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

Broadcasting act 1990

The Broadcasting Act 1990 is a law of the British parliament, often regarded by both its supporters and its critics as a quintessential example of Thatcherism. The aim of the Act was to reform the entire structure of British broadcasting British television.

Official secrets aid 1989

The Official Secrets Act is a stock short title used in the United Kingdom, Ireland, India and Malaysia and formerly in New Zealand for legislation that provides for the protection of state secrets and official information, mainly related to national security.

Obscene Publications act 1959

The Obscene Publications Act 1959 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom Parliament that significantly reformed the law related to obscenity.

Films act 1985

Laws concerning film finance and defining British films.

Video Recording act

Laws stating that all videos which are sold or available for rental must be classified by the BBFC.

Race Relations Act

The race relations act 1976 was established by the parliament of the United Kingdom to prevent discrimination on the groups 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 education.

Human Rights act

Rights that are believed to belong justifiably to every person

Licensing Act

It’s what companies are allowed to show on TV, it’s what media content can be shown on their premises. Media contents included music performances and TV broadcasts and filming.

Privacy Law

Privacy is the right to be left alone, Privacy laws are considered in the context of an individual’s rights or reasonable expectation of privacy. To ensure that broadcasters avoid any unwarranted infringement of privacy in programmes and in connection with obtaining material included in programmes. Any infringement of privacy in programmes, or in connection with obtaining material included in programmes, must be warranted.

Copyright
Copyright protects written theatrical, musical and artistic works, as well as film, books, sounds, recordings and broadcasts. Copyright is an automatic right that you don’t have to apply for.

Intellectual Property
IP refers to creations of the mind: inventions, literally and artistic works, and symbols, names, images and designs used in commerce. IP results from the expression of an idea. So IP might be a brand, an invention, a design, a song or another intellectual creation. IP can be owned, bought and sold.

Libel Laws
All a form of defamation you can’t say things about people to slag them off something false which is written down or published. Libel is when it’s written down and published by someone like in a newspaper or magazine.

  Codes Of Practice
A code of practice is made up by the editors who work in the industry.
Its a set of written rules which explains how people working in a particular professon should behave.  This means  you have to be polite and not rude to the custmors ,wear the correct dress code and do your job right when working with newspaper and magazines which are published in the U.K. editor's code of practice:

This is the newspaper and periodical industry’s Code of Practice. It is framed and revised by the Editors’ Code Committee made up of independent editors of national,

All members of the press have a duty to maintain the highest professional standards.

The Code, which includes this preamble and the public interest exceptions below,

sets the benchmark for those ethical standards, protecting both the rights of the

individual and the public's right to know. It is the cornerstone of the system of selfregulation

to which the industry has made a binding commitment.

The BBFC is the British Board Film Classification. They’re in charge of the certificate that’s put on a film or the time a programme comes on TV. They do this so that no unsuitable content is shown to people not of the right age or shown before the watershed on TV. They also have to check adverts before there put on TV and games before there released.  

When they say things should be cut or removed out of films then the producers have to do it otherwise the film won’t be shown.  Just like games they have to be played and watched before they can be sold. Everything has to go past them and be checked.

OFCOM is the Official Office of Communications. If you want to make a complaint about any programme or anything that’s where they should be made to.  Ofcom police the rights codes, anything that been reported on the TV or radio then they have to investigate it. They also proved guidelines to producers on how to cover situation of a sensitive nature.

It is essential that an agreed code be honoured not only to the letter but in the full spirit. It should not be interpreted so narrowly as to compromise its commitment to respect the rights of the individual regional and local newspapers and magazines. The Press Complaints Commission, which hasa majority of lay members, is charged with enforcing the Code, using it to adjudicate complaints. It was ratified by the PCC in September 2009. Clauses marked* are covered by exceptions relating to the public interest.

Media representation
People in the media on TV programmes aand cartoons are very stereotyped. For exapmle gays in certain programmes are very feminine, giddy and all have boyfriends. Also it cartoons like americans one aalways have the typical family like 'Family Guy' with the sterotypical lazy fat dad with the pretty, thin mum and a few kids. Popular films ranging from Hollywood blockbusters to children's cartoons which are "crude and exaggerated" people say show lots of stereotypes of Muslims.