MIGRAIN: Industries - Regulation

Go to our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive and open Factsheet 128: Contemporary Media Regulation. Our Media Factsheet archive can be found at M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets. You can find it online here - you'll need to log in using your Greenford Google login. 

Read the Factsheet and complete the following questions/tasks:

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

Regulation is systems that provide rules and regulations to ensure fairness.

2) What is OFCOM responsible for?

OFCOM is responsible for regulating broadcast media.

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?

They grant licences for TV and radio stations, have a system of licences to ensure limited amount of signal possible so they could be picked up clearly, controls are placed on quality, bias and impartiality

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

Yes, children are known to be awake that early and they have previously played child friendly films in that time slot so Channel 4 should be considered responsible as it is a violent 12 plus film, despite editing to broadcast, was still too graphic and didn't provide proficient warning.

5) List five of the sections in the old Press Complaints Commission's Code of Practice. 

Accuracy, opportunity to reply, privacy, harassment, intrusion to grief and shock.

6) Why was the Press Complaints Commission criticised?

It has lack of statuary power meaning that when broadcaster breach the code, the victim can only receive an apology, and so proper persecution doesn't occur and little is done to stop them.

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

An enquiry into the culture, practice and ethics of the press as a result of a phone hacking scandal, they'd claimed it was a rogue reporter but it turned out to be a wide spread scheme in the press, they were persecuted for intrusion into personal lives and dissolved. 

8) What was the PCC replaced with in 2014?

The Independent Press Standards Organisation.

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?

A free press is crucial to the permenance of the press as it needs to maintain it's absolute unbias and free nature and reporting of whoever chooses.

10) Why is the internet so difficult to regulate?

The internet is so hard to regulate due to the international nature of the internet and the anonymity of it, regulation of the internet would have to include censorship of data, controlling aspects of the internet such as domain registration and IP address control.