Blue Peter‘s in hot water! Apparently their presenter Zoe Salmon got them into a right old tangle when she innocently suggested that the Red Hand of Ulster would make a good design for a model aeroplane. End of story? Oh, no! In fact, this one line was sooo provocative that no less than a professor of sociology from Strathclyde University complained in the strongest of terms!Since then it seems a letter of apology (Media Lens has a copy of the original) has made it’s way to Glasgow, with the Blue Peter prodution team wearing the kind of sackcloth and ashes once intended by the Reverend Ian Paisley for the IRA!
However even that’s not good enough for the good professor:
“The outstanding issue which arises from the compliant is who gave the erroneous advice that ‘both communities are equally attached to it’? Was it the presenter? If so, was her use of the union jack coloured map of Ireland a deliberate provocation?”
Thanks to reader Ricardo for the heads up!
PS: anyone told the Beragh Red Knights GFC, or the even the Tyrone county Gaelic team?
Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
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