect and analysis as those the New Labour or any other party have always eluded me. It is not straightforward, and the difference between lunacy and mainstream if often based on nothing more complex than how many people believe in something.

But I have always belived that the most honest way for a public (minded?) broad(narrow)caster to tackle an issue is to open it to public scrutiny. To trust the audience.
If that’s radical then it’s proof that the BBC has been far from radical for many decades. If so, what are we paying for? Mundanity?

14th March 2007

Digital Challenge: Sunderland wins – Birmingham to share £2m

Congratulations to Sunderland for winning the government’s digital challenge, pocketing £3.5 million to develop a number of community wide digital schemes, including a video conferencing network for voluntary groups in the city, community e-champions (essential in my view to remove the fear and confusion barrier over new technology) and an emphasis on networking and empowering people.

Birmingham’s joint bid with Shropshire still comes away with some recognition. £2 million (an ‘unexpected bonus’ according to Stephen Hilton of the highly energetic Bristol bid) is being made available to a grouping of the 10 finalists in the digital challenge, mainly to allow them to spread what they are learning and encourage wider innovation.

Cllr Paul Tilsley (deputy leader of the council) said the city still has it’s own aspirations:

We are working with schools to develop the concept of ‘Universal Home Access’ which recognises the value that computers have to children’s education. Our partnership with BT is developing a street based Wi-Fi enabled city centre that will enable people with laptops, mobile phones, hand-held computers and devices with Wi-Fi, to access free public and service information from the city centre through the internet.

Like so many of the bids, the one from Birmingham/Shropshire argued for the value of real people on the ground who can share skills and enthusiasm. It’s not just about infrastructure and kit, you need individuals who can encourage people to step over the digital divide in their heads:

based on a model of community champions and brokers that will provide the support at local level to ensure that people can benefit from the digital technologies and understand how they can get the services they need with the confidence to do this.

Our experience on Valentines Day at the Digital Birmingham Marquee in Victoria sqaure was very positive. We were simply offering people a chance to record themselves and have a quick go at some audio editing (listen to some of the results here). Loads of enthusiam and most importantly lots of people telling us – “that’s easy” – which is often the case with technology when you have someone to help.

31st January 2007

Northfield Young People’s Forum "Leaders of Today" – a new podcast on the Grassroots Channel

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Jenni Rowley and Selina Okunnu of the Northfield Young People’s Forum talk to us about how power is shifting towards the young in Birmingham. From April 2007 the forum, run by 11 to 19 year olds, will have up to £80,000 to offer as grants to the young people of this south Birmingham constituency. There is also an update on a story from July 2006 about Get Hooked on Fishing, based in Bournville.

For any of our dozens of other programmes about active citizens please find the Grassroots channel here. Any comments are welcome, use the link below or email grassroots@podnosh.com.