ACERT – Page 58 – Advisory Council for the Education of Romany and other Travellers

How low will Channel 4 stoop?

A Guardian report shows the efforts that Channel 4 went to achieve the stereotypical and sensationalised images used in the advertising campaign recently criticised by the Advertising Standards Authority.

A Channel 4 art director tried to persuade the photographer working on its censured Big Fat Gypsy Weddings poster campaign to take pictures of “a very young girl pretending to be a bride” and also a “dirty kiss … with tongue” in a revealing email.

Pablo Gonzalez de la Pena, an art director with the broadcaster, emailed Elisabeth Blanchet, the photographer commissioned to deliver images for the controversial “Bigger. Fatter. Gypsier” ad campaign, in January asking her to “do what it takes” to get the controversial shots he wanted.

In the email de la Pena suggests he wants to see a photograph with “a dirty kiss between a couple, with tongue”; “a toilet, ideally an outdoor one [where] we can see the tail of a wedding dress coming out from it, like a bride has just used”; and “a very young girl pretending to be a bride”.

The photographer, who refused to cooperate, gives her side of the story with powerful examples of how the selection and choice of images and cropping exaggerated Channel 4s racist perceptions.

Channel 4 grilled over Bigger Fatter Gypsier campaign

Evidence compiled by ACERT was used by MPs on the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, meeting on the 16th October, to challenge senior Channel 4 managers about the impact of the Bigger, Fatter, Gypsier billboard campaign on children. The evidence was gathered from teachers subscribing to the trav-ed mailing list.

The following day, David Enright, who spearheaded the campaign which resulted in the Advertising Standards Authority finding against two of the four adverts, was named “Solicitor of the Year” by the Law Society.

Advertising Standards Authority condemn Bigger, Fatter, Gypsier advertising campaign

Eric Avebury and Yvonne MacNamara — Lord Avebury, ACERT chair and Yvonne Macnamara, CEO of the Irish Travellers Movement in Britain celebrate the Advertising Standards Authority decision on the Bigger, Fatter, Gypsier campaign.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) today (Wednesday 03/10/2012) announced that Channel 4’s “Bigger Fatter Gypsier” billboard advertising campaign was irresponsible, endorsed prejudice against Gypsies and Travellers, was guilty of depicting a child in a sexualised way, and was likely to have caused mental and moral harm to children. Details of the case can be found on the ITMB website.
ACERT compiled evidence from teachers across the country on the impact that the programmes and the advertising campaign had on relations between Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils and other children in school. One teacher described how staff and children anticipated each new series with dread.

ACERT AGM 2012 provides food for thought

The 2012 AGM was well attended and provided a high quality input from speakers and participants. We took a shortened lunch break and abandoned the final session because the discussions around each issue were so engaging. In the next few days we’ll try to summarise the content to give those who attended the opportunity to feed back their reflections, and to those who couldn’t make it a flavour of what they missed.

The Executive wishes to thank all those who contributed in any way, and hope we can use the ideas and enthusiasm to sustain the campaign for the rights of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities in the forthcoming year.