Abstract
Triggered by the coming Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, there is an increasing momentum towards the creation of a more inclusive society, where everyone, regardless of with or without an impairment, can realise one’s potential and respect each other. What roles can broadcasters play to achieve this? The NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute held a symposium titled “The Role of Broadcasting in Achieving an Inclusive Society: Triggered by the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games” as a part of BUNKEN FORUM 2019 in March 2019, to explore the role and responsibility of broadcasting. Panelists were as follows: Miki Matheson, a gold medalist at the Nagano 1998 Paralympics, who strives to promote understanding for persons with an impairment through Paralympic education, Ade Rawcliffe, who engaged in Channel 4’s London 2012 and Rio 2016 Paralympic coverage and now serves as Head of Diversity for ITV, a commercial broadcaster in the U.K., and Masayuki Higuchi, who supervises NHK’s broadcasts of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Matheson said that broadcasters must convey the idea of the Paralympic Movement including that every person should have an opportunity to stand on the same stage as a result of commitment. Then, while pointing out that the Paralympic broadcasts may eliminate the bias towards persons with an impairment by projecting the strength and the glamour of the athletes, she also referred to the risk of stereotyping that every person with an impairment would be seen as athletes. Matheson emphasised the importance of Paralympic coverage that could enhance social involvement of diverse types of persons with an impairment. Rawcliffe reported Channel 4’s innovative campaigns for the coverage of the London 2012 and the Rio 2016 Paralympics, which became an epoch of the Paralympic broadcasts, as well as the ongoing diversification efforts for ITV’s programmes and at production sites. She said that to promote social understanding of persons with an impairment it would be highly important for broadcasters to create an environment where hiring people with an impairment in general programmes and at production sites would become just natural to incorporate their views into programme making. She emphasised multiple views generated from diversification efforts would lead to more creative content and innovations. Higuchi reported that NHK started hiring persons with an impairment as reporters from the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Games, which had been gradually changing the attitudes at production sites. For the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, he underlined the importance of how to maximize this great opportunity of hosting the Paralympic Games and expressed his hope for raising awareness of the Paralympics and deepen public understanding of persons with an impairment not only by reporting the events but also by portraying individual athlete’s way of life and environment surrounding them in a respectful manner. Paralympic coverage has a potential to become a trigger for eliminating stereotypes about persons with an impairment but is not a panacea. Broadcasters must fully utilise this great opportunity and continuously broadcaster must change itself into an organization that embraces diversity. Hosting the Paralympic Games in our own country will serve as a key momentum for the reform.
