tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81311379423762270252024-03-14T03:00:13.561-07:00Mediawatch-UKMediawatch-UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12215885151457312646noreply@blogger.comBlogger122125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131137942376227025.post-44593095666141207392016-02-08T09:18:00.002-08:002016-02-08T09:18:50.625-08:00Upholding the TV watershed<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0tKBL3P48MBUAWTYP7n2w757STDaM1MDHIGwQMIDJ__54lsZ8-0ez_6g63L_hOGEl5Hj9DgTcV_10gKkZPPHSEPZNTO1a8nbw-GbRFmSMCCOyX6I4ETc4_HkklET6aN5ssgRvoZjiAnMg/s1600/Jekyll+%2526+Hyde.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0tKBL3P48MBUAWTYP7n2w757STDaM1MDHIGwQMIDJ__54lsZ8-0ez_6g63L_hOGEl5Hj9DgTcV_10gKkZPPHSEPZNTO1a8nbw-GbRFmSMCCOyX6I4ETc4_HkklET6aN5ssgRvoZjiAnMg/s320/Jekyll+%2526+Hyde.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">At the end of last year ITV began a new
series, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jekyll and Hyde</i>, which was
broadcast at 6.30pm on Saturday evenings and aimed at a whole family audience.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The series creator warned that his
programme would be ‘scary’ but few who tuned in expected to such gratuitously
violent material so early in the evening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One character was bludgeoned to death within the first minute and it was
followed by further violent deaths including someone being set on fire and
another being shot in the stomach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ironically,
anyone wishing to access the programme on ITV’s catch-up service had to confirm
that they were over 18 in order to access the show.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Following transmission Ofcom received more
than 500 complaints, including one from Mediawatch-UK.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We said that ITV’s transmission of Jekyll And
Hyde a full two-and-a-half hours before the watershed was deeply irresponsible.
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The show’s writer says TV had to become
more extreme to keep up with the proliferation of graphic content online.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Responding to questions before transmission
he said: “Some of the parents might get a little upset and some of the smaller
kids, but, you know, f*** them.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Following an investigation Ofcom ruled that
ITV broke UK
broadcasting rules for airing “violent and frightening” material early in the
evening when children were watching.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The regulator “found this programme broke
our rules requiring children to be protected from unsuitable material by
appropriate scheduling…the cumulative effect of viol</span></span></div>
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ent and frightening scenes
made this programme – the first in the series – unsuitable for children when
scheduled to start at 6.30pm on a Sunday, and without a clear warning before it
started.”<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">ITV, which had argued that the violence was
“limited and fantastical” and had refused to move the show to a later slot said
that it had “taken this decision on board for future programming.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Ofcom’s decision is most welcome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Broadcasters appear to be increasingly
tempted to break boundaries in a bid to grab the attention of an increasingly
fragmented audience and so strong regulation is vital.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although we have taken issue with many of
Ofcom’s decisions in the past, on this occasion the regulator did what it
describes as one of its ‘most important duties’; protecting children from
harmful material on television.</span></span></div>
Mediawatch-UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12215885151457312646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131137942376227025.post-48248907648182178402016-01-18T08:29:00.000-08:002016-01-18T08:29:12.645-08:00Online pressures affecting children's wellbeing<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilwZbiMyD2APf6Y7cb3XTu4E2GeYEFwbU0Cz2NZUancHZbGqwARScz0LmwrBKPI9Wi0SV2F9OvbvHCcZVLX5Bn0QamLJYzZHmNXvdT1QQ_iHbqxJp5JlOujpfKdrpsUBMTPUW7Wf6Etf5j/s1600/Child+with+mobile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilwZbiMyD2APf6Y7cb3XTu4E2GeYEFwbU0Cz2NZUancHZbGqwARScz0LmwrBKPI9Wi0SV2F9OvbvHCcZVLX5Bn0QamLJYzZHmNXvdT1QQ_iHbqxJp5JlOujpfKdrpsUBMTPUW7Wf6Etf5j/s320/Child+with+mobile.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Childline, the confidential counselling
service run by the NSPCC, recently released data on the issues which most
concerned children contacting its advice line.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">In stark contrast to the issues which most
concerned children when the charity was founded 24 years ago, in 2016 modern
pressures such as cyberbullying and social media affecting children’s
confidence and self-esteem were at the top of the list.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Childline warned that Britain’s children are now “deeply
unhappy” and have to deal with fears and worries that did not exist 30 years
ago. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many children today are deeply
unhappy due to “the pressure to keep up with friends and have the perfect life
online ... adding to the sadness that many young people feel on a daily basis”.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">And it’s not just children who are made
miserable by their online addictions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Action
For Children has found that a staggering one in four parents struggle to
control their children’s screen use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The National Institute for Health and Care
Excellence (Nice) advises that children should have TV-free days, or have
two-hour limits on the time spent in front of screens. Quite apart from the aim
of tackling obesity, it’s a good way of rediscovering the real world that
exists beyond the lit pixels.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The internet isn’t going away so the
challenge for parents is to teach children to self-moderate their screen time
and to become useful members of the digital world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As parents we also need to confront our own
tendency to gaze at smartphone or tablet screens for that elusive email or
message: is it really fair to take away our children’s screens while we kept
snatching furtive glances at our own?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">We are delighted that Mediawatch is able to
play a part in informing and empowering parents through both our work raising
awareness in the media and talking to parents at school events.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you would more information on protecting
children online please visit our campaign website <a href="http://www.safeonline.org/how-to-protect-your-child/">Safeonline</a> for
further information.</span></span></div>
Mediawatch-UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12215885151457312646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131137942376227025.post-33859277372206769962015-12-14T08:58:00.001-08:002015-12-14T08:58:57.133-08:00House of Lords commits to online safety<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2fuFlHm-v46DWmk6o-a4DTiaGyj1KlGgJLxqx4AB2G3gqStgv7q7-caBUJ4gPNl2c2-3LobN-Y7fg0XYpq61JsAIXcM-36gUiPBzxE3HKcCMMHtC9DdUm4olKXctdZQ5DCVWrZuL3ScEL/s1600/boy+on+laptop+with+shields.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2fuFlHm-v46DWmk6o-a4DTiaGyj1KlGgJLxqx4AB2G3gqStgv7q7-caBUJ4gPNl2c2-3LobN-Y7fg0XYpq61JsAIXcM-36gUiPBzxE3HKcCMMHtC9DdUm4olKXctdZQ5DCVWrZuL3ScEL/s320/boy+on+laptop+with+shields.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">There is good news this week!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On Friday Baroness Howe’s <a href="http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2015-16/onlinesafety.html">Online Safety
Bill</a> passed its Committee Stage in the House of Lords.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although this is the fifth Online Safety Bill
which Baroness Howe has brought before the House it is the first time it has
passed through its <a href="http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201516/ldhansrd/text/151211-0001.htm#15121154000396">Committee
Stage</a>, which involves a detailed line by line examination.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next milestone will be the Report Stage
which is a further opportunity for peers to examine and propose amendments to
the Bill.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Referencing Lady Howe’s dogged efforts over
the last five years to bring an Online Safety Bill onto the statute books Lord
Framlingham asked “how many young children have had their lives really altered
for the worse in those five years simply because we in both Houses of
Parliament have not managed to give them the protection they deserve?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His sentiments were echoed by Lord Stevenson
who wished the Bill well and hoped this would finally be the occasion on which
progress would be made.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Sadly the Government continued to oppose
the Bill although the Minister acknowledged that many of its elements were “well
thought-out and well intentioned”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
promised that they would “be taken on board in the resulting legislative
approach that we take in the New Year.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such
legislation is necessary because new measures governing net neutrality passed
in Brussels
earlier this year mean that the current voluntary approach of ISPs to filtering
will no longer be permissible.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The Minister said that the Government’s
remained “absolutely committed to the protection of children online” and she
confirmed that a consultation, in line with the Conservative’s manifesto
commitment, on how best to implement age verification checks for those wishing
to access pornographic websites will take “shortly after the new year”.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The Minister finished by reiterating her
promise that “there can be no higher priority than keeping children safe
online”.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">These positive developments come just a
month after the House of Lords debated the impact of pornography on
society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Baroness Howe has been
determined and bold in her efforts to protect children online and we wish her
well as her Bill moves into its Report Stage.</span></span></div>
<br />
Mediawatch-UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12215885151457312646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131137942376227025.post-69759411086836428372015-10-23T07:57:00.000-07:002015-10-23T08:20:45.736-07:00Technology needs a health warning<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDjsC4cYiWNb6cPAqbJjaB4-Aw9cJnhA5lVwZMqqCnaNEo8YIQh_q-xc1TyXh7lMq_-b7Nrg6keB4OT8rLbYRrIzG-eqvqO8i4ioFvaeX7gv5m4d9nHOJPuIvUXb1kY2CCBOnny7wX2buA/s1600/Hoody+%2526+laptop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDjsC4cYiWNb6cPAqbJjaB4-Aw9cJnhA5lVwZMqqCnaNEo8YIQh_q-xc1TyXh7lMq_-b7Nrg6keB4OT8rLbYRrIzG-eqvqO8i4ioFvaeX7gv5m4d9nHOJPuIvUXb1kY2CCBOnny7wX2buA/s320/Hoody+%2526+laptop.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This
week saw the publication of a new report from The Office of National Statistics
looking at children’s use of social media.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Researchers gathered data on screen use and mental wellbeing from over
20,000 children, parents and teachers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They found a clear association between longer time on social websites
and distress, anxiety and depression.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Their conclusion: heavy use of social media is as bad for children as
bullying or a troubled home.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">These
findings echo those of the Institute for Social and Economic Research which
published its research earlier this summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It also follows the publication of a report from the Strategic Society
Centre (SSC) thinktank which called for manufacturers and online social
networking sites to consider how young people are affected by their businesses
– and potentially redesign their products and services accordingly.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The SSC
report provocatively compared today’s technology firms with tobacco companies
of the past which would not acknowledge the public health consequences of their
business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also offered
recommendations to help to improve the wellbeing of adolescents and compel
technology companies to acknowledge their responsibilities.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Possible
solutions include issuing national guidelines on the recommended daily amount
of screen time for young people, compulsory school programmes on how social
networking and mobile technologies can affect well-being and installing
‘virtual’ usage meters as default settings on social networking sites for all
users under 18, so that they are made aware of how long they are spending
online.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Children
are so trustworthy of modern technologies that they often neglect the fact that
it can cause them harm – both directly and indirectly.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">According
to researcher Dr Cara Booker, “Many of the most effective solutions to our
major public health issues have come about when researchers, government and
private industry work together. Examples include car safety, including more
effective seatbelts, removal of lead from paint, discontinuation of asbestos
use and milk pasteurisation. In many of these cases, however, solutions were
only sought when the consequences were great and well-established.”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">“The
evidence regarding use of social media and wellbeing is growing and it is
imperative that researchers, government and private industries work together to
address the real public health consequences of poor wellbeing in adolescence
becoming worse wellbeing in adulthood. This issue is not one that parents alone
can tackle; it is one that requires government and private industry to raise
awareness of the potential issues with prolonged use of social media for
children and adolescents.”</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Mediawatch-UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12215885151457312646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131137942376227025.post-46542164240253481322015-10-16T07:19:00.001-07:002015-10-16T07:19:54.056-07:00What is television teaching our children?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJXcYs2MNZ0CQE8J-6ojKh5ejEbDmM6JLlGEuYBzEQSEpVARLd-Pzh7VpLndSViJRT_XjCsMUAURaWfrLC-gVSDr3gtSk1SjsiBPyK-FT2SeFUCXxkm8wR70b0mFNRxPoplCxSod7DYxeT/s1600/Girl+with+TV+screens.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJXcYs2MNZ0CQE8J-6ojKh5ejEbDmM6JLlGEuYBzEQSEpVARLd-Pzh7VpLndSViJRT_XjCsMUAURaWfrLC-gVSDr3gtSk1SjsiBPyK-FT2SeFUCXxkm8wR70b0mFNRxPoplCxSod7DYxeT/s320/Girl+with+TV+screens.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">For some time the Royal College of
