Legal and ethical considerations

Legal and ethical considerations

There are constraints that are in place for TV radio and newspapers to stop them from breaking the law.

 

Defamation (libel/slander)

When a TV station or radio station says something that isn’t true about someone libel is when it is written and slander is when it’s said. For example.

David Beckham tried to sue Touch magazine for $25 million dollars because they said he had allegedly slept with a prostitute.

A Jewish radio station JCOM had to shut down after George Galloway sued them for £15000 because they said he was anti-Semitic.

Court reporting

The laws on court reporting are that you’re now allowed recording devices if someone is in court for a murder or rape case they have to be called an alleged killer or alleged rapist before their trial. Not allowed to bring up past convictions. People under the age of sixteen cannot be named along with rapists and black mail cases.

During the trial of Ian Huntley two beacon FM radio presenters discussed Huntleys testimony. The pair where immediately sacked from their jobs and the radio station was at risk of being held in contempt of court. 

Privacy 

The UK has no laws on people’s privacy but the human rights act 1998 provides people “the right to respect for private and family life, home and correspondence. People can get injunctions stopping the media revealing certain information on grounds of privacy

Jeremy Clarkson won an injunction banning his wife from intimate details of their relationship, including allegations that they had sex after Clarkson wed his second wife Francie.

Election law

These laws only apply to the media they have to be nonbiased once the elections start. This applies to radio TV programmes and news coverage (only broadcasted though) these laws don’t apply to newspapers magazines and websites because they can support who they want.

The sun newspaper in the 1992 general election helped swing the votes towards the conservative party after the sun published headlines like "If Kinnock wins today will the last person to leave Britain please turn out the lights”

Ethical considerations

In the media it is an offence to say racial or religious hatred even if it is said by someone else so producers must be careful what they print. Chat shows and radio shows could still be prosecuted if somebody on a phone-in says a racist remark.

For example match of the day had to blur john terry’s mouth when they were talking about his racial abuse towards Anton Ferdinand because they risked getting prosecuted. 

Official secrets

The official secrets act was made in 1911 from concern of foreign spy’s and saboteurs in it was revised what could not be held from the public and what could be withheld. It included: security and intelligence, defence, international affairs etc.

Royal Navy Petty Officer Edward Devenney has been sentenced to eight years' imprisonment for breaches of the Official Secrets Act. He was arrested by Metropolitan Police officers in March 2012 after attempting to pass classified information about nuclear submarines to individuals whom he thought were members of the Russian intelligence services but were actually officers of the British Security Service.

 

 

Industry and Professional Codes

OFCOM (office of communications) OFCOM is a regulatory body meaning it is funded by government.

OFCOM covers broadcasting and telecommunications the public can complain to OFCOM if they’re not happy with something they see or here.