Regulation of the Media Sector

British Video Association
The British Video Association is an organisation, and is the trade body that represents the interests of publishers and rights owners of video entertainment. They represent the industry's interests to the media, the government, the public and othe industry organisations.

Film Distributors Association,

Film Distributors' Association Ltd. (FDA) is the trade body for theatrical film distributors in the UK - the companies that release films for UK  cinema audiences.

Video Standards Council (VSC)

The VSC was established in 1989 and was set up to develop and oversee a Code of Practice designed to promote high standards within the video industry. The video and game industries owe a duty of car to customers and they do everything they can to ensure that they obey that duty.

Trading Standards

The Trading Standards Institute is a professional membership assocation formed in 1881. It aims to promote and protect the succes of a modern vibrant economy.

It has 5 main corperate aims and these are:

• To Support TSI Members and TS Services so the trading standards profession can innovate, sustain outcomes and develop new practitioners.
• To develop innovative solutions through anticipating and responding to the changing needs of our members.
• To make an operating contribution through diversification so that our ambitions can be realised.
• To expand our influence and operations through International market surveillance solutions.
• To ensure our campaigns, products and policies have high impact.

Press Complaints Commission (PCC)

The Press Complaines Commision is an independent body which deals with complaints that our outlines in the Editors Code of Practice about the editorial content of newspapers and magazines. The PCC feel like they should hold the editors to account when a complaint is made, because they are there to serve, help and protect the public.

Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)

The Advertising Standards Authority is the UK's independent regulator of advertising across all media. This also include marketing on websites. The ASA plays and important role in todays world. It inform, entertains, and promotes healthy compettition. The aim at the ASA is to ensure that consumers do not just enjoy the ads they see, but they can trust them too.They work to ensure ads are legal, decent, honest and truthful by applying the Advertising Codes.

The Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF)

MEF is the global community for mobile content and commerce. The MEF shapes the ongoing development of the industry, connects the industry, and monetizes in partnership with its members. They do this by creating initiatives. 

The Independent Games Developers Association (IGDA)

IGDA is the professional society for over 10,000 vedio and computer game developers worldwide.

The International Game Developers Association is the largest non-profit membership organization serving individuals who create video games. They bring together developers at conferences, in local chapters and in special interest groups to improve their lives and craft.

British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA)

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is the UK's leading independent charity working with the film, TV and video games industries. They develop and promote the art forms of the moving image in the UK - from Film and Television to Video Games and Interactive Media. 

Commercial Radio Companies Association (CRCA)
The CRCA is the trade body for UK commercial UK. It manages the Radio Advertising ClearanceCentre which clears national and special category advertisements prior to
broadcast.

The International Visual Communication Association (IVCA)
The international Visual Communication Association exists to represent members to government. Thye work with production companies, freelancers, support service providers and clients of the industry to represent their interests and help maximize their competitiveness and professionalism.

Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C)
The Worldwide Web Consortium is a international community where members, staff and the public work together to develop web standards.

British Web Design and Marketing Association
The UKDWA was established in 2001 and they promote industry standards within the british web design and new media sector.

British Interactive Multimedia Association (BIMA)

BIMA has represented the diverse interests of the British digital industry for 25 years.
BIMA is dedicated to serving a membership in the UK and abroad. Locally, they are active in discussions with Government, leading industry players and other partner associations. Globally, they represent and champion the UK multimedia industry.

Regulatory Issues:

Ownership
It's important in the media not to have companys that overpower others. We dont want to end up in a world where just one media company owns all the media and becomes powerful than the rest.

Monopoly
The term 'Monopoly' mean where there is only one company who owns the worlds media. The problem with this is that it leads eveyone to beleive that what they tell you on the news is all true, when in reality it isn't. the issue with this is that oen company can become overpowerful.

Access
We pay TV liscences in the UK. Regulating bodies need to make decisions on what can be accessed by the public. For example, we pay a TV liscence for the BBC and because the BBC is so diverse and so many different channels, if these cant be accessed then people start to wonder what they are payign the liscence for.

Consumer Choice
Consumer choice ensures people of different ethnicites have programs that meet their taste, and that their is a wide variety of choice for consumers. Also so they can get the best value for moeny to suit their tatstes.

Freedom of Information
If you are a public authority you have a legal obligation to provide information through an approved publication scheme and in response to requests. Find out what you need to do under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Censorship

Regulating bodies are the people that decide what is said. For example radio stations bleep out swearing words on air becasue it will be classed as offensive or people may complain. This does link in with taste and decency as it determines what is accpetable and what isn't.

Taste and Decency
This links in with consumer choice in the way that it's important for pwopleto have a choice on what they want to watch and listen to. But also what is classed as 'decent' enough to be shown before or after certain times. If someone thinks something id being shown at an inappropriate time, then it is OFCOM who will deal with these problems, and they will review what was wrong.