Paediatrics and Child Health has been calling for a ban on advertisements for
junk food before the watershed or order to tackle rising levels of childhood
obesity.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The Chairman of the British Medical
Association’s science board, Professor Sheila Hollins, has also criticised the
relentless depictions of unhealthy food during children’s programming pointing
out “the unconscious way in which promotion can influence children and young
people’s choices.”</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Despite initial scepticism from the
government there seems to be increasing support for the idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, recently
told the Conservative Party Conference that he would welcome CBeebies telling
his “sugar crazy three-year-old daughter” that “chips are bad”. </span></span></div>
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</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Earlier this week the Scottish Health
Secretary, Shona Robison, added her support agreeing that there is a “very
strong argument” for banning pre-9pm junk food averts.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">That these
concerns are being taken seriously is good news; it is also an admission that
television and advertising have an effect on behaviour and attitudes –
particularly those of children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">When he was
Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt declined to heed our concerns about the worrying
change in the material being broadcast pre-watershed and Ofcom’s failure to
regulate adequately.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed it was
during his tenure as Culture Secretary that Ofcom’s decision not to find in
breach material it described as “being at the very margin of acceptability”
effectively re-defined family viewing.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Earlier this month Mr Hunt told his party’s
conference that “we don’t like a nanny state except when it comes to children…
children are allowed nannies and I think we’re able to be a little bit more
draconian”.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">It is time that the interests of our children
were put before those of commercial providers – whether they be selling food or
entertainment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our children deserve
better.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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</span><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></div>
Mediawatch-UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12215885151457312646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131137942376227025.post-60693225650352007752015-09-14T03:47:00.000-07:002015-09-14T03:47:38.262-07:00Pop Stars as Sex Workers<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz1Uga1AFqBBbsrn1eTj9zKwuZWxYgkJJYcvG1JM4mj9tyBemOuZmCH1-GmP3mghd2PwgLvZpalpujLe0-A-B9nBa0y0-FceOiizTCm88xauHq2rLTDBkR6gCJm2HnK4HQJriJARmATblz/s1600/Child+X+Factor.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz1Uga1AFqBBbsrn1eTj9zKwuZWxYgkJJYcvG1JM4mj9tyBemOuZmCH1-GmP3mghd2PwgLvZpalpujLe0-A-B9nBa0y0-FceOiizTCm88xauHq2rLTDBkR6gCJm2HnK4HQJriJARmATblz/s320/Child+X+Factor.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Earlier this week singer Chrissie Hynde hit the headlines when she
criticised </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">scantily-clad stars and branded them ‘sex workers’ for selling music by
‘bumping and grinding’ in their underwear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She said their performances were doing ‘a great deal of damage’.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">It is now completely mainstream for the videos of chart topping artists
to include nudity, highly sexualised dancing, violence and references to
prostitution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This summer the video for
Rihanna’s latest release, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Better Have My
Money</i>, was much criticised for its fetishisation and glamorisation of
weapons, torture and murder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is
particularly disturbing about this is that the fan base of all these performers
is so young.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Watching them, one could be
forgiven for thinking that these videos have been produced to appeal to an
adult male audience but, in reality, they are far more likely to be viewed by
school children.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">This pornification of our culture, created just to sell us a product, is
having damaging and far-reaching consequences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Young boys watching these videos will come believe that women are merely
sex objects for their entertainment and young girls will learn that their value
lies in their sex appeal and how they look.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Parents who responded to the government’s Bailey Review in 2011 cited
music videos as a major concern.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
report subsequently recommended that age restrictions should be applied to
music videos to prevent children buying sexually explicit videos and guide
broadcasters over when to show them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
its manifesto the Conservative party promised to “stop children's exposure to
harmful sexualised content online, by requiring age verification for access to
all sites containing pornographic material and age-rating for all music
videos.”</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">This summer a new scheme to classify music videos came into
operation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Music videos on YouTube and
Vevo will now be rated by the BBFC to protect children from seeing
inappropriate content.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of the
biggest recording labels - Sony, Universal and Warner - have agreed to submit
the videos they produce to the BBFC before uploading them to the sites but the
American offices of these labels have not agreed to the system, meaning any
artist who is signed with them won't have their videos subjected to ratings.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">In practice this means that some of the most troubling music videos -
even the ones that first sparked this move towards a classification system -
won’t actually be affected by it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
may be a step in the right direction but much more still needs to be done to
make this truly effective.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Earlier in the year, we wrote to all the new MPs
in the 2015 intake outlining our concerns and asking for their support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have received
several supportive responses and will be meeting with some of the new MPs
over the coming weeks to discuss ways in which we can work together in the
future.</span></span></div>
Mediawatch-UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12215885151457312646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131137942376227025.post-34883055299526707802015-09-07T02:10:00.000-07:002015-09-07T02:10:31.687-07:00Social media steps up<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibNQ8ZqD4y4QY7P_JpRchyphenhyphenplNl6gIiNc4fr_v-BK9a9X0E10Z3s406Sy-NvqDR4P6YYq4ocGFaB0wA4Ks1pG0ywKTEfdU4KItMIBAEDC9jou5bNLdl4F0h6v0XkAPFYlfybyl4u5Vy673R/s1600/Social+media+fingers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibNQ8ZqD4y4QY7P_JpRchyphenhyphenplNl6gIiNc4fr_v-BK9a9X0E10Z3s406Sy-NvqDR4P6YYq4ocGFaB0wA4Ks1pG0ywKTEfdU4KItMIBAEDC9jou5bNLdl4F0h6v0XkAPFYlfybyl4u5Vy673R/s400/Social+media+fingers.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">On 24<sup>th</sup> August over a billion people used Facebook;
this means that on that single day 1 in 7 people on Earth used that social
network.<br />
<br />
This week the Internet Advertising Bureau published new research showing that
social media use has now overtaken entertainment as the UK’s favourite online activity, accounting for
almost a fifth of the two hours and 51 minutes a day people in the UK on average
spend on the web.<br />
<br />
Social media use now accounts for almost 17% of all time spent online whilst
the amount of time spent watching TV shows or YouTube videos and listening to
music, has almost halved.<br />
<br />
The shift appears to be in part driven by people spending more time on mobile
devices, rather than desktops. As a result we are increasingly seeing
marketing, education and customer service functions using the medium.<br />
<br />
How should we respond to this? On the one hand social media use has been
linked to depression and addiction but it also a positive function as a
valuable source of support, community and entertainment. The impact of social
media on users depends not on the technology itself but in how it is employed
and experienced.<br />
<br />
This week it emerged that a 14 year old boy who used a social media app to send
a naked photograph of himself to a girl of the same age at school has had the
crime of making and distributing indecent images recorded against him by
police. Although the boy was not arrested or charged his name will be
stored on a police database for 10 years.<br />
<br />
With social media use on the rise, and changing constantly, it is our
responsibility to stay informed about the potential benefits and costs of this
new digital age and then make deliberate decisions about the type and quantity
of technology we use – and, importantly, to which we allow our children to be
exposed. Rest assured that Mediawatch-UK is committed to protecting and
campaigning for family values in all media, old, new and social and we value
your continued support in this important work.</span></span></div>
Mediawatch-UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12215885151457312646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131137942376227025.post-7747107637789405192015-07-20T08:41:00.000-07:002015-07-20T08:41:36.664-07:00Online Safety Bill moves to the next stage<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCbSuNL28HVVjeyHiGKAIHtJXvmGjjixgiGXCzNYGCGf1OjKdZO7GkJAjTsyoXy-BOELFB0M94ouzQYJnQxeSA5HKQINGMHmiEbx6boIdeH7KREwVPBeuxmJNKK7rEHY-vFruenmKl79Oh/s1600/Westminster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCbSuNL28HVVjeyHiGKAIHtJXvmGjjixgiGXCzNYGCGf1OjKdZO7GkJAjTsyoXy-BOELFB0M94ouzQYJnQxeSA5HKQINGMHmiEbx6boIdeH7KREwVPBeuxmJNKK7rEHY-vFruenmKl79Oh/s320/Westminster.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Thank you for taking the time over
the past week to contact a Peer about Baroness Howe’s Online Safety Bill.</span></b><span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
<br />
In its manifesto for the recent general election, The Conservative Party
promised:<br />
</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“We will
stop children’s exposure to harmful sexualised content online, by requiring age
verification for access to all sites containing pornographic material”.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br />
The opportunity for the Government to honour its commitment came before the
House of Lords on 17th July with the second reading of Baroness Howe’s Online
Safety Bill.<br />
<br />
Many people used our campaign website <a href="http://safeonline.org.uk/"><span style="color: black;">Safeonline.org.uk</span></a> to contact Peers ahead of the
debate, urging them to speak in favour of the Bill.<br />
<br />
Many Peers did attend the debate which was, by and large, very supportive of
her proposals. The Lords agreed to move the Bill forward to Committee
stage, at which point the Bill will be further scrutinised and amendments will
be considered.<br />
<br />
Sadly the Government did not choose to adopt the provisions of the Bill to
accomplish the aims set out in their manifesto. However the Minister,
Baroness Shields, acknowledged the “horrific problem” of the easy availability
of online pornography and said that the Government would consider Lady Howe’s
approach alongside other options currently under examination.<br />
<br />
Lord Framlingham, speaking in support of the Bill, pointed out the lack of
speed in action taken on the issues raised in the Bill so it is to be hoped
that further time will be found in the parliamentary timetable over the coming
months for a Committee Stage debate in order to keep the pressure on the
Government to act quickly.<br />
<br />
There is strong public support for measures ensure that websites with
pornographic content carry out proper age-verification of users in order to
protect children. In a <a href="http://mediawatchuk.us10.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=2fab295e9f07e87252f40451d&id=207f2eca34&e=1cbc2573a0" target="_blank" title="http://mediawatchuk.us10.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=2fab295e9f07e87252f40451d&id=207f2eca34&e=1cbc2573a0"><span style="color: black;">recent poll</span></a> three-quarters of those asked agreed
this should be done.<br />
<br />
Although it is disappointing that the Government did not take the opportunity
offered in the debate to adopt the Bill, it is encouraging that the debate
continues to move in the right direction. As Lady Howe said: “Each time
one puts pressure on the Government, it improves the situation.” We now
look forward to a further opportunities to hold the Government to account to
their manifesto promises at Committee Stage.</span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"></span></div>
Mediawatch-UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12215885151457312646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131137942376227025.post-25697995703833699392015-07-13T08:58:00.001-07:002015-07-13T08:58:30.214-07:00Have your say on online child protection<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.safeonline.org.uk/contact-a-peer/" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.safeonline.org.uk/contact-a-peer/" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDxliwdHlGqHleSfijH-Bc_15VPsXF2PbJkk2LACDi3HI86t1jmQ82I3QdCxyM6IyqXnAGcmBk5_zCtMCMNRIMLf2OBipIiXFu3CXiFjY-9Ou5wM43j4e6ejG0XCXyEpbNOiUW1uUMLqCc/s1600/Safeonline+logo+2015.jpg" /><span id="goog_1018825328"></span></a><span id="goog_1018825329"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Over the past few years we have seen some
real progress in our fight to protect children from harmful online material:
The Government has worked with Internet Service Providers to come up with a
voluntary industry agreement to protect children which being called
‘default-on’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Broadband users now have
to make an unavoidable choice as to whether they want to activate
family-friendly filters. TalkTalk and Sky have gone one step further and
their filters are switched on as a default unless users ask for them to be
removed. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">However the internet remains a potentially
very dangerous place for children.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">In its manifesto for the recent general
election, The Conservative Party promised:</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">“We will stop children’s exposure to
