Gay media monitor launched

By Marc Shoffman • March 8, 2006 - 0:00

Last week a Stonewall study revealed that only 0.06% of BBC airtime was devoted to sexual diversity

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A new scheme has been launched by gay charity, Stonewall, to monitor the portral of gay people in the media, after the BBC was slammed for its coverage of homosexual issues.

The project will allow TV viewers, radio listeners and newspaper readers to log any instances of homophobia they witness in the media.

Organisers hope the survey, accessed through the charity's website, will tackle homophobia in media, and help raise the profile of lesbian and gay people on TV and in the press. Stonewall chief executive Ben Summerskill believes the project will be "vital" to ensuring correct media representation of lesbian and gay people.

He said: "We need to see the broader picture of how lesbian and gay people are represented in the media and make a case for improvement if necessary, this will form a vital part of our media monitoring work. We want as many people as possible to take part so our research will be more effective."

Last week a Stonewall study revealed that only 0.06% of BBC airtime was devoted to sexual diversity. The figures suggest that lesbian and gay lives were covered in just six minutes out of 168 hours of prime time television.

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