The Unwritten
It’s been accused of sportswashing, greenwashing and cripwashing; the fact that so many agree that the newly announced partnership between British Cycling and Shell UK is dirty in the first place speaks volumes.
I don’t need to add to the existing commentary on greenwashing and sportswashing, but – as is often the case – the issues around how problematic this deal is for disabled people is on the periphery of the discussion.
Selling off Channel 4, a profit-making publicly-owned asset, makes no sense. This move puts jobs, small businesses and popular TV shows at risk. It also risks the exceptional work Channel 4 has done to create a path for disabled voices, stories and talent.
I’ve always had mixed feelings about the Paralympics. On the one hand it does give elite disabled sportspeople a platform and raises awareness, but on the other the coverage is often surrounded by a lot of inspiration and trauma porn.
That for me can put a dampener on the whole proceedings, so when I heard that Channel 4 had set out its most ambitious ever Paralympic plans I was excited. With an over 70% disabled presenting team, live subtitles, audio describing and sign language it sounded like a real effort was being made to break the mould.
However the advertising campaign has let it down.
