During the Faithworks Lecture, hosted by Faithworks on Tuesday June 21st at Church.co.uk, Waterloo, the Channel 4 CEO defended the channel's programming, claiming that ‘it’s not our job to patrol moral or religious boundaries.’ 

On the subject of Big Brother, he said: ‘I can understand how the language and behaviour of those it features may often be at odds with those of an older generation. But look more closely. Big Brother winners are all role models in their way - not only because over past series they’ve included ethnic minorities, a gay man, a transsexual as well as an Evangelical Christian - but because in the final analysis viewers choose people whose values they identify with and admire.’

During the speech to churchgoers and media representatives, entitled ‘Faith in Society: Can TV be trusted?’, the Channel 4 CEO also addressed the issue of how religion should be portrayed on television. He said: ‘The Songs of Praise and Morning Worship approach has never been for us,’ adding that Channel 4’s religious programming is ‘more obviously multi-faith than that of other mainstream channels.’

Duncan was also outspoken about his own faith during the speech, stating: ‘For the record, I am a practising Christian on what might be called the Evangelical wing of the church. I wouldn’t be at Channel 4 if I felt the organisation, its culture, or the job itself, were in any way at odds with my Christian faith.’

The event, part of the Building Trust campaign which has already seen Tony Blair, Michael Howard and Charles Kennedy deliver Faithworks Lectures on the subject of trust, included a question and answer session with the Channel 4 CEO. He faced a number of questions from audience members about programmes such as Big Brother and Spirituality Shopper.

In the run-up to the event, Faithworks launched its Local Media Guide to help churches and community projects make the most of the opportunities provided by local newspapers, radio and television. The easy-to-use guide is available as a free download from www.faithworks.info/mediaguide.
 

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