Mediawatch-UK Watch

The BBC Trust has reported on a complaint about Holby City:

Holby City,
BBC One, 18 September 2012, 8pm

The complainant objected to the use of the word shagging and the phrase cut his balls off during an episode of Holby City, broadcast before the 9pm watershed.

The complainant said that this language was sexually explicit and inappropriate when children might be watching. The Committee concluded:

• that some viewers might find the use of this particular language offensive, but Holby City is a well-established drama dealing with contemporary life and covering challenging themes of hospital life, both on the ward and in the staff's personal lives.
• that regular viewers of this drama serial would not have found the use of the word shagging or the phrase cut his balls off unacceptable in this particular context.
• that Holby City starts an hour before the watershed, when viewers are aware that not all programming is suitable for younger children.
• that parents and carers share responsibility with the broadcaster to decide what is suitable for their children to view.

The complaint was not upheld.

The Daily Mail and its board of sound bite censors have picked up that "not all [pre-watershed] programming is suitable for younger children":

But the corporation's governing body has now confessed, for what appears to be the first time, that not all programming shown an hour before the watershed is suitable for younger children - prompting experts to warn that this could signal the end of the 9pm threshold.

With predictable Daily Mail bollox, the 'experts' turn out to be the perennial nutters, Vivienne Pattison of MediaWatch-UK and Miranda Suit of the christian moralisers, Safermedia.

Pattison spouted that the BBC Trust's decision not to uphold the complaint meant parents could no longer trust that their children are safe from explicit material:

I'm really shocked that they have done this. According to their own broadcasting code the 9pm watershed signals the beginning of the transition towards more adult material so by this reckoning, what is it?

Eight o'clock? Half past seven? Is that the beginning of the transition?

Suit added:

There are so many tens of thousands of parents who actually consider that the watershed is really helping them protect their children. But if we're going to see broadcasters themselves undermining that protection then I think we'll have a real outcry.

Amid a moral panic about internet censorship, Culture Secretary Maria Miller will ask BBC Trust chairman Lord Patten to review safeguards on iPlayer programmes.

Senior sources say the Culture Secretary is concerned about British shows aping a trend in US drama for extreme on-screen violence, as in Sky shows such as The Following and Hannibal. Apparently some campaigners want the dramas to be edited to be suitable for children for iPlayer versions.

A BBC Trust spokeswoman said no changes were planned for controls on the iPlayer as the Trust felt current safeguards were adequate. Asked about the current iPlayer protections for children, Lord Patten said: It's quite difficult to do it any other way.

An IT consultant suggested: The BBC could simply mimic the system on Apple devices called iCloud which would allow parents to see what is being seen by their children, in real time.

Vivienne Pattison, director of pressure group MediaWatch-UK, admitted to alarming mental problems, seeing things in programmes that nobody else does:

It seems like there is violence against women in every programme now, with lingering shots of someone having something done to her.

I don't think any of us can dispute the quality of the filming, writing and acting in both Ripper Street and The Fall but it does seem gratuitous and gruesome violence has become mainstream.

I have been talking about the BBC having tougher safeguards for its iPlayer programmes for years but always get the same response: that it has to be something that seriously harms the mental or physical health of a child and nothing on the iPlayer will do this. Actually with some of those dramas we are getting to the stage where if a young child watches it, yes it could do.

Jennifer Lopez performed her single Live It Up on Britain's Got Talent semi-final results show on Tuesday. The act was shown after the 9pm watershed.

She gyrated on stage in a thong and fishnet tights. Her dance routine provoked  the inevitable 'furious backlash', with campaigners calling on Ofcom to 'crack down' on ITV for airing it on a family show.

Apparently thousands of viewers took to Twitter to make their comments, with one saying the singer looked like a prostitute .

Judge Amanda Holden seemed to be a fan, declaring: JLo's arse. I just wanted to bite it. It was fabulous .

Mediawatch UK said the programme had deliberately targeted younger viewers by screening the episode during the half-term holiday. The group claimed that millions of children will have watched the performance, despite the lateness of the hour.

