Latest news with #Inequality
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
British TV's Working-Class Problem: Nearly A Quarter Of Top Execs Went To Private School, Report Finds
Nearly a quarter (22%) of top execs in the UK TV industry went to private school, according to research sparked by Sherwood creator James Graham's MacTaggart lecture. The figure is triple that of the roughly 7.5% of people in the country who went to a fee-paying school and is a stark reminder of the inequalities in British TV, a traditionally middle-class field. More from Deadline Breaking Baz: 'Punch', The Must-See New Play By James Graham, Will Transfer To London's West End While A Production Plays On Broadway Warner Bros. Discovery Drops Diversity & Equity Language Amid DEI Rollbacks - "Our Overarching Work In This Space Will Now Be Referred To As Inclusion" Disney Overhauls DEI Efforts Amid Trump Administration Purge The report titled Let's Talk About Class: Appealing to the UK's largest TV audience was commissioned after Graham's Edinburgh TV Festival MacTaggart lecture during which he argued passionately for greater working-class representation in the British TV industry. At the time, research had found just 8% of people working in television were from a working-class background, which was a 12-year low despite multiple recent interventions to try and improve the situation. The Let's Talk About Class report was less damning with its overall numbers, finding that 29% of those in TV come from a working-class background compared to the 39% across the UK. A person's class background was defined by the occupation of their main household earner when they were a teenager. Today's report from a class and social equality working group including broadcaster Carol Vorderman, presenter David Olusoga and Banijay UK Boss Patrick Holland, analyzed people in leadership roles across 21 of the UK's major broadcasters, streamers and large production companies. The report's compilers asked for data about the education background of senior level staff while speaking with experts and academics for anecdotal and evidence-based insight. The report argues that working class audiences are TV's largest potential audience, yet they feel underserved and their lives either represented by outdated tropes or are barely represented at all. However, with the current crisis facing the TV industry as commissioning slows down, broader diversity commitments are being thrown into chaos, it says, adding that there is a 'growing concern that the current crisis will make the industry less diverse and only accessible to a small group with economic and cultural advantage.' The report gave best in class examples of recent shows such as ITV's Coronation Street and new BBC comedy-drama Just Act Normal. It said the next step is to 'provide guidance on what being a Class Confident organisation in the TV industry looks like.' Gemma Bradshaw, Impact Director of the Edinburgh Festival TV Foundation, said: 'Since starting the class and social equality working group, we have heard many difficult and painful stories about the hurdles in people's TV careers that were all the bigger because of their class background. The aim of the report is to move the conversation about class up the agenda, making it business critical and provide companies with the inspiration to move away from talking about people in terms of their 'cultural fit' or 'risk' and start talking about what they bring.' Best of Deadline Everything We Know About Ari Aster's 'Eddington' So Far Everything We Know About 'Nobody Wants This' Season 2 So Far List Of Hollywood & Media Layoffs From Paramount To Warner Bros Discovery To CNN & More
The Independent
01-04-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Suicide rates ‘three times higher' in Northern Ireland's most deprived areas
Suicide rates in Northern Ireland are three times higher in the most deprived areas compared with the least deprived, a new report has found. The report, by the Samaritans, found that the self-harm rate in Northern Ireland is 64% higher than in the Republic of Ireland, with the largest disparity among men, where rates are 82.9% higher. It also found that in 2021/22, there were 13,803 emergency department presentations for self-harm – higher than the 12,661 in the same time period in Ireland, despite the Republic's much larger population. Meanwhile, it was found that 18% of the population in Northern Ireland lives in poverty, with child poverty rates described as particularly high. The charity has emphasised the situation is not just a health issue, but also pertains to poverty, government policy issues and represents 'systemic failure'. The new policy research report, Lost Futures: Poverty, Inequality and Suicidality in Northern Ireland, makes a series of recommendations, including a fully funded anti-poverty strategy to reduce financial hardship and address economic inequality. The report also calls for a funded childcare strategy, a cross-departmental suicide prevention approach, targeted financial support and debt relief for those in crisis and investment in early intervention and community-led mental health support. A call was made for all government departments to 'act urgently'. On Monday, Stormont Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said the Executive's long-delayed anti-poverty strategy was to be sent to Executive ministers that day ahead of their next meeting on Thursday. He said the strategy required Executive approval. Stormont Health Minister Mike Nesbitt described the Samaritans report as a 'wake-up call'. 