harmful sexualised content online, </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">by requiring age verification for access to
all sites containing pornographic material”.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">This was encouraging and yet there was
nothing in the Queen’s Speech about implementing the commitment and when asked
about how it would be taken forward during the Queen’s Speech debate, the
Minister ignored the question.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The opportunity for the Government to
honour its commitment will come before the House of Lords on 17th July 2015
with the second reading of Baroness Howe’s <a href="http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2015-16/onlinesafety.html" target="_blank">Online Safety Bill</a>.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">This Bill (revised and updated for the
2015/6 Parliament) would, should it become law, require a statutory approach to
filtering as well as, robust age verification if a user chooses to remove adult
content filters. It would also require web sites showing 18 and R18 material (that’s
hardcore pornography) to people in the UK
(regardless of whether the sites themselves are based in the UK) must put in place robust
age-verification procedures. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">If you agree that it’s time we offered
children the best possible protection from harmful online content please <a href="http://www.safeonline.org.uk/contact-a-peer/" target="_blank">take action</a>.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">With the debate on this bill less than a
week away we would really encourage you to contact Members of the House of
Lords asking them to support the Bill. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have updated our campaign website <a href="http://www.safeonline.org.uk/" title="blocked::http://www.safeonline.org.uk/">www.safeonline.org.uk</a> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to make this very quick and easy to do. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just go online and you will be given a Peer
to write to, together with model letters you can just copy and
paste. </span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/Over%20the%20past%20few%20years%20we%20have%20seen%20some%20real%20progress%20in%20our%20fight%20to%20protect%20children%20from%20harmful%20online%20material:%20The%20Government%20has%20worked%20with%20Internet%20Service%20Providers%20to%20come%20up%20with%20a%20voluntary%20industry%20agreement%20to%20protect%20children%20which%20being%20called%20%E2%80%98default-on%E2%80%99.%20%20Broadband%20users%20now%20have%20to%20make%20an%20unavoidable%20choice%20as%20to%20whether%20they%20want%20to%20activate%20family-friendly%20filters.%20%20TalkTalk%20and%20Sky%20have%20gone%20one%20step%20further%20and%20their%20filters%20are%20switched%20on%20as%20a%20default%20unless%20users%20ask%20for%20them%20to%20be%20removed.%20%20%20However%20the%20internet%20remains%20a%20potentially%20very%20dangerous%20place%20for%20children.%20%20In%20its%20manifesto%20for%20the%20recent%20general%20election,%20The%20Conservative%20Party%20promised:%20%20%20%E2%80%9CWe%20will%20stop%20children%E2%80%99s%20exposure%20to%20harmful%20sexualised%20content%20online,%20%20by%20requiring%20age%20verification%20for%20access%20to%20all%20sites%20containing%20pornographic%20material%E2%80%9D.%20%20This%20was%20encouraging%20and%20yet%20there%20was%20nothing%20in%20the%20Queen%E2%80%99s%20Speech%20about%20implementing%20the%20commitment%20and%20when%20asked%20about%20how%20it%20would%20be%20taken%20forward%20during%20the%20Queen%E2%80%99s%20Speech%20debate,%20the%20Minister%20ignored%20the%20question.%20The%20opportunity%20for%20the%20Government%20to%20honour%20its%20commitment%20will%20come%20before%20the%20House%20of%20Lords%20on%2017th%20July%202015%20with%20the%20second%20reading%20of%20Baroness%20Howe%E2%80%99s%20Online%20Safety%20Bill.%20%20This%20Bill%20(revised%20and%20updated%20for%20the%202015/6%20Parliament)%20would,%20should%20it%20become%20law,%20require%20a%20statutory%20approach%20to%20filtering%20as%20well%20as,%20robust%20age%20verification%20if%20a%20user%20chooses%20to%20remove%20adult%20content%20filters.%20It%20would%20also%20require%20web%20sites%20showing%2018%20and%20R18%20material%20(that%E2%80%99s%20hardcore%20pornography)%20to%20people%20in%20the%20UK%20(regardless%20of%20whether%20the%20sites%20themselves%20are%20based%20in%20the%20UK)%20must%20put%20in%20place%20robust%20age-verification%20procedures.%20%20%20If%20you%20agree%20that%20it%E2%80%99s%20time%20we%20offered%20children%20the%20best%20possible%20protection%20from%20harmful%20online%20content%20please%20take%20action.%20%20With%20the%20debate%20on%20this%20bill%20less%20than%20a%20week%20away%20we%20would%20really%20encourage%20you%20to%20contact%20Members%20of%20the%20House%20of%20Lords%20asking%20them%20to%20support%20the%20Bill.%20%20%20We%20have%20updated%20our%20campaign%20website%20www.safeonline.org.uk%20%20to%20make%20this%20very%20quick%20and%20easy%20to%20do.%20%20%20Just%20go%20online%20and%20you%20will%20be%20given%20a%20Peer%20to%20write%20to,%20together%20with%20model%20letters%20you%20can%20just%20copy%20and%20paste.%20Emailing%20will%20take%20as%20little%20as%205%20minutes!" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Emailing will take as little as 5 minutes! </span></span></span></a></div>
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<![endif]-->Mediawatch-UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12215885151457312646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131137942376227025.post-74593886093324844382015-07-13T08:46:00.001-07:002015-07-13T08:46:56.477-07:00The Government must now deliver on its promise.<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCbSuNL28HVVjeyHiGKAIHtJXvmGjjixgiGXCzNYGCGf1OjKdZO7GkJAjTsyoXy-BOELFB0M94ouzQYJnQxeSA5HKQINGMHmiEbx6boIdeH7KREwVPBeuxmJNKK7rEHY-vFruenmKl79Oh/s1600/Westminster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCbSuNL28HVVjeyHiGKAIHtJXvmGjjixgiGXCzNYGCGf1OjKdZO7GkJAjTsyoXy-BOELFB0M94ouzQYJnQxeSA5HKQINGMHmiEbx6boIdeH7KREwVPBeuxmJNKK7rEHY-vFruenmKl79Oh/s320/Westminster.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-GB">Despite all predictions to the contrary,
the Conservative Party has won the general election with enough seats to form a
majority government. This means that the Conservatives will have the
wherewithal to deliver on their manifesto promises which included: </span></span></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span id="goog_1018825281"></span><span id="goog_1018825282"></span></span><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span><span lang="EN-GB">“We will stop children's
exposure to harmful sexualised content online, by requiring age verification
for access to all sites containing pornographic material and age-rating for all
music videos.”</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB">“We will work to ensure that
search engines do not link to the worst-offending sites.” </span></span></span>
</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
<span lang="EN-GB">That these
commitments were included in the Conservative Party Manifesto is because you
have made it clear, through your actions and your much valued support for
Mediawatch-UK, that these are important issues. Your voice has been heard
and it has been heeded.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-GB">
</span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-GB">
Moving forward we must now make sure that we hold the new Conservative
government to their promises and ensure that these important measures to
protect our children are enacted swiftly.</span></span></span><br />
Mediawatch-UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12215885151457312646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131137942376227025.post-74559970223506576232015-05-08T10:03:00.000-07:002015-05-08T10:03:18.736-07:00Now the Conservatives must deliver their promises<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidi3fEUWrcFlflafXTR2y7xvZpXUpQ94FmCAcHu8aH80u6LSk5C2vD-CsjYvcxj9Zx_jmtXO2wF0G75fuux4IVoXTWGIWzHOGO1nMMLu-orBMkfR0iwH7xtREcAyphTQlvJda6vCM4SNPj/s1600/General+election+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidi3fEUWrcFlflafXTR2y7xvZpXUpQ94FmCAcHu8aH80u6LSk5C2vD-CsjYvcxj9Zx_jmtXO2wF0G75fuux4IVoXTWGIWzHOGO1nMMLu-orBMkfR0iwH7xtREcAyphTQlvJda6vCM4SNPj/s1600/General+election+2015.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Despite all predictions to the contrary, the Conservative
Party has won the general election with enough seats to form a majority government.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This means that the Conservatives will have
the wherewithal to deliver on their manifesto promises which included:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“We will stop children's
exposure to harmful sexualised content online, by requiring age
verification for access to all sites containing pornographic material and
age-rating for all music videos.”</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“We will work to ensure that
search engines do not link to the worst-offending sites.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">That these commitments were included in the Conservative
Party Manifesto is because you have made it clear, through your actions and
your much valued support for Mediawatch-UK, that these are important issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your voice has been heard and it has been
heeded.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Moving forward we must now make sure that we hold the new
Conservative government to their promises and ensure that these important
measures to protect our children are enacted swiftly.</span></div>
Mediawatch-UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12215885151457312646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131137942376227025.post-23965372975342818982015-04-17T05:20:00.000-07:002015-04-20T09:22:16.858-07:00What the manifestos promise<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpszagcS0qQYEho4mhWqQEHrR3Vwk9J8ScsEZmGskTYNymRg5QcWQ477GcIOgQW3IOH5RfXP2cD229yN91B2SdNF6NI6SXGq3RyykIoH9YeWyrmX85b9oTI_C2OV3FvzF1isCH-2m-Y2M3/s1600/2015+election.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpszagcS0qQYEho4mhWqQEHrR3Vwk9J8ScsEZmGskTYNymRg5QcWQ477GcIOgQW3IOH5RfXP2cD229yN91B2SdNF6NI6SXGq3RyykIoH9YeWyrmX85b9oTI_C2OV3FvzF1isCH-2m-Y2M3/s1600/2015+election.JPG" height="82" width="400" /></a></div>
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">This week saw the launch of several party manifestos as the general election campaign gathers pace.</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">These
manifestos act as a guide to the policies each party plans to introduce in the
five years it is in power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are
useful in making a decision on where to cast your vote and, theoretically, make
a party accountable although in practice if the party you voted for takes power
and doesn’t follow through with its manifesto promises your only redress is not
voting for them next time.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">With
many commentators predicting that no single party will gain an overall majority
and that we can expect another term of coalition government, manifestos become
effectively calling cards for the other parties. They set out the red lines and
areas for negotiation.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The parties
will go through the manifestos and produce an agreement setting out a programme
for government, as the Lib Dems and Conservatives did in 2010.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">
<br />
</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is
what </span>the main party manifestos have to say about their policies on the media,
digital Britain
and the BBC:</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcAub2_i8OjzKLp1m6gbo8A5ooHkQaCwirNt_mzZ7Cs2AZmU2aSI8Nt7n02WOwBSI3hG5bEmGSUx38GVvplWWd4yrIuh-bY0GZ911YNItnoXFIiX0Vabh8seJyR4jsN2lkW3MprJOcYX-3/s1600/Conservative+party.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcAub2_i8OjzKLp1m6gbo8A5ooHkQaCwirNt_mzZ7Cs2AZmU2aSI8Nt7n02WOwBSI3hG5bEmGSUx38GVvplWWd4yrIuh-bY0GZ911YNItnoXFIiX0Vabh8seJyR4jsN2lkW3MprJOcYX-3/s1600/Conservative+party.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/manifesto2015/ConservativeManifesto2015.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Conservative Party</span></b></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We
will support our media</span></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">A free
media is the bedrock of an open society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We will deliver a comprehensive review of the BBC Royal Charter,
ensuring it delivers value for money for the licence fee payer, while
maintaining a world class service and supporting our creative industries.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">That is
why we froze the BBC licence fee and will keep it frozen, pending Charter
renewal.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">And we
will continue to ‘top-slice’ the licence fee for digital infrastructure to
support superfast broadband across the country.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We
will defend press freedom</span></u></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We will
continue to defend hard-won liberties and the operation of a free press.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But alongside the media’s rights comes a
clear responsibility, which is why we set up the public, judge-led Leveson
Inquiry in response to the phone-hacking scandal, created a new watchdog by
Royal Charter and legislated to toughen media libel laws.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Because
the work of the free press is so important we will offer explicit protection
for the role of journalists via the British Bill of Rights and we will ban the
police from accessing journalists’ phone records to identify whistle-blowers
and other sources without prior judicial approval.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Local
newspapers are an important source of information for local communities and a
vital part of a healthy democracy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To
support them as they adapt to new technology and changing circumstances, we
will consult on the introduction of a business rates relief for local
newspapers in England.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We
will support our creative industries</span></u></span></span></div>
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The
creative industries have become our fastest-growing economic sector,
contributing nearly £77 billion to the UK economy – driven in part by the
tax incentives for films, theatre, video games, animation and orchestras we
introduced. Our support for the film industry has resulted in great British
films and encouraged Hollywood’s finest to flock
to the UK.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will continue these reliefs, with a tax
credit for children’s television next year, and expand them when possible.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We will
protect intellectual property by continuing to require internet service
providers to block sites that carry large amounts of illegal content, including
their proxies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we will build on
progress made under our voluntary anti-piracy projects to warn internet users
when they are breaching copyright</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We will
