Regulation Blog Tasks

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

Regulation is defined as the practices established to control and manage an activity or process. Media industries need to be regulated in order to ensure that organisations operate fairly.

2) What is OFCOM responsible for?

Ofcom is the regulator for the communications services that we use and rely on each day. We make sure people get the best from their broadband, home phone and mobile services, as well as keeping an eye on TV and radio.

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?

1. Protecting the under eighteens - I feel that this is one of the most important sections of the broadcasting code as under eighteens have basically no restrictions on the internet, opening them up to the dangers of technology.

2. Privacy - This is another crucial area of the broadcasting code as I think that everyone has the right to control their own privacy with what they view/do on the internet as well as certain details about their whereabouts or information which shouldn't be showcased on the internet as it retracts the overall idea of privacy. 

3. Crime - This is also another important section of the broadcasting code as OFCOM should be careful with what they publish/showcase as audiences, if influenced enough, might try to replicate what they see in such programme's (especially since topics can cause moral panics within an audience such as a nearby murder happening).

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

Yes and no. Channel 4 was wrong to broadcast 'Wolverine' at 6:55pm on Sunday as it is still a time when children would be watching and the film consisted of violence, blood, etc; which is clearly not a suitable film to be showcased for children and before the watershed. However, Wolverine is a comic book character loved by all, especially young children, so it wouldn't be really all wrong to showcase it.

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 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.

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

The Leveson inquiry, led by judge Sir Brian Leveson, started in 2011 after it emerged that journalists at Rupert Murdoch's now defunct News of the World tabloid hacked the phone of murdered school girl Milly Dowler. The first part of the inquiry looked at the culture, practices and ethics of the press.

8) What was the PCC replaced with in 2014?

The PCC closed on Monday 8 September 2014, and 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?

In my opinion, newspapers should face statutory regulation similar to TV and the Radio as newspapers report on all current and trending topics and should have boundaries like TV and the Radio and should be restricted whatever they feel like publishing. 

10) Why is the internet so difficult to regulate?

The internet is international and providing content does not require a licence, so such traditional mechanisms are difficult. Illegal content may be removed using basic law and international agreements, but failure to enforce by any country globally can result in continued universal availability. It's extremely difficult to bring peace on the web due to the fact that there are messed up people that live among us.