Media regulation: blog task

Media regulation: blog task

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. In the media industry there are several regulatory bodies that exist to monitor the way that their industries work. Broadcast media (TV and radio) are regulated by OFCOM-Office of Communication. 

2) What is OFCOM responsible for?
OFCOM is responsible for regulating television, radio, telephone services and some aspects of the internet. OFCOM is also responsible for granting licences to TV and Radio stations and it is illegal to broadcast TV and radio signals without a licence from OFCOM

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?
In my opinion, i think 'protecting the under-eighteen' is the most important since the well-known element  of the code is 'Water shed'. This means that material that is unsuitable for children should not be shown before 9pm and after 5:pm. Therefore, protecting young teenagers from violence and inappropriate content will decrease their influence into crimes etc. The second important code is crime. This code should be regulated since it involves very high content of violence which could influence teenagers to do bad things. Section 9, 'commercial references in television programming'. This is a very important broadcasting code since they could communicate an offensive or unnecessary message that perhaps may result to people creating representations through the media. 


4) Do you agree with OFCOM that Channel 4 was wrong to broadcast 'Wolverine' at 6.55pm on a Sunday evening? Why? 
The movie 'Wolverine' contained 6 instances of violence that is deemed 'unsuitable for children', therefore, i believe that channel 4 was wrong to broadcast Wolverine before watershed as many young teenagers might of been influenced, perhaps might of imitated the violence to showcase it towards the media and the society.   

5) List five of the sections in the old Press Complaints Commission's Code of Practice.
 Accuracy
Opportunity to Reply 
Privacy 
Harassment 
Intrusion into Grief and shock 

6) Why was the Press Complaints Commission criticised?
the PCC became the focus of a great deal of controversy. It’s critics claim that the lack of statutory powers means that when a newspaper has been found to breath the rules. Critics also argue that many newspapers seem to fly in the face of the rules on a pretty regular basis and that very little is done to stop them.

7) What was the Leveson enquiry and why was it set up?
Throughout 2011 and 2012, an inquiry into the “culture, practice and ethics of the press” was held, mainly as a result of the so-called phone hacking scandal.Goodman was a rogue reporter, working alone but it emerged during the Leveson Enquiry that phone hacking was much more widespread throughout the industry. The enquiry also looked at other areas of press behaviour that were considered questionable.

8) What was the PCC replaced with in 2014?
On 8th September 2014, the PCC was replaced by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO).

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?
Press regulation is a key topic in contemporary media regulation, at the moment the press is being regulated by a non-government regulation. I believe that the media should be regulated since young adult shouldn't have the right to have an opinion on everything. This will ruin the child's future due the teenager being influenced by many media platforms. 

10) Why is the internet so difficult to regulate?
At this new digital age, people are becoming more comfortable and intellectual in the way they can manipulate the internet to work at their favour. Furthermore, there is a large population of users that use the internet therefore its difficult to regulate some websites.