³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

A suggestion for the next 'This is What We Do' campaign...

"Don't work with children or animals." A well worn quote. On Newsround, it's a qualification for the job.

Newsround staff are have been dispatched to places such as the Tsunami region and Iraq. Of course, such deployments are never taken lightly.

However one recent sequence of events turned an idyllic English allotment into a hostile wildlife environment.

The shoot should have been simple. A Press Pack (young reporter) film about beekeeping. The type of film which helps keep our news agenda as wide as possible. The type of film which sweetens the pill for young children digesting stories about Iraq, or Gaza, or violence in and around schools.

There had been lots of assurances from the family that the shoot would be straightforward. The bees would be subdued after a good smoking.

The hive was open, but dramatically the heavens opened too. Two things director Zoë and cameraman Carl learned very quickly was that bees don't like storms, and when wet, bee suits offer little protection as they cling to the skin.

Cue some thunder claps - and cue the bees' instinct to swarm. With safety training in mind, Zoë ordered a retreat.

It was a bit like scene from a cartoon. One swarm, six bee suited individuals (two children, parents, cameraman, and director) running for cover. The cover turned out to be one of the smallest sheds money can buy.

Squeezed sardine-like inside were six people, a camera, and a small number of bees. Just enough angry insects to keep the tension inside running high.

Outside was the swarm. Also in the air mixing with the drone of the bees was a series of 'yelps!' coming from the shed as another bee gave its life to prove that sodden bee suits are not so thick after all.

They were there quite a while.

This is what we do.

Some blue globules, new music and a dusting of angst helped launch Newsround's new lava lamp look this week. I think it has refreshed the Newsround look, and made it feel more up to date and child friendly.

But how do you measure the success of a re-brand? Ultimately it is the audience who vote with their fingers on the remote or with the mouse.

Children are also straight talking when they give their opinions. So here is some thematically grouped user generated content, carefully balanced to meet Editorial Guidelines on vox pops!

Tom, 12, Trealaw
My fav bite is when the nr gets eaten by the yello blob.

Sam, London
The title sequence fits more with a cheap remake of Pacman!

Karen, Wokingham
i liked the new studio it is cool and elle's hair is nice too!

Katie, 13, London
i dont like the theme tune. i prefer the old one and i dont think Ellie's hair suites her.

Vikki, Carlisle
I love the screen at the back of the studio. that's well cool!

Abby, 12, Leicester
It's ok, but the animation makes me feel sick!

Lucy, 9, Isle of Man
it is ace

Sonia, 11, Bradford
IT'S XXXX [My edit - this is pre-watershed]

AND

Jay, 8, Shoebury
shut up!

OK then.

Looks like Newsround is setting a bad example again. We've done it before and we'll do it again, although we won't go a far as Jeremy Paxman's use of slang.

Our complaint referred to a caption during an item about school bogs (sorry, toilets) which have been equipped with CCTV to cut down on bullying and bunking off (sorry, avoiding) lessons (read the story ).

The caption read "the new loos cost 100 grand" while the voiceover said "doing up the loos has cost the school a hundred thousand pounds".

Our captions reflect the way our audience watch TV. They are not news junkies who listen to every broadcast word. They have an interest in the world around them, but are probably doing other tasks while watching TV. The straps are another way they may absorb information. This is the age group who play games which are multi-layered with music, on screen instructions, action, narrative and hand controls to operate all at the same time.

"Grand" can be found in the dictionary. It fits our style of being informal and accessible to a primary school audience and children feel that Newsround is "their programme".

If children took away from that story an understanding of how school design can be used to make pupils feel safer, that there are decisions to be made about how money is spent in a school, and that the English language is a rich resource with often more than one word for something, then that's well good.