Some Mario fans have created this petition about the portrayal of Mario by BB. If you agree with it could you please sign it and spread the message. I just think that it is something that should be highlighted, and I am glad that the sentiment is being expressed even if it won't achieve anything.
http://www.petitiononline.com/bbmario/petition.html
"To: Ofcom, Channel 4, Press, Viewers
To whom it may concern.
As long time Big Brother viewers, we are seriously concerned at the portrayal of one of this years housemates : Mario Mugan.
As all of us who have watched Live Feed have seen, he is a genuine, kind, and decent young man, and yet Big Brother, in the Highlight shows, and also the sister shows, Big Brothers Big Mouth and Big Brothers Little Brother, have continually portrayed him as some sort of perverted stalker.
The editing of Mario has been shocking and the predjudice on the sister shows disgraceful. It is completely different from live feed and shows none of his good moments or qualities.
We believe this is really unfair and biased, and that Big Brother, Endemol and Channel 4 have failed its responsibility as a broadcaster not to distort footage or mislead viewers. Mario is also likely to be very distressed once he realises how he has been consistently inaccurately but purposefully portrayed. We are complaining for Ofcom to investigate.
Big Brother's producer PEJ has stated that he sees Big Brother as a Soap Opera, and consequently edited it with this in mind.
Mario's assigned role was as the predatory gay man, and boring. The fact that he is nothing like this was ignored, his teasing made to look like sexual harassment and that it was usually other housemates who made the first advances twisted. Hardly any other footage of Mario is shown outside of this context, such as his thoughtful or 'deeper' sides. This inaccurate representation is playing on viewer's prejudices and potentially even promoting homophobia.
None of this would matter were this really a Soap Opera, but it isn't. This is real life, and Mario is a real hunam being, with feelings, who can be very hurt by this unfair character assassination.
Please sign this petition to show your dislike at Big Brothers unfair edit of house-mate Mario.
Send a copy of this or a personalised complaint to Ofcom here:
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/contact-us/
Notes:
Breaches of the Ofcom Broadcasting Code:
2.2 Factual programmes or items or portrayals of factual matters must not materially mislead the audience.
2.3 – Broadcasters must when applying generally accepted standards ensure that material which may cause offence is justified by the context.
2.14 is interesting too: Broadcasters must ensure viewers and listeners are not materially misled about any broadcast or competition.
7.1 Broadcasters must avoid unjust or unfair treatment of individuals or
organisations in programmes.
7.8 Broadcasters should ensure that the re-use of material, i.e. use of material originally filmed or recorded for one purpose and then used in a programme for another purpose or used in a later or different programme, does not create unfairness. This applies both to material obtained from others and the broadcaster’s own material.
7.9 Before broadcasting a factual programme, including programmes examining past events, broadcasters should take reasonable care to satisfy themselves that:
• material facts have not been presented, disregarded or omitted in a way that is unfair to an individual or organisation;
7.10 Programmes – such as dramas and factually-based dramas – should not
portray facts, events, individuals or organisations in a way which is unfair to an individual or organisation.
Sincerely,
The Undersigned"