stop children's exposure to harmful sexualised content online, by requiring age
verification for access to all sites containing pornographic material and
age-rating for all music videos.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We will
work to ensure that search engines do not link to the worst-offending
sites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Bco_PL12_n8hifzqO-k_RBvzIyb0hk14Yn421khe9rGmK6nPqai0Sajpxc8dWNASVevu0RdBdFkTYNMT50br5UpXH8LqS3x654CBFVW_SBzLcK0vI69aHA64GtR3goEiKIwKYapDtaAo/s1600/Green+Party+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Bco_PL12_n8hifzqO-k_RBvzIyb0hk14Yn421khe9rGmK6nPqai0Sajpxc8dWNASVevu0RdBdFkTYNMT50br5UpXH8LqS3x654CBFVW_SBzLcK0vI69aHA64GtR3goEiKIwKYapDtaAo/s1600/Green+Party+logo.jpg" height="200" width="142" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://www.greenparty.org.uk/assets/files/manifesto/Green_Party_2015_General_Election_Manifesto_Searchable.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Green Party</span></b></span></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We live
in the information age and we know that information is power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But how should information be
controlled?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What information should be
available and to whom?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The
Green Party supports a world of open, freely flowing information.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t want disproportionate or
unaccountable surveillance or censorship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We want a transparent state but we want control over the data that our
digital lives create.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need copyright
laws that reward creators but that are consistent with digital
technologies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Above all we want
democratic political control of this technology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would….</span></span></span></div>
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<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Support and protect internet
freedeom</span></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Limit the censoring or
takedown of content or activity to exceptional circumstances, clearly set
out within a comprehensive legal framework.</span></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Introduce more satisfactory
law on so-called malicious comments made on social media than the blanket
and crude section 127 of the Communications Act 2003.</span></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Tighten the rules on
cross-media ownership and ensure that no individual or company owns more
than 20% of a media market.</span></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Support the recommendations
of the Leveson Inquiry into press ethics and for the cross-party Royal
charter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But if this is to
supported by all the major newspapers we will support legislation to
implement the Leveson system of independent press self-regulation.</span></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Maintain the BBC as the
primary public service broadcaster, free of government interference, with
funding guaranteed in real terms in statute to prevent government
interference.</span></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Ensure that all have digital
access and give BT and other public telecommunications operators an obligation
to provide affordable high-speed broadband-capable infrastructure to every
household and small business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
in particular will encourage video-conferencing, helping to reduce both
business and family travel.</span></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Strengthen controls on
advertising directed at children.</span></span></span></li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGjmP26JqZAUWjFyjY8buNV3vsjclUVfHi0xSlz3_E4hKth3ZixTLRNAiD3M6bZOqVrA2gsD7Gmhv1KmGJe1tOc4B-a3VUMpD0gF4rXgi3fehZ_7QBFVqaDjwLc07Au4TjDM6c1TG721fw/s1600/Labour+party.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGjmP26JqZAUWjFyjY8buNV3vsjclUVfHi0xSlz3_E4hKth3ZixTLRNAiD3M6bZOqVrA2gsD7Gmhv1KmGJe1tOc4B-a3VUMpD0gF4rXgi3fehZ_7QBFVqaDjwLc07Au4TjDM6c1TG721fw/s1600/Labour+party.jpg" height="58" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://b.3cdn.net/labouruk/e1d45da42456423b8c_vwm6brbvb.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Labour Party</span></b></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The free
flow of information and of different points of view is crucial for open debate
and countering concentrations of unaccountable power. That is why the
concentration of media power in too few hands is damaging to our
democracy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one media owner should be
able to exert undue influence on public opinion and policy makers. No media
company should have so much power that those who run it believe themselves
above the rule of law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet the current
system for protecting against these threats is inadequate.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Labour
will take steps to protect the principle of media plurality, so that no media
outlet can get too big, including updating our rules for the 21st century media
environment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We remain strongly
committed to the implementation of the recommendations of the Leveson Inquiry.
We expect the industry to establish a mechanism for independent
self-regulation, which delivers proper redress for individuals, as set out in
the Royal Charter, and agreed by all parties in Parliament. We made a promise
to victims of the phone hacking scandal. We stand by that promise and will keep
it.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Our
system of public service broadcasting is one of Britain’s great strengths.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The BBC makes a vital contribution to the
richness of our cultural life, and we will ensure that it continues to do so
while delivering value for money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We will
also commit to keeping Channel 4 in public ownership, so it continues to
produce vital public content.</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNsL1QjT5s2goYMSopRhdPj8EywIqE0sTqGq3s2dd3I0T5DYGQLlINDEgnCwqbGVT01Gpp98P3f79EN6E29jTp7YGWGt3gw88cpNf8dlf9wUEMg9OKZKxy3khMn9kDZfzDoRYXX_19sEjb/s1600/Lib-Dem-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNsL1QjT5s2goYMSopRhdPj8EywIqE0sTqGq3s2dd3I0T5DYGQLlINDEgnCwqbGVT01Gpp98P3f79EN6E29jTp7YGWGt3gw88cpNf8dlf9wUEMg9OKZKxy3khMn9kDZfzDoRYXX_19sEjb/s1600/Lib-Dem-logo.jpg" height="145" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/libdems/pages/8907/attachments/original/1429028133/Liberal_Democrat_General_Election_Manifesto_2015.pdf?1429028133" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Liberal Democrats</span></b></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b45f06;"><span lang="EN-GB">The
culture of everyday sexism will be declining, with young people taught in school
about respect in relationships and sexual consent. Online, people will no
longer be worried that the government is monitoring their every keystroke: a
Digital Bill of Rights will have enshrined enduring principles of privacy and
helped keep the internet open.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">
</span></span></span>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b45f06;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB">Protect the independence of the BBC while ensuring the
Licence Fee does not rise faster than inflation, maintain Channel 4 in public
ownership and protect the funding and editorial independence of Welsh language
broadcasters.</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">
</span></span></span>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b45f06;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB">Support growth in the creative industries, including video
gaming, by continuing to support the Creative Industries Council, promoting
creative skills, supporting modern and flexible patent, copyright and licensing
rules, and addressing the barriers to finance faced by small creative
businesses</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">
</span></span></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b45f06;"><span lang="EN-GB">We share
the hope of Lord Justice Leveson that the incentives for the press to sign up
to genuinely independent self-regulation will succeed. But if, in the judgment
of the Press Recognition Panel, after 12 months of operation, there is
significant non-cooperation by newspaper publishers, then – as Leveson himself
concluded – Parliament will need to act, drawing on a range of options
including the legislative steps necessary to ensure that independent
self-regulation is delivered. Where possible, we would seek to do this on the
same cross-party basis that achieved the construction of the Leveson scheme by
the Royal Charter.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">
</span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">
</span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b45f06;"><u><span lang="EN-GB">Securing
liberty online</span></u></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">
</span></span></span>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b45f06;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB">Safeguard the essential freedom of the internet and back net
neutrality, the principle that internet service providers should enable access
to all lawful content and applications regardless of the source, and without
favouring or blocking particular products or websites.</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b45f06;">
</span></span></span>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #b45f06;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB">Make it clear that online services have a duty to provide
age-appropriate policies, guidance and support to the children and young people
who use their services.</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY39pPA3g6qhF7cqyw7JGbrXuijSZ5KEaOwxfVN38909IXAj79ZjmZ7DdbVhx60E768jtuwGKZ5FGs4o7LxeNlTp0U_ZCPKaqM28XtvLvtg6OUKd7oSNCVBFxodFFDlBirUFcqDMh1-cWo/s1600/Plaid_LogoPortrait_RGB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY39pPA3g6qhF7cqyw7JGbrXuijSZ5KEaOwxfVN38909IXAj79ZjmZ7DdbVhx60E768jtuwGKZ5FGs4o7LxeNlTp0U_ZCPKaqM28XtvLvtg6OUKd7oSNCVBFxodFFDlBirUFcqDMh1-cWo/s1600/Plaid_LogoPortrait_RGB.jpg" height="200" width="143" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.partyof.wales/uploads/Plaid_Cymru_2015_Westminster_Manifesto.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Plaid Cymru The Party of Wales</span></b></span></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We will
devolve broadcasting to Wales
and implement recommendations on broadcasting made by Plaid Cymru to the Silk
Commission.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These include establishing a
BBC Trust for Wales as part
of a more federal BBC<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>within the UK.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trustees would be appointed by the Welsh
Government and the appointment process including public hearings held by the
National Assembly for Wales.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Responsibility
for S4C, the world’s only Welsh language channel, would transfer to the
National Assembly for Wales,
as would the funding for the channel that is currently with the Department for
Culture, Media and Sport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will ensure
that S4C is adequately funded and that the channel maintains editorial
independence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, the Welsh
Government should appoint the board members of the S4C Authority following
public hearings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We
support establishing a new Welsh language<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>multimedia service to operate online, on radio and other platforms, in
order<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to reflect the needs of Welsh
language audiences and improve current affairs coverage in Wales.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Ofcom’s
office in Wales
should have greater powers, including the authority to take licensing
decisions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The members of Ofcom’s
Advisory Committee for Wales
should be appointed by the Welsh Government.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This would be best achieved by the federalization of the work of Ofcom
in a UK
context. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We will
give local newspapers the status of ‘community assets’ so that owners could not
close them without communities having the opportunity to keep their paper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is important for there to be a plurality
of opinions and information sources.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
will oppose any reduction in Welsh produced news and non-news content in our
media. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAEegiKQHSKjH4Uk7nocOZDYEPeRh74b-lj5OCRLTE023mat0c-7l6GO48mXU-cRbNlkGsZHejIjQ77m8HfNAcMoX6-vV3WctgVUCb7vdmMLUjdDI8LCmN_wPZyxHFFeBtUV3HTHRAOUmG/s1600/snp_logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAEegiKQHSKjH4Uk7nocOZDYEPeRh74b-lj5OCRLTE023mat0c-7l6GO48mXU-cRbNlkGsZHejIjQ77m8HfNAcMoX6-vV3WctgVUCb7vdmMLUjdDI8LCmN_wPZyxHFFeBtUV3HTHRAOUmG/s1600/snp_logo.jpg" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://votesnp.com/docs/manifesto.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span lang="EN-GB">Scottish National Party</span></b></span></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB">A flourishing media environment and
creative sector.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We b</span>elieve that responsibility for
broadcasting in Scotland
should transfer from Westminster
to the Scottish Parliament and we will support moves to more devolved
arrangements for the BBC with greater powers and funding for the different
national and regional broadcasting areas, such as BBC Scotland.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB">We believe that the licence fee should be
retained with any replacement system, which should be based primarily on the
ability to pay, in place by the end of the next BBC Charter period.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB">BBC Scotland should receive a fairer share
of BBC income, reflecting more accurately the licence fee revenue raised here
in Scotland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This would provide a boost of over £100
million, which we believe will provide important new opportunities for
production companies and the creative sector in Scotland.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB">The Scottish Government and Parliament
should have a substantial role at all stages in the review of the BBC Charter
and we will work to ensure that any new governance arrangements for the BBC
better reflect Scotland’s
interests.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB">It should also be for the Scottish
Government to decide which sporting events in Scotland
should be included in the list of these that are free to view in Scotland.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB">Regulation of print media is already