Ethical and Legal Constraints within the Media Sector

Ethical:

Social issues and sensitivities, eg: representation of gender, representation of religious beliefs, linguistic usages, accessibility; professional body codes of practice, eg BBC producers’ guidelines, Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C) accessibility standards.

Legal: 

Broadcasting Act 1990 (and later amendments),

It is a series of laws, that relate to what is legal and illegal to broadcast on TV and radio in the UK. For example, if a TV station decided to show of a pornographic nature, then this would be in breach of the broadcasting act.

Official Secrets Act 1989,

It is illegal to disclose information regarding national security.  If a newspaper published a story about the technical capabilities and shortcomings of Englands latest warships. This would then threaten the safety of the country and its people, and therefore endanger national security.

Obscene Publications Act 1959 (and later amendments),

Laws relating to obscene material being published. For example, if a magazine or newspaper published images that were in bad taste, then this would breach the obscene publicatons act.

Films Act 1985,

This is Laws concerning film finance and defining British films.

Video Recordings Act 1984,

Laws stating that all videos that are sold or available for rental must be classified by the BBFC. A breach of this act would be videos not being classified or released, and somebody purchasing this off for example, a market.

Race Relations Act 1976 (and later amendments),

The race relations act 1976  was established by the Parliament of the united kingdom to prevent discrimination on the grounds of race. Items that are covered include discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, nationality, ethnic and national origins in the fields of employment, the provision of good and services, education and public functions. An example of a breach of this law woukd be if the BBC were to advertse a job and only accept applications from ethnic ninority groups, this would discriminate against people not of an ethnic minority.

Human Rights Act 1998,

Rights that are believed to belong justifiably to every person.

Licensing Act 2003 (and later amendments);
This is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that applies only to England and Wales. The Act establishes a single integrated scheme for licensing premises which are used for the sale or supply of alcohol, to provide regulated entertainment, or to provide late night refreshment.

  

Privacy Law;

Is the right to be left alone. Privacy laws are concidered in the context of an individuals rights or expectation of privacy. Its to ensure broadcasters avoid any infringement of privacy in programmes and in connection with obtaining material included in programmes. Any infringement of privacy must be warrented.

Copyright and Intellectual Property Law;

protects written works including musical, theatrically and artistic. Also protects film, book layouts, sound recordings and broadcasts. Copyright is an automatic right that you don't have to apply for.

Libel Law

Laws stating that no slander or defamation shall be aimed at one particular individual or group etc.
A Famous Legal Case In The Media
A famous legal case was brought to the high court involving  Jamie Theakston v Mirror Group Newspapers Ltd. Jamie Theakston attempted to injunct the Sunday People from publishing a story about how he visited a brothel in Mayfair, London. Theakston argued that the publication of the story breached his right to privacy under Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights. He said that the activities had takern place privately and therefore it should be treated as confidential and that the publication had no public interest. The Sunday People then argued back that the publication of the story was in the public interest given the concern of the BBC, to ensure that presenters of programmes aimed at younger people conduct thenselves appropriately in public. The court were skeptical of Theakston's assertion that he only realised he was in a brothel when other prostitutes entered the room. Theakston failed at his attempt to injuct the Sunday People.

BBFC
The BBFC stands for the British Board of Film Classification. It is an independent body which classifies things in the media such as television programmes, films, advertisements and video games. They are responsible for the classification  of these things in the United Kingdom. The classification restricts the age in which the content can be viewed, as some things may not be suitable for people or children of a certain age. They all have to be classidied and certified, and if not they will be broadcasting them illegally, so it's very important.


OFCOM
OFCOM is the Office of Communications. It operates under the Communications Act 2003 to, and their main duties further the interests of citizens and of consumers. They check that prgrammes are suitable for viewing and if any complaints were to occur, then OFCOM are 'police' people that would investigate into the complaints.




Codes of Practice
A code of practice is a set of wriitten rules or guidelines which explains how people working in different industries and environment should behave. This means stuff like having to wear a uniform or have to act a certain way towards customers and colleagues. It is ussued by a professional body to it's members to help them comply with its ethical standards.

 Editors' Code of Practice
All members who work for the magazine and newspsper industry, have to mainitain high  standards at all times. They need to follow these guidelines of the Code of Practice to protect themselves from any legal issues that may occur. It covers issues such as accuracy, privacy, oppurtunity to reply and children.


Media Representation
Representation is where producers make ethical judgements on how aspects of the media are portrayed. For example, people, places, objects, events, cultural identities and other abstract concepts. Things such as age  and gender affect these decisions. An example of a negative representation is a place such as Mossside near Manchester. We see Mossside as dangerous place, we associate it with the black community and also with guns, crime and violence. We have this negative perspective on such a place because of how it is exampled in the media. On the news, it's likely to see gun crime that has took place in this certain area, although some things may not be true this is how it is perceived by us therefore, makes a negative representation of the people who live there and the area.