Regulation

What is regulation and why do media industries need to be regulated?

• Regulation is a set of rules to ensure organisations operate fairly; media industries need to be regulated to ensure they comply with a moral code and that the content that is put out is truthful, legal and also regulators exist for audiences to complain to if they believe media organisations aren't doing a moral or intellectual service to the consumer.

What is OFCOM responsible for?

•  OFCOM is responsible for regulating television, radio, telephone services and some aspects of the internet- also for granting licenses to TV and radio stations. 

Which do you think are the three most important sections of the broadcasting code and why?

• Protecting the under eighteens [1] - It is important to ensure that children should be protected from graphic or unsettling circumstances depicted on screen until they are psychologically mature enough to prevent a lasting impact on their growth, In theory exposure to 18+ material as a minor could cause a 'speed-up' in mental growth and can impact someones childhood and psyche to some extent.  
•  Privacy [8]-  Privacy is one of the most important sections of the broadcasting code; avoiding the unwarranted infringement of privacy and ensuring parties involved in broadcasting are treated with respect and in an appropriate way especially in situations involving emergencies where it may be seen as immoral to broadcast the traumatic events of those involved.
•  Fairness [7] -  It is essential that broadcasters treat individuals and organisations in a just manner, those directly affected by programmes must be depicted in a fair manner and opinions concerning organisations or depictions of people must be impartial to some extent although there are some extent when the media's role in portraying organisations in a negative way is vital such as tv shows about the middle eastern conflicts. 

Do you agree with OFCOM that Channel 4 was wrong to broadcast 'Wolverine' at 6.55pm on a Sunday evening? Why?

• I agree that Channel 4 should have been cautious with broadcasting Wolverine pre watershed, the violent nature and graphic depictions of violence during prime tv time could be argued as detrimental and harmful to children however it could also be argued that it is down to the parents to control whether they would allow their children to watch the film - the timing being at a conventional viewing time for a family demographic as well as the option to skip certain scenes or a pre warning for graphic content could be a more appropriate reaction to the potentially problematic screening time.

List 5 of the sections of the old Press Complaints Commission's Code of Practice

•  Accuracy 
•  Privacy
•  Discrimination
•  Victims of sexual assault
• Children 

Why was the Press Complaints Commission criticised?

•  It was not a compulsory act of regulation [voluntary regulation] therefore newspapers could decide to opt out and the consequences for breaking the code were much less severe despite the potential social impacts and calamity that could perhaps follow a breach of these rules.

What was the Leveson enquiry and why was it set up?

•  The Leveson Enquiry was an inquiry that took place between 2011 and 2012 that looked into the 'culture, practice and ethics of the press' in response to the phone hacking scandal that occurred in 2007. 

What was the PCC replaced with in 2014?

•  The PCC were replaced by the Independent Press Standards Organisation, also referred to as the IPSO. 

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 believe that press regulation is vital in today's social climate- the miseducation of our population through biased or ambiguous wording is bound to be detrimental to our society. Free press is important in theory due to the diversity of opinions available and the plethora of content available however the realities of this ideology are fueled by moral ambiguity as it can allow for ethical and social backfires. Newspapers should have to be regulated as other media mediums since it has the same level of influence and the news has a vital role in informing a mainstream audience it seems like an injustice to allow the exploitation of harmful or inappropriate content in one medium, whilst heavily regulating another. 

Why is the internet so hard to regulate?

• The internet is hard to regulate since there's no specific organisation or person who regulates the interned and the intrinsic nature of emedia means there's various methods of regulation and censorship that occurs across the internet.  Countries such as North Korea live in an explicitly censored virtual world with substantial amounts of content blocked from access whereas the US is much more lackadaisical with its approaches - such as music videos and some online content evading censorship for reasons why television broadcasters may succumb to the regulation rules.