devolved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Scottish Parliament chose,
on a cross party basis, to support the UK Government’s actions to implement
Leveson.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will consider carefully the
results of the first year review and work with other parties, in Scotland and Westminster, to ensure effective regulation
of the media on a non-political basis.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB">We also recognise the importance of
improving access to the internet, especially for some of our more remote or
disadvantaged communities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In government
we are working to maximise the availability of high-speed broadband across Scotland and
are also providing funding of £1.5 million to increase free provision of Wi-Fi
in public buildings.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-GB">Our aim is to deliver a future-proofed
infrastructure that will establish world-class digital connectivity across Scotland by
2020 including tackling the digital divide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That is why we are investing in Superfast Broadband, so that at least
95% of premises across Scotland
will be able to access fibre broadband by the end of 2017.</span></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaVpt8RlGoPqzjzjthJilipLW7qQQDiSG766v7JctUW9qhI_dRUUefwTcouDyC1DuZuTi37yEeVOZbfAu-C0LMzuBJB5KZolGpc-biXFPAOVsbJ7XbDK8N3gPXUOpQmw6naBKzfI1cgQFp/s1600/ukip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaVpt8RlGoPqzjzjthJilipLW7qQQDiSG766v7JctUW9qhI_dRUUefwTcouDyC1DuZuTi37yEeVOZbfAu-C0LMzuBJB5KZolGpc-biXFPAOVsbJ7XbDK8N3gPXUOpQmw6naBKzfI1cgQFp/s1600/ukip.jpg" height="200" width="193" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/apr/15/ukip-manifesto-2015-the-full-pdf" target="_blank">UK Independence Party</a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The UKIP
manifesto does not specifically address media policies.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">However
in its pre-election <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.ukip.org/policies_for_people" target="_blank">Policies for People</a> </i>document
the party says it will “review the BBC Licence Fee with a view to its
reduction. Prosecution of non-payments of the Licence Fee would be taken out of
the criminal sphere and made a civil offence.”</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Many of us will be attending hustings events
over the next week to hear what our local candidates have to offer.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">In our most recent newsletter we included
some suggestions of things to ask candidates about our particular areas of
concern. Many people have been in
contact about these so here are they are again – we hope you will find them useful.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">What’s
the future for television regulation – particularly the role of Ofcom?</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">If
you were elected what would you do to ensure that broadcasting standards
are improved?</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Do
you think that further legislation is needed to ensure that children are
protected from accessing inappropriate content on their computers, games
consoles and mobile phones?</span></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">As
the situation currently stands children are able to access post watershed
television content online without adequate protection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Would you support legislation to protect
them and make post-watershed content on catch-up TV something which is
opted into rather than opted out of?</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Do
you think the proliferation of online pornography is a problem and, if so,
how is this best dealt with?</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Do
you feel that children are being prematurely sexualised and, if so, how
would you propose to tackle this?</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Currently
the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is a self regulating
industry body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you think it
should be made accountable to Parliament in its decisions?</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Do
you think there is a need for reform of the current obscenity law which
defines obscenity as ‘that which is likely to deprave and corrupt’ to a
more specific definition?</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">ATVOD
(the Authority for Television on Demand) wants all websites hosting pornographic
content to have robust age verification tools in place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have called for urgent legislation
so that banks and other payment processors are prohibited from handling
fees for services from UK
citizens to unregulated sites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
yo</span>u were elected would you support this proposal?</span></li>
</ul>
</span></span>Mediawatch-UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12215885151457312646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131137942376227025.post-21323521712886703582015-04-16T09:29:00.001-07:002015-04-16T09:29:57.296-07:00Tell us your stories<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWa18BRWRwHTLooA8SJ5TtQxPgXnyzlN1b1bq9BryDChZBKf4a3yGmXEf1Y3W-0gG6rzPnd2q8J6z4XHdv66MivpJ3i8UFZR_u9d06EBbEpXrWupWhQHGXM_ZB6jc44dSGn1YcOi_8Xrl2/s1600/Boys+playing+with+computer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWa18BRWRwHTLooA8SJ5TtQxPgXnyzlN1b1bq9BryDChZBKf4a3yGmXEf1Y3W-0gG6rzPnd2q8J6z4XHdv66MivpJ3i8UFZR_u9d06EBbEpXrWupWhQHGXM_ZB6jc44dSGn1YcOi_8Xrl2/s1600/Boys+playing+with+computer.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt;">Anthropologists
tell us that storytelling is central to human existence and that it is common
to every known culture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We use stories
to make sense of our world and to share that understanding with others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt;">In our
campaign against harmful media and its effects it is sometimes <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>hard
to offer a visual aid to illustrate the problems we are highlighting; something
that would speak as powerfully as the models of slave ships and the manacles
that Wilberforce used so effectively in the fight to abolish the slave
trade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt;">What we can
offer are the powerful stories of those who have been effected by their
exposure to or use of such material.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt;">Last spring
we were delighted to facilitate an event which enabled a group of under 30s to
go into parliament and talk to MPs about the impact that growing up with the
most extreme material easily available to them at the click of a mouse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The conference was such a success because of
the powerful stories we heard; young men and women casting off the constraints
of embarrassment and fear to sound the alarm for the sake of their generation
and the next.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt;">Their
stories are our most potent weapon.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt;">Similarly,
it was the personal stories of the effect of the media on children in her care
which motivated Mary Whitehouse to begin campaigning.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt;">We are
looking for more stories from those who have experienced challenging media
situations with their children or grandchildren.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stories that will give a human face to our
campaign.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stories that we can use to
make our case to politicians, regulators and potential funders of the projects
on which we are working with the Children & Families Media Education
Trust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stories like that of Mrs W whose
eleven year old son was shown hard-core pornography on the phone of a friend
during a lesson at school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stories like
the one of Mrs G whose daughter became addicted to pornography which she
accessed on her phone using the unfiltered wi-fi at a friend’s house.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial;">Do you have
a story which you could share with us?<span> </span></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt;">If you have
a story to tell please do get in touch so that we present your experience to
those who are able to make a difference. </span></div>
Mediawatch-UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12215885151457312646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131137942376227025.post-79016760352273954692015-04-16T09:25:00.000-07:002015-04-16T09:25:44.174-07:00Social media setting the agenda<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH-ZLdpVF_QhfJhoB3VeF95C1dth5WYU22Px4eOkawfv3vGYi8rnverttlgqE6pbiluUcOscKqZs4LuUnsFERSi1iJC29inf0Sfco9zG-xkpF84vAG53-pJvlwCgRond9xQ9KqjSwI2sCL/s1600/Social+media+fingers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH-ZLdpVF_QhfJhoB3VeF95C1dth5WYU22Px4eOkawfv3vGYi8rnverttlgqE6pbiluUcOscKqZs4LuUnsFERSi1iJC29inf0Sfco9zG-xkpF84vAG53-pJvlwCgRond9xQ9KqjSwI2sCL/s1600/Social+media+fingers.JPG" height="111" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The way that internet content is created
and used has changed; in the past websites were static and users were limited
to the passive viewing of content but today we are able to interact and
collaborate with each other as creators of user-generated content in a virtual
community – sometimes referred to as<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Web
2.0.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Social media have played a huge part in
this and, looking back over recent news I’m struck by how many stories concern,
or are shaped by, social media.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For
example:</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Gabby shames Twitter sexist</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Twitter changes rules to ban ‘revenge porn’</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Facebook removes the ‘feeling fat’ status
update, replacing it with ‘stuffed’</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Pupils to be taught about how to deal with
dangers of sexting, revenge porn and cyber-bullying</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Facebook restricts violent video clips and
photos</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Facebook revamps its takedown guidelines</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Some of these stories illustrate the
challenge of dealing with this brave, new, interactive world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However social media have also brought us
exciting new opportunities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Social media are expected to be more
important than ever in the general election campaign and they provide us with opportunities
to enter into direct dialogue with the candidates who wish to represent us and
participate in political debate.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br />
Politicians, local and national media are increasingly using social media to
gauge public opinion so it’s an ideal opportunity to make your views part of a
wider conversation.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">If you are a Twitter user you could follow
your candidate and ask them about the issues which are important to you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can also use Twitter to engage in
political debate in both regional and national media.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Many candidates are also on Facebook
and asking questions via a candidate's Facebook page can result in a more
immediate response than email or post and also allow a longer conversation to
develop. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">If you’re not a social media user and would
like to engage with your local candidates in advance of this election why not
create an account – you need only use it for the general election period if you
wish.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">
You can find out who your candidates are and whether they are on Twitter or
Facebook <a href="http://www.yournextmp.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">We included a list of questions you might
like to ask candidates in our most recent newsletter which you can see <a href="http://www.mediawatchuk.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Spring-2015.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Mediawatch-UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12215885151457312646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131137942376227025.post-39298222331262636872015-03-13T10:34:00.000-07:002015-03-13T10:34:18.502-07:00Children's rights are just as important as those of big business<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvdCGpRvGjhxwfjJUWACFn-Z8NzZHkBR6v7XC6yepPMUiG64PxFTd7iGBN0IfuBoGLqRYC8SA9ZB8503awn_InDeNnFrbCUhsUrXGsa8E7KttHr3r0xCjIB206WrTwc0H2D0cnyrGsaeY/s1600/Boy+with+tablet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvdCGpRvGjhxwfjJUWACFn-Z8NzZHkBR6v7XC6yepPMUiG64PxFTd7iGBN0IfuBoGLqRYC8SA9ZB8503awn_InDeNnFrbCUhsUrXGsa8E7KttHr3r0xCjIB206WrTwc0H2D0cnyrGsaeY/s1600/Boy+with+tablet.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Since 2012 internet service providers have
been acting under a court order to block access to many of the biggest sharing
sites that link to illegal content, including the best-known Pirate Bay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although initially reluctant to block such sites,
following the court’s ruling ISPs agreed to comply.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">However users can visit so-called proxy
sites that bypass the restrictions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
week it was reported that, as part of the battle against online piracy, UK ISPs
have now begun blocking access to websites that provide a list of Pirate Bay
alternatives</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">This block has only come about because of
an expensive court case brought by rights holders including the British
Phonographic Industry and the Premier League amongst others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Big businesses can afford to enforce their
rights through the courts but parents and children do not have this option.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Which powerful corporations are fighting to
protect the interests of the victims of the ‘free and open’ internet that
enables children to have pornography streamed into their bedrooms?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">These are the interests which need real
protection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Children’s rights are just
as important as those of big business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Following Government pressure the ‘big
four’ ISPs all offer easy to use filters and Sky and TalkTalk have taken the
brave move to block potentially harmful content as a default unless users opt
in to access it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However many smaller
