media regulation; debates and perspectives

BBFC - Films
OFcom - Television
Pegi - Games
DCMS

Research controversies  (recent) surrounding TV, film, games. Recent = the last 5 years or so.

Censorship in the UK in medium specific. different form of medium/media has its own regulatory body. eg. films=BBFC, games=Pegi etc. the internet and new media has changed this. the internet has beaten this, if ANYONE looks hard enough, they will be able to find any film they want. There are films in Uk that have been given an 18 certificate but in other countries are only a 12. 
(medium = film, TV, games etc.)

The BBFC have guidelines instead of rules. OFcom have rules because a much wider and diverse audience can watch anything on TV - before watershed (9pm) certain things can not be shown. 

In 2003 OFcom was created to regulate TV. Before OFcom there were other organisations that regulated the TV such as BBFC, BBC, OfTel, RA, OFT, BSC.

The main problem is that the internet gets around the laws that regulate films and TV. Another problem with the media regulation is the 'media effects' debates. The problem is that the theories do and don't work - different effects work/don't work on different people. 

BUT films and videogames are still being blamed for violence in society. The creation of OFcom has led to more emphasis on 'self-regulation'. Should regulation now be in the hands of the individuals/parents?

1998 - culture media and sport select committee set up an enquiry into online regulation. Problems of access, if its taken down from one place it;ll be put up somewhere else, there is no international law. 
1990's - Rupert Murdoch removed the BBC's World Service Television channel from his star satellite system. 
2010 - google accused china of hacking its services and announced it was pulling out because they were changing their services to promote politics. 

BBFC research has found that audiences are concerned about violence and drug-taking, rather than sex. Now more films being passed at '18' certificate featuring explicit sexual scenes. 

R18 certificates can not be shown on normal TV channels they must be on a subscribers channel or not at all. 

Is there any point of the BBFC?
Will OFcom replace the BBFC eventually?
Or will regulation shift subtly towards information and education?

However, it is new forms of interaction media that will cause concern for the censors in the future. 

The current video game debate is the same as the 'video nasty' debate in the 1980's.

Future content regulation will focus more on video games and interactive media.