MIGRAIN: Industries - Regulation

 Industries - Regulation

 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. 

2) What is OFCOM responsible for?

OFCOM is responsible for granting licences to TV and Radio stations and it is illegal to broadcast TV or 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?

Section 1: Protecting the Under-Eighteens 

Section 2: Harm and Offence

Section 6: Elections and Referendums

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

Yes, I think Channel 4 was wrong to broadcast wolverine before 8pm as there’s high chance of children under 8 watching the movie as it is rated a 12A film.

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

Section 4: Harassment*

Section 5: Intrusion Into Grief and Shock

Section 6: Children*

Section 7: Children in Sex Cases*

Section 8: Hospitales*

Section 9: Reporting of Crime*

Section 10: Clandestine Devices and Subterfuge*

6) Why was the Press Complaints Commission criticised?

It’s critics claim that the lack of statutory powers means that when a newspaper has been found to breah the rules, the best a victim can hope for is an apology, which often does not get sufficient prominence in the paper. 

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. In January 2007, Clive Goodman (the royal reporter of the News of the World newspaer) and Glenn Mulcaire (a private investigator, employed by Goodman) were imprisoned for illegally intercepting phone calls connected to the royal family.

8) What was the PCC replaced with in 2014?

Until September 2014, The PCC was the body that was responsible for regulating the newspaper and magazine industries. The PCC operated a Code of Practice which was similar in may ways to OFCOMs Broadcasting Code. 

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?

10) Why is the internet so difficult to regulate?

The internet is difficult to regulate because there's so many different platforms and minds that have different opinions and cant be controlled.