ISPs do not offer filters – including one which makes a virtue of its refusal
to offer protective filters.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">It is time for the government to legislate
to afford children and families the same protections as big businesses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the election almost upon us this might
be something you would like to raise with prospective candidates canvassing your
vote. </span></span></div>
Mediawatch-UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12215885151457312646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131137942376227025.post-75140409734538427812015-02-13T08:56:00.000-08:002015-02-13T08:56:14.080-08:00Fifty Shades of Grey: Mainstreaming Exploitation and Pornography<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghC36ED0-b4cunuYd7zHpVUD-RDJ1CTw3MJ16zCbFKyXKX4QjD6SZy-WlujLY8tbosfX8ujg_MxLzTa4hMKOrMLv1BwC_4e1n4z9e0n9eNm_zhfH8UgrXvxb0Z-dNpzksROZxzAAtUyZV4/s1600/Fifty+Shades+Grey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghC36ED0-b4cunuYd7zHpVUD-RDJ1CTw3MJ16zCbFKyXKX4QjD6SZy-WlujLY8tbosfX8ujg_MxLzTa4hMKOrMLv1BwC_4e1n4z9e0n9eNm_zhfH8UgrXvxb0Z-dNpzksROZxzAAtUyZV4/s1600/Fifty+Shades+Grey.jpg" height="173" width="320" /></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 26.0pt;">Fifty Shades of Grey: </span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 26.0pt;">Mainstreaming Exploitation
and Pornography</span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 18.0pt;">Not sexual revolution but
sexual exploitation</span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Valentine’s Day, more usually associated
with flowers, chocolate and romance is, this year, being hijacked as a
promotional vehicle for the release of the film <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fifty Shades of Grey</i> which opens in cinemas across the UK on
13th February. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The book on which this film was based
glamorised and legitimised both sexual and domestic violence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the mainstream release and promotion of this
film opinion makers, the media and celebrities are legitimising this violence
too. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Sexual violence and sexual exploitation are
at an all time high, permeating our culture by way of hardcore pornography.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This film further legitimises them despite
the fact that making violence ‘sexy’ has significant consequences to individuals,
relationships and society.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The extended trailer for the film calls it
a ‘fairy tale’; a misleading description which suggests a simple love story and
masks the film’s true themes of humiliation, manipulation, abuse and
degradation of women. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The ‘fairy tale’ in this film is that, in
reality, women in relationships such as the one depicted in the film don’t end
up like Anastasia — they often end up in a woman’s shelter, on the run for
years, or dead. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">This film also perpetuates the ‘fairy tale’
that women can ‘fix’ violent, controlling men by being obedient and loving.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">The Lie</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">: <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Fifty Shades of Grey is a love story</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">The Truth</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">: <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Fifty Shades of Grey is about abuse,
violence and the </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 72.0pt; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">grooming of a young girl for sadistic sex</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Violence is violence and inflicting sexual
violence is not sexy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While this should
be a black-and-white truth, this film is selling it in all shades of grey.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Such is the hype surrounding this film it
is naïve to assume it will escape the notice of children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have already seen:</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">A beginner’s guide to bondage broadcast at 10.30am on ITV’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">This Morning</i>.</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The Barbican Cinema holding a Parent and Baby screening of the
film</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The trailer for the film has been classified as 15 by the BBFC
which means it can be shown to children at screenings of 15 rated films</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The BBFC has given the film an 18
certificate because it “contains strong sex and nudity, along with the
portrayal of erotic role play based on domination, submission and
sado-masochistic practices”. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We’d like to amend
this to read: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“Promotes torture as
sexually gratifying, encourages stalking and abuse of power, promotes female
inequality, glamorises and legitimises violence against women.”</b></span> </span></div>
Mediawatch-UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12215885151457312646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131137942376227025.post-79195535665746611012015-02-13T08:54:00.000-08:002015-02-13T08:54:27.714-08:00Fifty Shades of Grey: Mainstreaming Exploitation and Pornography<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghC36ED0-b4cunuYd7zHpVUD-RDJ1CTw3MJ16zCbFKyXKX4QjD6SZy-WlujLY8tbosfX8ujg_MxLzTa4hMKOrMLv1BwC_4e1n4z9e0n9eNm_zhfH8UgrXvxb0Z-dNpzksROZxzAAtUyZV4/s1600/Fifty+Shades+Grey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghC36ED0-b4cunuYd7zHpVUD-RDJ1CTw3MJ16zCbFKyXKX4QjD6SZy-WlujLY8tbosfX8ujg_MxLzTa4hMKOrMLv1BwC_4e1n4z9e0n9eNm_zhfH8UgrXvxb0Z-dNpzksROZxzAAtUyZV4/s1600/Fifty+Shades+Grey.jpg" height="173" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 26.0pt;"></span></b></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 26.0pt;"> </span></b></span><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 26.0pt;">Fifty Shades of Grey: </span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 26.0pt;">Mainstreaming Exploitation
and Pornography</span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 18.0pt;">Not sexual revolution but
sexual exploitation</span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Valentine’s Day, more usually associated
with flowers, chocolate and romance is, this year, being hijacked as a
promotional vehicle for the release of the film <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fifty Shades of Grey</i> which opens in cinemas across the UK on
13th February. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The book on which this film was based
glamorised and legitimised both sexual and domestic violence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the mainstream release and promotion of this
film opinion makers, the media and celebrities are legitimising this violence
too. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Sexual violence and sexual exploitation are
at an all time high, permeating our culture by way of hardcore pornography.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This film further legitimises them despite
the fact that making violence ‘sexy’ has significant consequences to individuals,
relationships and society.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The extended trailer for the film calls it
a ‘fairy tale’; a misleading description which suggests a simple love story and
masks the film’s true themes of humiliation, manipulation, abuse and
degradation of women. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The ‘fairy tale’ in this film is that, in
reality, women in relationships such as the one depicted in the film don’t end
up like Anastasia — they often end up in a woman’s shelter, on the run for
years, or dead. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">This film also perpetuates the ‘fairy tale’
that women can ‘fix’ violent, controlling men by being obedient and loving.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">The Lie</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">: <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Fifty Shades of Grey is a love story</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">The Truth</span></b><span lang="EN-GB">: <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Fifty Shades of Grey is about abuse,
violence and the </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 72.0pt; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">grooming of a young girl for sadistic sex</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB"></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Violence is violence and inflicting sexual
violence is not sexy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While this should
be a black-and-white truth, this film is selling it in all shades of grey.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Such is the hype surrounding this film it
is naïve to assume it will escape the notice of children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have already seen:</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">A beginner’s guide to bondage broadcast at 10.30am on ITV’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">This Morning</i>.</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The Barbican Cinema holding a Parent and Baby screening of the
film</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The trailer for the film has been classified as 15 by the BBFC
which means it can be shown to children at screenings of 15 rated films</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The BBFC has given the film an 18
certificate because it “contains strong sex and nudity, along with the
portrayal of erotic role play based on domination, submission and
sado-masochistic practices”. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We’d like to amend
this to read: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“Promotes torture as
sexually gratifying, encourages stalking and abuse of power, promotes female
inequality, glamorises and legitimises violence against women.”</b></span> </span></div>
Mediawatch-UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12215885151457312646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131137942376227025.post-78656383943990004442015-02-05T01:44:00.003-08:002015-02-05T01:44:55.483-08:00Watershed protection in the online space<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQkv_LdMfSNknCxik4lac3IgiBlMJEtWlPKNHORPixUxvPgP9fXgubyPfUhsOm0HFlslaeBZ8WG6hyphenhyphen9Azx04JFEoqWbmFLkN74VtL0QQLkyN7QwqHggoPTkSGA9mOc8FG4iYfzbjuQmxL/s1600/X+Factor+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQkv_LdMfSNknCxik4lac3IgiBlMJEtWlPKNHORPixUxvPgP9fXgubyPfUhsOm0HFlslaeBZ8WG6hyphenhyphen9Azx04JFEoqWbmFLkN74VtL0QQLkyN7QwqHggoPTkSGA9mOc8FG4iYfzbjuQmxL/s1600/X+Factor+2012.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Last week the Director General of the BBC,
Tony Hall, featured in a wide-ranging interview in the Radio Times. The
discussion ranged from the representation of women in BBC output to whether The
Archers has become too soapy.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">One of the areas touched on was the
watershed. “What’s the point when kids can access unsuitable content on a
variety of devices at any time?” asked the interviewer. Lord Hall
replied: “the watershed is still a useful way of judging the content and
sensitivities, and taste and decency issues. But has the watershed got a
future in 20 or 30 years’ time? I suspect not.”</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Whilst it’s true that new technologies mean
the watershed in 20 years’ time will look very different to what we understand
it to be today, it is a concern to hear that the man in charge of the BBC
thinks it has no future.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The watershed is now 50 years old and
television viewers still support its existence. Ofcom’s research shows
high levels of regard with approximately 80% of parents saying they believe it
is relevant and necessary. Ofcom’s Director, Tony Close, has described it
as “a vital means of protecting viewers.” Whilst it can never be the
complete answer to protecting children from potentially harmful material is a
useful tool and, as such, is worth protecting.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Presently the vast majority of television
is watched as it is broadcast although the number of ‘time-shifted’ hours
consumed continues to rise steadily. Before such viewing becomes the
principle means of television consumption we need to consider how we extend the
protection currently offered by the watershed into the online space. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">This is not an impossible request;
presently subscribers to cable and satellite services have to enter a PIN
number to access post-watershed content which they have downloaded. This
is a workable solution which we would like to see extended to other on-demand
platforms such as iPlayer.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">There are feasible steps that can and
should be taken by broadcasters to control access to post-watershed material by
children. Now is the time to consider how we can replicate the valuable
tool which is the watershed online. </span></span></div>
Mediawatch-UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12215885151457312646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131137942376227025.post-28519889155582092322015-02-05T01:40:00.000-08:002015-02-05T01:40:27.064-08:00Sky leading the way<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2aErwtzZXTmeLHFfataxDXIkEurtk67QBPsQEW4UKuxyZeVHwmVTcJzcLmzU0YS5X1weR5BOEdjI7B_rRex0mgq25YhD2cVJKcDQSXhjp_r-jTWwUC9L4HgeKgkTUUlKImgsCaif6-ZOv/s1600/Sky+broadband+shield.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2aErwtzZXTmeLHFfataxDXIkEurtk67QBPsQEW4UKuxyZeVHwmVTcJzcLmzU0YS5X1weR5BOEdjI7B_rRex0mgq25YhD2cVJKcDQSXhjp_r-jTWwUC9L4HgeKgkTUUlKImgsCaif6-ZOv/s1600/Sky+broadband+shield.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Last
week Sky Broadband became the first major ISP to announce that it would block
adult content as a default unless users opt in to access it. Designed to
filter out content deemed to be unsuitable for children aged under 13, Sky's
Broadband Shield has been offered as default to new customers for a year but
this will now be rolled out to all 5.3 million existing customers.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Most
of the UK’s
ISPs all offer filtering software for parents concerned about the potentially
harmful material their children may be able to access online, but few have
offered this as a default.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sky's
brand director, explained the change: "What we're doing now is simply
making sure that the automatic position of Sky Broadband Shield is the safest
one for all - that's 'on', unless customers choose otherwise.”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Starting
this week, the company will email its customers about the blocker. If
households ignore the email, and a subsequent reminder, pornography and other
websites considered to be harmful to children will be blocked automatically.
