The decoration of the new BRA TV studio is bright pink. It was the favorite color of two of the station's reporters, Emily Ann Riedel, who wore a pink blouse during her journalistic visit, and Peter Björkmo.
“She had pink hair!” He laughs and says, “Since I'm a journalist, journalists should be polite.”
All reporters at TV BRA – that is, TV Boa – are disabled or autistic; Most have learning problems.
Every week, they do a one-hour show covering news, entertainment and sports, broadcast on a major Norwegian streaming platform, TV2 Drama and the TV BRA app and website.
The program is presented in simple Norwegian and is slower than traditional newscasts, making it much easier to follow. Every week between 4,000 and 5,000 people visit it.
The station has 10 correspondents spread throughout the country, where they work as local news correspondents.
Riedel, who has Down syndrome, lives in the coastal city of Stavanger. He had to learn to control his active personality.
“I have to stick to the script and not talk about personal topics, because it is news. When I work here I have to be very professional,” he says.
'Inner and outer beauty'
Although Rydal has been at the station for years, some things are still new, like the mascara she uses before appearing on camera, which she says weighs down her eyelashes.
“I don't need it because I'm beautiful,” Riedel says with a smile. “I have inner and outer beauty.”
“That's right,” laughs Camila Gualheim, the station's editor-in-chief and, now, a makeup artist. “But in the studio, in bright lighting, you look pale.”
Gualheim and a small disability technical team prepare and edit all reports.
Although Riedel and his classmates have learning difficulties (they speak English well and travel without help), some things are a challenge.
Presenters must reread a sentence several times.
“Sometimes it's hard to know what's on the teleprompter, so we have to do it several times,” Gullheim says.
He also had to train his staff, who had not studied journalism at university before joining the television station.
However, his expectations for the team are high.
“She says, 'Can you do it again? Can you repeat what you said? Can you look directly at the camera?'” Riedel says. “'I want you to be perfect, that's very important.'
“When she's proud, when we're done, she says, 'I loved this part! I loved this part! That's what I want to see! You can use your power!'
People with learning disabilities can be affected by overly positive feedback, which prevents them from developing their skills. That's not the problem here.
“If we want to be seen by the public, we have to be seen professionally,” Gullheim does not deny. “If we want to be respected as reporters and journalists, they must follow the ethical standards of other news organizations.”
The genesis of BRA TV began more than a decade ago, when Gwalheim decided to pursue his passion for film while working as a teacher for people with learning disabilities at a Bergen nursing home.
Once she picked up a camera, she discovered that the dynamic between her and the people she worked with had changed.
“Suddenly, when we were working together on these movies, we were a team, we were a team. I was not above them, we were equal,” Gullheim remembers.
Discovering that his creative collaborators had a lot to say about the world, he was encouraged to continue the work.
Now that television is a national network, it has a proper studio, but Gualheim admits that his reporters do not earn the same salary as their colleagues on other television networks.
The channel receives state funding and TV2 makes money by offering a weekly program, but the budget is tight.
However, the team is motivated by things other than money.
In Norway, as in all countries, people with learning difficulties face problems ranging from low employment rates to access to support and housing.
By understanding the messages, the wider community is empowered to campaign on these issues.
they talk about rights
A recent report by Peter Björkmo is an example.
He met a woman with very serious learning disabilities who lived in a shelter in Trondheim.
“The city – the government – wants to buy from her,” he says, referring to the budget he receives each month to buy with the help of a social worker.
“They told me to buy things online. But she can't! Because he doesn't speak well, it is difficult for him to go online to buy food. Need help!
Björkmo's report received an “enthusiastic response” from the audience, Gwalheim says, although it did not cause the local government to reconsider its position.
“BRA TV is very important,” agrees another journalist, Svein Andre Hofsø. “Because we are talking about people with disabilities and what our rights are in real life.”
trapped
Hofsø, an Oslo-based reporter, was well-known before joining BRA TV.
He played the lead role in a film in 2013. detective down.
Hofzoh, an MP before the last election, has the opportunity to put on the detective hat again in 2021, but this time his job is to investigate the proposals of various politicians.
One such scene is when he sits on a bench in front of the parliament building in Oslo and pretends to read a newspaper.
A politician, Jonas Kahr Storr, leader of the Labor Party, comes out, but behind a column, a colleague of the journalist waits to ambush him. As Hofsø watches, the man throws the net over the unsuspecting store.
In the next scene, we see Støre in a chair in a basement.
Hofzo illuminates his face and shows photographs of disabled people who look sad and lonely. “If we vote for you, what will you do for us?”
Støre explains what its policies will be for people with disabilities. After the election, he became prime minister.
Camilla Gwalheim laughs as she remembers the encounter.
“It was very fun. Every time we meet him after that, he says, 'Oh, you're going to catch me with that net?!' Gullheim says.
On the day the BBC visits BRA TV, the channel also receives a visit from right-wing Progressive Party MP Silje Hemdall.
A panel of four journalists grills her about everything from roads to immigration, and what she thinks of plans for a luxurious new National Theater in Oslo.
Gualheim participates and directs the questions.
Heimdall's responses are serious, but there is also warmth in the encounter; He is a long-time supporter of the station.
“A lot of politicians now know what BRA TV is, so I would say it's a big step forward in the last five years,” he says.
A new way of making television
TV BRA is not the only television news channel presented by people with learning difficulties, but it is the largest.
Similar, although smaller, programs exist in Iceland and Denmark.
Slovenia, the Netherlands and many other countries already offer an “easy news” service – simple reporting not offered by people with learning difficulties.
For BRA TV viewers, this type of service is a must.
Anne-Britt Ekerhovd, a fan of the station with learning disabilities, said: “I think this TV station is very important for our community.
“They explain things very well. In different news stories like NRK they explain things in a way that is very difficult for us to understand. BRA TV is very easy to understand.”
Another fan of the station, Espen Giertsen, agrees. “There's something special about this: they have a new way of making television,” he says.
BRA TV reporters are well aware of the important role they play in serving this often overlooked audience.
“If they have a lot of weight on them, I want them to lift it so they can be free and feel accepted,” says Emily Ann Riedel.
