Industries: Media Regulation
Read the Factsheet and complete the following questions/tasks:
1) What is regulation and why do media industries need to be regulated?
2) What is OFCOM responsible for?
OFCOM is responsible for regulating broadcast media such as TV and Radio. OFCOM is responsible for granitng licences to TV and Radio stations and it is illegal to broadcast TV or Radio signals without licence from OFCOM. A system of licences was developed to ensure that the number of channels and stations were limited so that all signals could be picked up. It allows for some control to be placed on quality and impartiality because in the past it was important that news and current affairs was balanced and was not biased to any particular political party. OFCOM is an example of Statutory Regulation which means that the rules are backed up by a force of law and Broadcasters can be punished for breaking them: their license will be stripped and in some cases they would need to pay a fine.
3) Look at the section on the OFCOM broadcasting code. Which do you think are the three most important sections of the broadcasting code and why?
The sections that are most important are ' Offensiveness, impartiality, protecting and Watershed' because it is vital that material that is unsuitable for children shouldn't be shown during the day as the children may be influenced by the material and could affect them mentally.
I think section one is important because there is such content that could affect teens mentally and section 3 is important because it could influence the young people to go on to the wrong path and commit crimes.
4) Do you agree with OFCOM that Channel 4 was wrong to broadcast 'Wolverine' at 6.55pm on a Sunday evening? Why?
Yes they were because the film contained 6 instances of violence that wasn't suitable for children that they showed before the watershed. Also, after 27 edits from the 12A rated cinema version to tone down the violence still made no difference because it wasn't suitable for children.
5) List five of the sections in the old Press Complaints Commission's Code of Practice.
Section 1: Accuracy
Section 2: Opportunity to Reply
Section 3: Privacy
Section 4: Harassment
Section 5: Intrusion Into Grief and Shock
6) Why was the Press Complaints Commission criticised?
The PCC was criticised because of it's lack of statutory power which means that when a newspaper breaches the rules, the most a victim should expect is an apology. If statutory rules were imposed, newspapers holding politicians and others responsible for things would be diminished. Newspapers often go against the rules and very little is done to sort it out.
7) What was the Leveson enquiry and why was it set up?
An inquiry was held into the 'culture, practise and ethics of the press' after a phone hacking scandal. In 2007, Clive Goodman and Glenn Mulcaire were imprisoned for illegally intercepting phone calls connected to the royal family. During the enquiry it was found that phone hacking was much more widespread throughout the industry.
8) What was the PCC replaced with in 2014?
On 8th September 2014, the PCC was replaced by the Independent Press Standards Organisation. This new body has been set up by the newspaper industry itself and the code of practise is essentially the same as the PCC. The IPSO is just the PCC under a new name.
9) What is your opinion on press regulation? Is a free press an important part of living in a democracy or should newspapers face statutory regulation like TV and radio?
I think that a free press is important because it brings certain situations to light to the audience. It is important because it would show the readers the truth about certain politicians or famous people, it would let the audience know if they have done something wrong and were trying to hide it so their reputation wouldn't be tarnished.
10) Why is the internet so difficult to regulate?
The internet is difficult to regulate because there is no specific body that governs the regulation of the internet. The growth of the internet has changed the way videos are consumed by audience. Videos were just seen on TV but now are watched on platforms like Youtube and Vevo. The new scheme were videos will be given age ratings in order to give parents more control is voluntary so some companies have not signed up to it.
1) What is regulation and why do media industries need to be regulated?
Systems of regulation are required to provide rules and regulations to ensure that organisations operate
fairly. There are regulatory bodies that exist to monitor the way that industries work. Regulatory bodies also provide somebody as an audience to complain if there is something they don't like. A Regulator is somebody you can turn to if you think an advert or TV show has offended you; or has made any unrealistic claims or has invaded your privacy. Regulators have to provide a set of strict consequences for media organisations that break the rules but they also need to consider media producers interests and protect the freedom expressions.
Consequently, it was perfectly legal for a 5 year old child to rent explicit horror films such as Cannibal Holocaust or The Evil Dead. After a widespread public outcry, the government passed the Video Recordings Act in 1984 which introduced regulation to the video market for the first time. Cinema style classification certificates were introduced, preventing young people from obtaining material that was unsuitable for them.
2) What is OFCOM responsible for?
OFCOM is responsible for regulating broadcast media such as TV and Radio. OFCOM is responsible for granitng licences to TV and Radio stations and it is illegal to broadcast TV or Radio signals without licence from OFCOM. A system of licences was developed to ensure that the number of channels and stations were limited so that all signals could be picked up. It allows for some control to be placed on quality and impartiality because in the past it was important that news and current affairs was balanced and was not biased to any particular political party. OFCOM is an example of Statutory Regulation which means that the rules are backed up by a force of law and Broadcasters can be punished for breaking them: their license will be stripped and in some cases they would need to pay a fine.
3) Look at the section on the OFCOM broadcasting code. Which do you think are the three most important sections of the broadcasting code and why?
The sections that are most important are ' Offensiveness, impartiality, protecting and Watershed' because it is vital that material that is unsuitable for children shouldn't be shown during the day as the children may be influenced by the material and could affect them mentally.
I think section one is important because there is such content that could affect teens mentally and section 3 is important because it could influence the young people to go on to the wrong path and commit crimes.
4) Do you agree with OFCOM that Channel 4 was wrong to broadcast 'Wolverine' at 6.55pm on a Sunday evening? Why?
Yes they were because the film contained 6 instances of violence that wasn't suitable for children that they showed before the watershed. Also, after 27 edits from the 12A rated cinema version to tone down the violence still made no difference because it wasn't suitable for children.
5) List five of the sections in the old Press Complaints Commission's Code of Practice.
Section 1: Accuracy
Section 2: Opportunity to Reply
Section 3: Privacy
Section 4: Harassment
Section 5: Intrusion Into Grief and Shock
6) Why was the Press Complaints Commission criticised?
The PCC was criticised because of it's lack of statutory power which means that when a newspaper breaches the rules, the most a victim should expect is an apology. If statutory rules were imposed, newspapers holding politicians and others responsible for things would be diminished. Newspapers often go against the rules and very little is done to sort it out.
7) What was the Leveson enquiry and why was it set up?
An inquiry was held into the 'culture, practise and ethics of the press' after a phone hacking scandal. In 2007, Clive Goodman and Glenn Mulcaire were imprisoned for illegally intercepting phone calls connected to the royal family. During the enquiry it was found that phone hacking was much more widespread throughout the industry.
8) What was the PCC replaced with in 2014?
On 8th September 2014, the PCC was replaced by the Independent Press Standards Organisation. This new body has been set up by the newspaper industry itself and the code of practise is essentially the same as the PCC. The IPSO is just the PCC under a new name.
9) What is your opinion on press regulation? Is a free press an important part of living in a democracy or should newspapers face statutory regulation like TV and radio?
I think that a free press is important because it brings certain situations to light to the audience. It is important because it would show the readers the truth about certain politicians or famous people, it would let the audience know if they have done something wrong and were trying to hide it so their reputation wouldn't be tarnished.
10) Why is the internet so difficult to regulate?
The internet is difficult to regulate because there is no specific body that governs the regulation of the internet. The growth of the internet has changed the way videos are consumed by audience. Videos were just seen on TV but now are watched on platforms like Youtube and Vevo. The new scheme were videos will be given age ratings in order to give parents more control is voluntary so some companies have not signed up to it.
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