Sky’s brand director said: “It’s better for people to make their own
choice, but until they do, we believe this process will be the safest one.”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It
is to be hoped that Sky’s brave move will put pressure on other major internet
providers such as BT – which has twice as many broadband customers as Sky – and
Virgin Media to adopt the same ‘family-friendly’ approach. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Anti-censorship
groups have been quick to voice their opposition to the move and their
assertions that filters do not block all unsavoury material are correct.
Filters can never be a substitute for monitoring children’s internet use and
talking about other dangers beyond content, however they are a vital tool for
parents and an important first line of defence. As such Sky’s decision is
to be applauded and, we hope, emulated across the industry.</span></div>
Mediawatch-UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12215885151457312646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131137942376227025.post-11342330738960890682015-01-21T09:15:00.001-08:002015-01-21T09:15:48.906-08:00Effective protection for children online<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2fuFlHm-v46DWmk6o-a4DTiaGyj1KlGgJLxqx4AB2G3gqStgv7q7-caBUJ4gPNl2c2-3LobN-Y7fg0XYpq61JsAIXcM-36gUiPBzxE3HKcCMMHtC9DdUm4olKXctdZQ5DCVWrZuL3ScEL/s1600/boy+on+laptop+with+shields.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2fuFlHm-v46DWmk6o-a4DTiaGyj1KlGgJLxqx4AB2G3gqStgv7q7-caBUJ4gPNl2c2-3LobN-Y7fg0XYpq61JsAIXcM-36gUiPBzxE3HKcCMMHtC9DdUm4olKXctdZQ5DCVWrZuL3ScEL/s1600/boy+on+laptop+with+shields.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Last week the Telegraph ran an <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/11328438/Is-it-time-for-state-approved-porn-in-the-UK.html">article</a>
on pornography by Martin Daubney putting the case for what he described as
‘state-approved porn in the UK’.
‘If we can’t axe it, should we tax it – like soft drugs in Holland
or prostitution in Germany’
- he suggested</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Mr Daubney is the former editor of lad’s
mag Loaded and he has previously spoken of his concern that the magazine he
edited might have acted as a gateway to pornography for a generation of young
men. He also presented the Channel 4 documentary <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Porn on the Brain</i> which looked at the effect of pornography
consumption the adolescent brain and in which he described online porn as ‘the
most pernicious threat facing children today’.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">According to Mr Daubney his massively
controversial proposition could even achieve the unthinkable: and unite
censors, MPs, child protection agencies and, perhaps most astonishingly of all,
the pornographers themselves.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB"> He proposes that all sites carrying
pornographic material be confined to a dedicated domain -.xxx for example –
with compulsory age verification.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These
sites would host material within agreed, legal parameters of taste and be
licensed by the government and any sites not in compliance would be blacklisted
and blocked by ISPs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">On the face of it this is a great idea; if
the internet is the Wild West than a corral for such material has to be better
than nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However whether it would
seriously impact material hosted on foreign sites, which are currently where
the most extreme, violent and degrading material is hosted, is a moot point.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Just because there is a demand for
pornography which does not appear to be abating does not mean that its use is
without consequence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">This proposal provides porn with a veneer
of respectability which it does not merit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It fails to acknowledge the very real potential harm of pornography.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We cannot trust the industry itself to
acknowledge this when its current advice site offers nothing more than
information on child protection filters.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Our proposals for opt-in regulation met
with criticism this yet this model would be far more problematic; with material
being blocked by ISPs it really would be state-sponsored censorship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Could all overseas porn be blocked with
violating trade agreements?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s also doubtful
whether it could work in the long term as vested interests push for more
latitude. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve seen time and again that
rules on what and what is not acceptable are open to interpretation leading to
a constant pushing boundaries – why should porn be different?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Clearly verifying the age of children
attempting to access pornography is crucial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sites hosted in the UK
already verify age but ATVOD has offered a creative solution to target overseas
sites - by impacting their revenues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
UK is a substantial market
and to access customers in the UK
would be quite a powerful incentive to introduce restrictions.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">ATVOD wants all adult sites to request a licence,
which would only be granted if age checks were in place, with banks and other
payment processors not allowed to handle fees for services from UK
citizens to unregulated sites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Payment
firms say they will act if shown that sites are breaking the law and the regulator
accepts that this means new legislation.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">ATVOD say this matter is so urgent it is
‘critical the legislation is enacted during this Parliament’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With an election coming up this is something
you might like to raise with anyone canvassing your vote.</span></span></div>
Mediawatch-UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12215885151457312646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131137942376227025.post-58961157253625639852014-12-15T06:31:00.000-08:002014-12-15T06:31:19.591-08:00Protecting the future<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0s1Q2uGWdSD2OeRW58nJKx_dXYiiz7znO3DlvFZr12ociHPlDgBeNfQapinYLwtSrH6OeH7FYnQfjtmDl0tkQl1rdFwOyGDzNVw1vaIeapissQRdm4goNNwFPDJ8t0UYxM_N6YMX3VkBc/s1600/Future+sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0s1Q2uGWdSD2OeRW58nJKx_dXYiiz7znO3DlvFZr12ociHPlDgBeNfQapinYLwtSrH6OeH7FYnQfjtmDl0tkQl1rdFwOyGDzNVw1vaIeapissQRdm4goNNwFPDJ8t0UYxM_N6YMX3VkBc/s1600/Future+sign.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Apparently one of the most popular gifts
for children this Christmas will be a tablet computer. Although the first
such device was launched less than five years ago in 2010 the technology has
proved so popular that, according to Ofcom, 70% of 5-15 year olds now have
access to one. Smartphones will be another most-requested this year and
it is sobering to think that back in 2011 when Reg Bailey reported for the
Government on the sexualisation of childhood the technology was so new that his
report included just one reference to smartphones; four year on most mobile
phone users have such a device.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Similarly the way that we use the internet
has changed. Initially the internet hosted sites limited to the passive
viewing of content but we are now able to interact and collaborate with each
other in a virtual community through social networking sites, blogs, wikis,
video sharing sites etc.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">These changes have given us new
capabilities and ways to connect but they have also presented us with a whole
new set of challenges. A decade ago behaviours such as sexting and
trolling barely existed but today we have to consider how best to protect
people from such harmful practices.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The pace of innovation is incredibly fast
and it is vital that regulation and legislation continues to keep up.
This month we have seen a number of developments aimed at closing this gap:</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Sexual communication with a child online is to become a
criminal offence. Inviting a child to communicate sexually –
regardless of whether or not the recipient of those messages replies or
responds in any sexual way – will be illegal. The law will apply to anyone
over the age of 18 trying to send a sexual message to anyone under the age
of 16 – whether that’s on Facebook, SMS, WhatsApp, email or any other
communications channel. </span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">GCHQ and the National Crime Agency are to work together to hunt
online paedophiles with the same effort used to track terrorists.
Data taken from tens of millions of child abuse photos and videos
seized during previous operations will be compiled to form a new database
to aid investigations into suspected paedophiles across the UK. </span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Google has announced it is developing child-friendly versions
of its search site, Chrome browser and video-sharing service
YouTube. The modified versions will be designed for children aged up
to 12 and will include tools that let parents monitor and manage how much
time their offspring spend online and where they go.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><ul style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Twitter, like many other sites, has become a repository for
abusive language. A new system for reporting abuse on the platform
has now been developed offering additional user controls, further
improvements to reporting and new enforcement procedures for abusive
accounts.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">These are all examples of government and
industry working to keep pace with technological innovation and they are to be
commended. However it is important that our efforts are not solely
confined to catching up.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">An independent review into the future of
government in the digital age has recently been published. The review was
commissioned by the Labour Party and it recommended that the UK Government
establish an expert technology ethics body similar to those already in place in
medicine and academia. It would help address complex challenges such as
ownership and control of data and the right to be forgotten. As one
commentator put it: “we need a technology philosopher in chief for our age,
before the technology runs away with itself.”</span></span></div>
Mediawatch-UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12215885151457312646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131137942376227025.post-36515993510308470862014-12-05T09:17:00.000-08:002014-12-05T09:17:37.269-08:00Violent game banned by Australian retailers<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipFqbE_l3JH8NoLk17kpM49GQMMZg1re7i1irBfPT6FqubIP5jLn1B4T5wGgBQViwvvD_-L8Q5RFxxc68HGCO2IJSiXtcMFJ8G1FNREk6142zW0PC6z3uhqwetHcdWt6QRxjCh-qcxHpjt/s1600/GTA+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipFqbE_l3JH8NoLk17kpM49GQMMZg1re7i1irBfPT6FqubIP5jLn1B4T5wGgBQViwvvD_-L8Q5RFxxc68HGCO2IJSiXtcMFJ8G1FNREk6142zW0PC6z3uhqwetHcdWt6QRxjCh-qcxHpjt/s1600/GTA+5.JPG" height="320" width="261" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This
week Target and Kmart, two of Australia's
largest retailers, took the decision to remove the controversial video game <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Grand Theft Auto 5</i> from their stores
because of its graphic scenes of violence against women.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Grant Theft Auto 5</span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> is the
latest title in the successful gaming series and was released a year ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is set in the fictional American city of Los Santos and gamers
control criminals as they rampage through the town committing a series of
crimes to rise to the top of the gangster underworld by any grotesque means
necessary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has been criticised for
its levels of violence, particularly for its depictions of torture and the way
it often portrays women as strippers and prostitutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Guinness Book of Records</i> has named the series as the most controversial
video game in history</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Explaining
its decision, a spokesman for Target said it had “been speaking to many
customers over recent days about the game, and there is a significant level of
concern about the game's content.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We feel
the decision to stop selling GTA5 is in line with the majority view of our
customers.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Clearly
the chain’s decision was business focused rather than part of a wider moral
crusade but it was prompted by a petition calling for its removal from stores
because of the levels of violence against women.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is worth noting that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Grand Theft Auto</i> allows players to be violent not just towards
women but men too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However GTA’s
depiction of female characters is broadly one dimensional with women portrayed
in the main as prostitutes, nags or powerless damsels in distress; hardly a
healthy role model for the 21<sup>st</sup> century.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">GTA is
no stranger to controversy and it has come to be seen as the nadir of violent
gaming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, there are equally
concerning games such as the updated version of 90s bête noire <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mortal Kombat</i> which allows players to
kill their opponents in numerous stomach churning ways and<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Call of Duty</i> is infamous for the episode in which players are
invited to slaughter bystanders in an airport.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There
are lots of games which are not violet and misogynistic but it’s the nature of
promotion today that, in order to secure media coverage, developers need to
provide a product that will be talked about and sometimes pushing the
boundaries is an easy way to do this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We’ve seen the same in other forms of media including music videos.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There
has been a backlash from gamers against Target’s decision but so often the
level of debate has descended to ‘I play GTA and I don’t run down prostitutes’
