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ITV is committed to increasing the diversity of news journalists and covering news stories that are relevant to people from all backgrounds. Together these help us engage a wider range of viewers with current affairs.

ITN and each ITV regional news team has an individual Diversity Action Plan to increase minority representation in the news and in 2009 we began to establish Diversity Panels in ITV newsrooms across the country. The panels will meet quarterly with minority community representatives to discuss on-screen portrayal, exchange story ideas, and obtain feedback on programme content.

ITV News Group also held an internal meeting in November 2009 to discuss our plans for increasing diversity, and appointed its first Diversity Manager, responsible for championing diversity issues within and on behalf of the company.

ITV News Group’s senior management monitors news output to check for sufficient diversity representation, and to check that stereotyping of minority groups does not occur.

In 2009 we included discussions about diversity in several employee forums and conferences. This helped us engage a larger audience on diversity than in previous years, when we held a separate diversity conference.

ITV News Group’s first Diversity Manager: Vidar Hjardeng

As Diversity Manager for ITV News and Regions, Vidar Hjardeng – who himself is registered blind– champions diversity in all its forms, within ITV and on our behalf.

Vidar has been with ITV for over 20 years. For much of that time he has run Political and Social Action programmes in the Midlands region, and provides us with valuable insight into diversity and disability. He is a board member for several national disability organisations, including:

• VocalEyes, the national audio-description charity, where he is Chair of Trustees
• Royal National Institute of Blind People, where he is the Chair of the Complex Needs Programme Board
• Royal Association of Disability and Rights (RADAR)
• British Institute of Learning Disabilities
• National Blind Children’s Society
• SHAPE (Disability Arts and Media)

He also regularly attends government forums on disability and is a regular speaker at national and regional events that promote diversity.

Newsroom diversity

Over the years, we have steadily increased the diversity of news and weather presenters, journalists and correspondents featured in ITN and ITV regional news programmes. In 2009, 54% of people in these roles were women, 8% were from ethnic minority backgrounds, and 2% had a disability.

We are working to increase diversity representation further and encourage young people from diverse backgrounds to get into journalism. For example, we run a mentoring programme to support and encourage aspiring journalists from ethnic minority backgrounds. We also offer students from ethnic minority backgrounds at City University in London the chance to spend one day a week at ITV.

Read more about our commitment to diversity and inclusion behind the scenes at ITV.

Diversity in the news

Our national and regional news programmes regularly feature items that are relevant to our audience’s social and cultural interests and we ensure that news items are reflective of community diversity across all our regions. A particular focus in 2009 was on dispelling myths about ethnic minority groups and addressing issues such as racist violence.

ITV was the media partner for the 2009 Special Olympics in Leicester, and our Central Tonight presenter Sameena Ali-Khan co-hosted the opening of the games. A team of reporters from the ITV News Group covered the week-long event, which involved nearly 3,000 athletes with learning disabilities from across the UK.

Regional examples of diverse news items in 2009 include:

Ethnicity

• ITV Central profiled the video diary of a Muslim teenager, charting life during the month-long celebrations around the Islamic festival of Eid.
• ITV Meridian celebrated Black History Month with a series of reports about how the occasion was being marked in the region.
• ITV Wales reported on a celebration of gypsy and traveller culture and emphasised the positive contribution made to Welsh life.

Disability

• ITV Tyne Tees reported on a Tyneside fashion show where clothes were modelled by people with disabilities.
• ITV Meridian ran an in-depth feature about a new online docu-soap written and performed by adults with Down’s Syndrome.
• ITV London ran a piece about a west London woman who is one of the first solo artists with learning disabilities to have an album go on sale to the public. Lizzie Emeh wasn’t expected to learn to walk or talk when she was born but is now releasing her debut album, Loud and Proud.
• ITV West/West Country featured a group of youngsters with disabilities in Bristol who have suffered from bullying and who say they have no-one to turn to for help. They have produced a DVD which they hope will changes attitudes.

Sexuality

• ITV Granada focused on the ongoing issue of homophobia after a trainee police officer was assaulted as he left a gay club in Liverpool, an incident that sparked a series of rallies. The programme also interviewed the family of a young man killed in a homophobic attack.
• ITV Wales highlighted a lesser known issue – the homophobic attitudes of some care providers – and reported on calls for care homes to be set up specifically to look after older gay people.
• ITV Anglia covered the first Gay Pride march in Norwich.

Age

• ITV Yorkshire ran a news item about the problem of homelessness among the elderly, raising awareness that nearly a quarter of those living rough are over 50.
• The same region also featured the Sheffield launch of a new government campaign to inform older people about the benefits they are entitled to.
• ITV London reported on a group of young people from East London who have decided to take a stand against knife crime by improving relationships between people of different age groups living on their estates. They started by cooking Christmas dinner for elderly people in Leyton.