Blog
Welcome to our blog, where we present ideas and debate about any broadcasting that deals with morality, ethics and religion. We encourage comments and discussion but we ask that you abide by our terms and conditions.
Latest posts
Why is the BBC so uninterested in religion?
In this blog, the Sandford St Martin trustee, Torin Douglas reflects on the BBC’s Christmas scheduling and, in the run up to BBC Charter renewal in 2016, asks pertinent questions about what the BBC’s strategy for religion. A shorter version of this blog appeared in the Huffington Post UK. As the Huffington Post reported […]
More TV Vicar? – well yes, as it happens!
In October 2015 Bryony Taylor, a curate from Durham and self-confessed TV addict, participated in a panel discussion produced by the Trust for the annual Church and Media Conference. The session was called “More TV Vicar?” … Um, yes: we did shamelessly pilfer the title of Bryony’s excellent book exploring television depictions of Christians in all their […]
Consultivitis
Never in the history of broadcasting have so many broadcasters, regulators and politicians alike wanted to consult us, the public. It’s a reflection of what’s at stake. Within five years, the BBC could be considerably smaller than it is now and the licence fee replaced by a levy; ITV may be under the control of some giant US media conglomerate, and Channel 4 could be privatised. So there’s everything to play for and those who […]
Interesting Times: the results of our online “religious, spiritual and ethical broadcasting” poll are in
“May you live in interesting times!” are the words ancient Chinese sages apparently used to curse their enemies. Somewhat inauspicious then, perhaps, that they’re also the words that sprung most readily to mind when I reviewed the results of the Sandford St Martin Trust’s first public survey on the state of religious, ethical and spiritual broadcasting today. “Interesting […]
Sheffield Doc/Fest’s Religious Docs: Who Needs Them?
Lucy Wilson is a journalism student at Sheffield Hallam University. She attended the 2015 Sheffield International Documentary Festival and was part of the audience attending the Trust’s “Religious Docs: Who Needs Them?” session. In this special guest blog she considers the role of religious documentaries today and gives her response to what she heard. If you happened to be […]