REGULATORY AND PROFESSIONAL BODIES WITHIN THE CREATIVE MEDIA SECTORLYDIA COOKE

- change the back ground if you want & stick your name here.

- Remember to add images and links and references at the end of you ppt. Place your finished work on your

blog, with the heading:

Task 3 Understand the Regulation of the Media Sector

The British Board of Film Classification is an independent, non-governmental body which has classified cinema films since it was set up in 1912 and videos/ DVDs since the Video Recordings Act was passed in 1984.

•Cinema•The British Board of Film Censors was set up in 1912 by the film industry as an independent body to bring a degree of uniformity to the classification of film nationally. Statutory powers on film remain with the local councils, which may overrule any of the BBFC’s decisions, passing films we reject, banning films we have passed, and even waiving cuts, instituting new ones, or altering categories for films exhibited under their own licensing jurisdiction.•Video•In 1984 Parliament passed the Video Recordings Act. This act stated that, subject to certain exemptions, video recordings offered for sale or hire commercially in the UK must be classified by an authority designated by the Secretary of State. The President and Vice Presidents of the BBFC were so designated, and charged with applying the new test of ‘suitability for viewing in the home’. At this point the Board’s title was changed to the British Board of Film Classification to reflect the fact that classification plays a far larger part in the BBFC’s work than censorship.•Finances•The BBFC is a not for profit organisation, and its fees are adjusted only to cover its costs. In order to preserve its independence, the BBFC never receives subsidies from either the film industry or the government. Its income is solely from the fees it charges for its services, calculated by measuring the running time of films or DVDs submitted for classification.  The BBFC consults the Department of Culture, Media and Sport before making any changes to its fees.

BRITISH BOARD OF FILM CLASSIFICATION (BBFC)

PEGI The Pan-European Game Information (PEGI) age rating system was established to help European parents make informed decisions on buying computer games. It was launched in spring 2003 and replaced a number of national age rating systems with a single system now used throughout most of Europe, in 30 countries (Austria Denmark, Hungary, Latvia, Norway, Slovenia, Belgium, Estonia, Iceland, Lithuania, Poland, Spain, Bulgaria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, Sweden, Cyprus, France, Israel, Malta, Romania, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovak Republic and the United Kingdom)

The system is supported by the major console manufacturers, including Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo, as well as by publishers and developers of interactive games throughout Europe. The age rating system was developed by the Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE).

FILM DISTRIBUTORS ASSOCIATION

• By attending any film screening, journalists, critics' and other parties agree to conduct themselves at all times in a professional manor and to abide by the UK Media Protocols below and any specific embargo introduced for individual films.

• Applies to all releases unless otherwise specified by the film distributor

• For daily and weekly publications in all media, including television and radio programmes, film reviews are embargoed until the week of the film's UK cinema release. This embargo also applies across all forms of online communications including social networking, blogging forums, twitter and online chat rooms.

• For monthly publications, film reviews are embargoed until the latest issue prior to the film's UK release date.

• If you accept an invitation to a preview screening, you accept accordingly on behalf of yourself, the publication(s) you represent and any guest(s) you may be able to bring, that you will not break the standard embargo, or assist any other party to do so.

• Any queries regarding the press embargo for a particular film should be addressed to its UK distributor.

• Invitations and tickets to preview screenings are issued only by the individual distributor or its appointed agency. They are not available from FDA, and invitations and tickets are not normally transferable.

• As there may be limited cloakroom facilities, please do not take baggage into the cinema. Also, please keep mobile phones switched off in the cinema.

• If you are reviewing a film professionally, it normally goes without saying that you're expected to watch the whole of the film, not to leave the screening before the end.

VIDEO STANDARDS COUNCIL (VSC)

• The VSC was established in 1989 and fulfils two basic roles:• It is a standards body for the video and video games industries

and has a Code of Practice designed to ensure that both industries show a duty of care in their dealings with customers and the public generally. It provides its retailer members with a staff training course dealing with age restricted videos, DVDs and video games.

• It acts as an administrator of the PEGI system of age rating for video games. PEGI is used in over 30 countries. It is the UK regulator responsible for the age rating of video games supplied in the UK (using the PEGI system). In fulfilling this role it uses the name Games Rating Authority (GRA).

• Origins Of The VSC• The VSC was established in 1989 at the request of the then Home

Secretary as a body set up to develop and oversee a Code of Practice designed to promote high standards within the video and DVD industry. The Code was subsequently expanded to promote high standards within the video games industry. The Code requires compliance with both the letter and spirit of the law.

• Videos, DVDs and video games bring entertainment, pleasure and enjoyment to many millions of people but they are also a very powerful means of communication. The industries concerned owe a duty of care to their customers and the public generally and in particular a duty of care to protect children and young persons from potentially unsuitable material. The VSC will continue to do its utmost to ensure that this duty is discharged.

• Throughout its history the VSC has held itself accountable to Government (initially the Home Office and in more recent years the Department of Culture, Media and Sport).

• The VSC has established Staff Training Guidelines for retailers and others responsible for supplying videos, DVDs and video games to the public. The Guidelines have been approved by the trading standards authorities and place an emphasis on responsible trading and in particular the duty not to supply age-restricted products to persons below the specified ages. The VSC will continue to develop and enhance the Guidelines to meet changing circumstances and technological developments.

• Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-ranging powers across the television, radio, telecoms and postal sectors. It has a statutory duty to represent the interests of citizens and consumers by promoting competition and protecting the public from harmful or offensive material. Some of the main areas Ofcom presides over are licensing, research, codes and policies, complaints, competition and protecting the radio spectrum from abuse.

• The regulator was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002 and received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003

OFFICE FOR COMMUNICATION (OFCOM)

TRADING STANDARDS CENTRAL

The Trading Standards Institute provides online information for businesses who need to know the rules around sales and products.  The Trading Standards Institute (TSI) is a professional association which represents trading standards professionals in the UK and overseas, working in local authorities, business and consumer sectors and in central government.

PRESS COMPLAINTSCOMMISSION (PCC)

• The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) is a voluntary regulatory body for British printed newspapers and magazines, consisting of representatives of the major publishers. The PCC is funded by the annual levy it charges newspapers and magazines. It has no legal powers – all newspapers and magazines voluntarily contribute to the costs of, and adhere to the rulings of, the Commission, making the industry self-regulating.

• The PCC received extensive criticism for its lack of action in the News of the World phone hacking affair, including from MPs and Prime Minister David Cameron, who called for it to be replaced with a new system in July 2011.The Leveson Inquiry was set up and reported in November 2012 but there since has been deadlock over its proposals for self-regulation despite the establishment of a Royal Charter on self-regulation of the press.

• Lord Hunt was appointed Chairman of the Commission in October 2011. In December 2011 Lord Hunt announced his plans to replace the PCC with a new independent regulator.

• The new body, called the Independent Press Standards Organisation, is being set up despite its proposed charter being rejected by the Privy Council, and expects to sign up most of the national and local newspapers before the end of 2013. It will not benefit from the low-cost system of resolving disputes offered by the Royal Charter.

ADVERTISING STANDARDS AUTHORITY(ASA).

• The Advertising Standards Authority  is the self-regulatory organisation (SRO) of the advertising industry in the United Kingdom. The ASA is a non-statutory organisation and so cannot interpret or enforce legislation. However, its code of advertising practice broadly reflects legislation in many instances. The ASA is not funded by the British government, but by a levy on the advertising industry.

• Its role is to "regulate the content of advertisements, sales promotions and direct marketing in the UK" by investigating "complaints made about ads, sales promotions or direct marketing", and deciding whether such advertising complies with its advertising standards codes. These codes stipulate that "before distributing or submitting a marketing communication for publication, marketers must hold documentary evidence to prove all claims, whether direct or implied, that are capable of objective substantiation" and that "no marketing communication should mislead, or be likely to mislead, by inaccuracy, ambiguity, exaggeration, omission or otherwise".

WORKING IN PAIRS, PREPARE A CASE STUDY ON ONE MEDIA PRODUCT OR INCIDENT IN THE MEDIA THAT HAS CAUSED REGULATORY BODIES TO ACT

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Russell_Brand_Show_prank_telephone_calls_row

• Russell Brand + Jonathon Ross Prank Phone Call

YOU WILL NEED TO EXPLAIN……

• On BBC Radio 2, 18th October 2008 Russell Brand and Jonathon Ross left a terrible offensive Prank Phone Call message on a celebrity's voice mail named Andrew Sachs. Making rude comments about his daughter.

After the show was aired, it received lots of attention from the parliament including Gordon Brown, prime minister at the time. After how offensive and rude the message was and their actions, Ofcom fined the BBC£150,000 and Ross was suspended for 12 weeks.

• http://www.bbfc.co.uk/case-studies/from-archive

SOME EXAMPLES………

FOLLOW THE LINK TO A LIST OF FILMS, WITH CASE STUDIES, THAT THE BBFC HAD TO REJECT CERTIFICATION FOR

• http://www.asa.org.uk/Rulings.aspx

THIS LINK PROVIDES A LIST OF RULINGS THAT THE ASA HAD TO MAKE RECENTLY CALLING FOR CERTAIN ADVERTISEMENTS TO BE TAKEN DOWN

THE LINK BELOW CONTAINS EXAMPLES OF BANNED TV ADShttp://metro.co.uk/2010/03/03/

top-5-banned-tv-adverts-142320/

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAxPkcnlyNM

• http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7694989.stm

IN 2008 THE BBC GOT INTO TROUBLE WHEN TWO OF ITS BROADCASTERS, RUSSELL BRAND AND JONATHAN ROSS, MADE OFFENSIVE REMARKS ABOUT AN ELDERLY COMIC ACTOR, ANDREW SACHS, LIVE ON AIR

THESE LINKS CONTAIN AUDIO OF THE OFFENSIVE BROADCAST AND A TIMELINE OF EVENTS THAT LED TO OFCOM’S RULING

REFERENCES……..

HTTP://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/THE_RUSSELL_BRAND_SHOW_PRANK_TELEPHONE_CALLS_ROW

HTTP://WWW.OFCOM.ORG.UK/

HTTP://WWW.PEGI.INFO/EN/INDEX/

HTTP://WWW.TRADINGSTANDARDS.GOV.UK/

AL OF THESE WEBSITES I USED TO COMPLETE THE SLIDES ABOVE.