- but this is missing the point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Research from Canada published earlier this year looked at far more
subtle, but equally concerning, links between the types of games played and
gamers’ moral reasoning and ability to take the perspective of others into
account.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Hours
spent playing violent video games was found to be effectively stunting
emotional growth. Interestingly, there was no correlation between the amount of
time reported playing non-violent video games and moral reasoning levels.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Following
the ban in Australia
there has the predictable outpouring of threats and abuse against those who
initiated and signed the petition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Perhaps this toxic behaviour is itself an illustration of the possible
effect of these violent games.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If you are thinking of buying a console
such as Xbox One or PlayStation 4 this Christmas</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> it’s worth bearing
in mind that there is nothing wrong with gaming per se – as long as players
don’t spend too long doing it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The key
is keeping abreast of the content of the games being played on the device.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grand Theft Auto 5 is rated 18 and this
rating is not an indication of skill but of content.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the same way most responsible parents would
not be happy with their children watching an 18 rated DVD they need to keep a
similar eye on the games which are being played and make sure that they use the
parental controls available on these platforms to protect their children – not
just from age inappropriate games but, as these consoles can be used to access
the internet, from potentially harmful online content too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can find out how to do this here for <a href="http://support.xbox.com/en-GB/xbox-360/security/xbox-live-parental-control"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Xbox</span></a> products and here for <a href="https://support.us.playstation.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5097/~/ps4-parental-controls"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">PS4</span></a>.</span></div>
Mediawatch-UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12215885151457312646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131137942376227025.post-71516879021557922382014-12-05T08:29:00.001-08:002014-12-05T08:29:46.260-08:00Defeat in the Lords but we keep fighting<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCbIxsw-1D6W9lTii6WznTPBRW3k_ur6CrFYeczxCV_1yFsFlMqdJH5a-fgTTqcqdMJBqLL-5UlL03KwsMJsOK3SoWVWilEKIyJhB6SftxhqEYulNxFRoihyphenhyphenGx0HvoDXn9GxrOKCRFVKgB/s1600/safeonline+logo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCbIxsw-1D6W9lTii6WznTPBRW3k_ur6CrFYeczxCV_1yFsFlMqdJH5a-fgTTqcqdMJBqLL-5UlL03KwsMJsOK3SoWVWilEKIyJhB6SftxhqEYulNxFRoihyphenhyphenGx0HvoDXn9GxrOKCRFVKgB/s1600/safeonline+logo.JPG" height="185" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Thank
you for taking the time to use our campaign website, Safeonline.org.uk to
contact a peer and encourage them to support Baroness Howe’s amendment to the
government’s Consumer Rights Bill. Lady Howe’s amendment required all
ISPs and mobile phone operators to provide their customers a service free of
adult content unless they opted in to receive it and made provision for robust
age verification to guard against abuse of the system.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So many people
responded that we estimate that every peer received at least one email of
encouragement. Lady Howe was delighted with the level of support that she
had received and asked me to pass on her thanks.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Sadly
the amendment was not carried with 65 peers voting for it with 124 voting
against.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As the
Government did not support the amendment, we always knew that an early vote
would be crucial to success and, unfortunately, the debate went on into the
evening by which time many non-government peers had gone home.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It is
deeply frustrating that, at the end of the day this should come down to
something as capricious as timing rather than the quality of the arguments.
There were great contributions from Lord Cormack and Lord Framlingham who
both defied their Party whips and voted for the amendment. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Although
disappointing we should also take encouragement from the result. The
majority of Peers spoke in favour of the amendment and in her summing up Lady
Howe noted: “each time one puts pressure on the Government, it improves the
situation”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
peers who voted for the amendment included Labour, Conservative, Liberal
Democrats and cross-benchers. Clearly this is an issue which transcends
party boundaries and shows the strength of feeling on this issue. You can
read the debate <a href="http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201415/ldhansrd/lhan64.pdf" title="blocked::http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201415/ldhansrd/lhan64.pdf">here</a>,
beginning on page 35.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Thank
you once again for your support which, had timings been different, would have
carried the day. All is not yet over and we <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>look
forward to being able to write to you with the good news of statutory
protection in the not too distant future.</span></div>
Mediawatch-UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12215885151457312646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131137942376227025.post-9815864679505966192014-11-21T08:45:00.000-08:002014-11-25T01:46:34.132-08:00Have Your Say: a real chance to see real change.<!--[if !mso]>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.safeonline.org.uk/" target="_blank"><img alt="http://www.safeonline.org.uk/" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCbIxsw-1D6W9lTii6WznTPBRW3k_ur6CrFYeczxCV_1yFsFlMqdJH5a-fgTTqcqdMJBqLL-5UlL03KwsMJsOK3SoWVWilEKIyJhB6SftxhqEYulNxFRoihyphenhyphenGx0HvoDXn9GxrOKCRFVKgB/s1600/safeonline+logo.JPG" height="185" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Campaign update:</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Over the past year we have seen some real
progress in our fight to protect children from harmful online material. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The Government has worked with some
Internet Service Providers to come up with a voluntary industry agreement to
protect children which being called ‘default-on’. This represents an
important step forward but, crucially, it leaves over10% of the home broadband
market and hundreds of thousands of children beyond the agreement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a good start but will only be really
effective if accompanied by robust age-verification for users which is sadly
lacking from the industry’s own proposals.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">That the current arrangements are
insufficient was eloquently illustrated by an ATVOD report in March which
showed that in one month 44,000 primary school children had accessed porn sites
and 200,000 children under 16. In August a judge sentenced a boy for raping a
10 year old girl noting that he was acting out hard core porn he had freely
accessed from the computer in his bedroom.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">We believe that self-regulation is not a
credible long term solution and that statutory backing is needed.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">If we keep things solely on a
self-regulatory basis we will have no long term security. It may be that
under intense political and media pressure today the industry will get its
house in order, but where will we be in five, ten or twenty years’ time?
If it is true, as the Prime Minister has said, that ‘few things are more
important than this,’ why is it that we have laws on myriad eventualities but
nothing in relation to one of the most important areas currently affecting us
and our children?</span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Last January Baroness Howe moved an
amendment to the Children and Families Bill to address these issues.
Although the amendment was lost, a very considerable vote was secured and many
have said that had the vote not been delayed until 8.30 in the evening it would
have been won.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The Government has failed to do anything
substantive in the intervening period to deal with the problems that the
amendment addressed. Mindful of this Baroness Howe has introduced an
amendment (50D) to the Consumer Rights Bill which will be debated in the House
of Lords on 26th November. If accepted this clause would require:</span></span></div>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">All Internet Service Providers and mobile phone operators to
provide, as a default, an internet service without access to pornography –
with adult subscribers able to opt-in to receive such material.</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The provision of really robust age-verification procedures.</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Please act now:</span></b></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1LyuBCnkBc3NqM7iDenzUKacrk0vsueaYaqwLGgmbgVhXuD31VeLoDz1MGK_vEo6qRx1sn3pH6MTXHsDj-E_4dsn8RtqEGlHVrOF2I9K-6wKJMpgcE-PRlOrWgDKCIINNynv4-_ECpwvY/s1600/act-now.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1LyuBCnkBc3NqM7iDenzUKacrk0vsueaYaqwLGgmbgVhXuD31VeLoDz1MGK_vEo6qRx1sn3pH6MTXHsDj-E_4dsn8RtqEGlHVrOF2I9K-6wKJMpgcE-PRlOrWgDKCIINNynv4-_ECpwvY/s1600/act-now.jpg" height="180" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">If you
agree that it's time the law was used to protect children in the online
environment as it is offline please email a cross bench peer and encourage them
to attend The House on 26<sup>th</sup> November and support the Bill.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We have
updated our campaign website, <a href="http://www.safeonline.org.uk/">www.safeonline.org.uk</a>,
to enable you to do this quickly and easily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Time is of the essence but this is such a wonderful opportunity to have
a real influence we hope you won’t want to miss it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">If you
are pushed for time <a href="http://www.safeonline.org.uk/">Safeonline</a>
includes a quick and easy template letter that you can use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The
whole process should take no more than a couple of minutes and it could make
all the difference</b>.</span></span></div>
Mediawatch-UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12215885151457312646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8131137942376227025.post-26655053882633880282014-11-10T05:15:00.000-08:002014-11-10T05:15:34.061-08:00The cause of ratings creep: desensitisation<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcaY5bUTwvUcS-G7PGwokllKgzaYLCJCjRHKhN7xV5yO2D0BpZH0VsSMAk2jxa4VLVmLQPTA8uW3hGmFbQMW7CVQmrKzwysDI743blE8ZoFLtjUxLlh4skW31nmqYI0GmAg8eGfw6jEzM_/s1600/Children+in+cinema.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcaY5bUTwvUcS-G7PGwokllKgzaYLCJCjRHKhN7xV5yO2D0BpZH0VsSMAk2jxa4VLVmLQPTA8uW3hGmFbQMW7CVQmrKzwysDI743blE8ZoFLtjUxLlh4skW31nmqYI0GmAg8eGfw6jEzM_/s1600/Children+in+cinema.JPG" height="248" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The November issue of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pediatrics</i> magazine includes the findings of some very interesting
new research which suggests that viewers may be partly responsible for ‘ratings
creep’ which has seen younger children exposed to increasing levels of on
screen sex and violence.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The study found that parents become
desensitised over time when viewing material featuring ‘adult’ content; viewers
watching a series of bloodthirsty or erotic scenes were less able to gauge
their suitability for children as time went by. </span></span></div>
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Researchers showed a series of clips with similar levels of sex and violence to
parents of children aged six to 18 and asked them to give each selection an age
rating. The study found that viewers of the first scene felt an appropriate age
would be, on average, 16.9 for violent content and 17.2 for sexualised content.
But by the time they had watched the sixth scene, respondents’ perception of
the appropriate age had dropped to 13.9 for violent content and 14 for
sexualised content.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The authors of the study also suggest that the
desensitisation phenomenon could affect other frequent film viewers, such as
those who decide the age appropriate level of films. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This would help explain the long-term “ratings
creep” phenomenon which has seen censors on both sides of the Atlantic
relax ratings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed an American study
conducted last year found that films rated PG-13 now contain more gun violence
than those rated R (not suitable for under 17s) and that gun violence in PG-13
films has tripled since 1985.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">The phenomenon was illustrated in the UK this week:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">Appearing before a meeting of the Commons
culture, media and sport committee, outgoing Ofcom Chairman, Ed Richards, told
MPs that Ofcom have found only 35% of viewers think there is too much violence on
TV, down from 55% in 2008,</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> </span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">while 26% believe there is
too much sex</span><span lang="EN-GB">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Just 35% think there is too much swearing; down
from 53% six years ago.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-GB">“There has been a big change in this over the years,”
said Mr Richards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“People are more
tolerant of a degree of violence than they were. They are much more tolerant of
certain forms of swearing than they were.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB"><br />
This is a perfect illustration of what happens after decades of constant
exposure to questionable content; we become desensitised and the boundaries of
what is considered acceptable are constantly pushed back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What the long-term consequences of this desensitisation
might be for the next generation remain unknown.</span></span></div>
Mediawatch-UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12215885151457312646noreply@blogger.com0