'If we want to reduce suicide, we must recognise that suicide prevention cannot sit solely with the Department of Health, it requires action across housing, education, social security and employment,' he said. 'Suicide prevention is not just about mental health services — it's about creating the conditions where people can thrive, not just survive.' Ellen Finlay, policy and development manager at the Samaritans, said Stormont 'cannot continue to rely on crisis response'. 'Suicide is not just a health issue — it is a poverty issue, a policy issue, and a systemic failure,' she said. 'We cannot continue to rely on crisis response while neglecting the policies that push people to despair. 'This report makes it clear: if we are serious about reducing suicide, we must be serious about reducing poverty and inequality. 'That means implementing an anti-poverty strategy, a childcare strategy, and proper funding for all policies that tackle inequality. 'Suicide prevention must be embedded in every department, not just left to overstretched mental health services. 'If you or someone you know is struggling, Samaritans is here to listen. No matter what you're facing, you don't have to go through it alone. Our volunteers are available 24/7 to offer a safe, confidential space where you can talk without judgment. Reach out to us anytime by calling 116 123 for free.'
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Suicide rates ‘three times higher' in Northern Ireland's most deprived areas
Suicide rates in Northern Ireland are three times higher in the most deprived areas compared with the least deprived, a new report has found. The report, by the Samaritans, found that the self-harm rate in Northern Ireland is 64% higher than in the Republic of Ireland, with the largest disparity among men, where rates are 82.9% higher. It also found that in 2021/22, there were 13,803 emergency department presentations for self-harm – higher than the 12,661 in the same time period in Ireland, despite the Republic's much larger population. Meanwhile, it was found that 18% of the population in Northern Ireland lives in poverty, with child poverty rates described as particularly high. The charity has emphasised the situation is not just a health issue, but also pertains to poverty, government policy issues and represents 'systemic failure'. The new policy research report, Lost Futures: Poverty, Inequality and Suicidality in Northern Ireland, makes a series of recommendations, including a fully funded anti-poverty strategy to reduce financial hardship and address economic inequality. The report also calls for a funded childcare strategy, a cross-departmental suicide prevention approach, targeted financial support and debt relief for those in crisis and investment in early intervention and community-led mental health support. A call was made for all government departments to 'act urgently'. On Monday, Stormont Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said the Executive's long-delayed anti-poverty strategy was to be sent to Executive ministers that day ahead of their next meeting on Thursday. He said the strategy required Executive approval. Stormont Health Minister Mike Nesbitt described the Samaritans report as a 'wake-up call'. 'If we want to reduce suicide, we must recognise that suicide prevention cannot sit solely with the Department of Health, it requires action across housing, education, social security and employment,' he said. 'Suicide prevention is not just about mental health services — it's about creating the conditions where people can thrive, not just survive.' Ellen Finlay, policy and development manager at the Samaritans, said Stormont 'cannot continue to rely on crisis response'. 'Suicide is not just a health issue — it is a poverty issue, a policy issue, and a systemic failure,' she said. 'We cannot continue to rely on crisis response while neglecting the policies that push people to despair. 'This report makes it clear: if we are serious about reducing suicide, we must be serious about reducing poverty and inequality. 'That means implementing an anti-poverty strategy, a childcare strategy, and proper funding for all policies that tackle inequality. 'Suicide prevention must be embedded in every department, not just left to overstretched mental health services. 'If you or someone you know is struggling, Samaritans is here to listen. No matter what you're facing, you don't have to go through it alone. Our volunteers are available 24/7 to offer a safe, confidential space where you can talk without judgment. Reach out to us anytime by calling 116 123 for free.'