Director Vivienne Pattinson whiged:

Parents will have been more likely to let their children stay up beyond their normal bedtimes.

And given the main show is incredibly popular with children, lots of them will have wanted to stay up a bit later to find out who won. It was totally inappropriate to show something like this, given their audience. It seems as if they never learn.

TV censor Ofcom said it had received 30 complaints about the performance so far.

An ITV spokesman said:

We do not believe that Jennifer Lopez's performance would have exceeded the expectations of the vast majority of the audience for this long-established entertainment programme.

Pensioner Kelly Fox causes a minor stir on Britain's Got Talent with her song Kiss My Ass.

Mediawatch-UK director Vivienne Pattison has asked David Cameron's Mary Whitehouse, Claire Perry MP, to investigate supposedly sexualised content on pre-watershed shows like Britain's Got Talent. Pattison whinged:

The ratings are falling and ITV is just pulling out the stops. First we had the lap dancer Keri Graham and now this granny. It is inappropriate. BGT is going all out to shock and Ofcom is simply underregulating the show.

In 2010, Ofcom said Rihanna's dancing on The X Factor had reached the 'limits of acceptability'. It must be past that by now. As a result, Ofcom is trying to redefine family viewing.

The Britain's Got Talent judges granted Fox a thumbs up for another appearance.

BBC bosses are braced for pre-prepared 'outrage' over sadistic sex scenes to be shown 5 minutes after tonight's 9pm watershed. David Tennant will be seen raping his wife in a 70-second scene in The Politician's Husband.

Vivienne Pattison, director of pressure group MediaWatch-UK, slated the decision to show adult material immediately after the 9pm divide. She said:

The Politician's Husband will be following on from snooker. Snooker to sadistic sex is quite an extreme leap and care should be taken to avoid putting the most 'challenging' material immediately after 9pm.

And Katie Russell, of the organisation Rape Crisis, insisted viewers should be warned of the sexually violent nature of the show before they watch it. She said:

It's important that any programme planning to screen such scenes carries clear and repeated warnings to avoid triggering flashbacks or distressing and re-traumatising sexual violence survivors.

A BBC spokesman explained:

This scene goes to the heart of the emotional story for the characters. It establishes that their sex lives are integral to the narrative, and while some viewers may find these scenes strong, they reflect the central themes of power and betrayal which impact on their political marriage.

It will air in a post-watershed slot and there will be a warning prior to broadcast that the drama contains scenes of sexual violence and some strong language from the start.

lMediawatch-UK have just modernised their website.

The site now has a very American sounding strapline: for family values in the media

The Daily Mail enjoyed Britain's Got Talent immensely and had a good rummage around in their Scrabble bag of random hype words:

Britain's Got Talent has been hit by a 'huge backlash' [= a few tweets] from viewers after broadcasting a performance from an 11-year-old schoolgirl singing a song about a one night stand, and a 'highly sexualised' [=marginally sexy] lapdancing performance - all before the 9pm watershed.

The first episode of this year's ITV talent contest, which was shown at 7pm on Saturday night and watched by more than 13 million people, was branded totally unsuitable [= carefully edited for a family audience] by 'outraged parents' [= Daily Mail hacks].

Contestant Keri Graham, whose performance saw her stripping down to her 'underwear' [=shorts], writhing 'semi-naked' [=modestly costumed] on a chair and 'gyrating on Simon Cowell' [= put a leg over his shoulder], is a professional stripper.

A second act featured 11-year-old Arixsander Libantino performing a rendition of Jennifer Hudson song One Night Only , which features the lyrics:

You've got one night only,
that's all you have to spare,
let's not pretend to care,
come on, big baby,
come on,
we only have 'til dawn.

The Daily Mail then dragged up half a dozen trivial tweets to justify the 'huge backlash'.

Vivienne Pattison, director of Mediawatch UK said:

Having an 11-year-old girl sing an adult song like this is simply sexualising children. It's incredibly damaging because this show is marketed at primary school children.

ITV appear to have completely ignored the Ofcom guidelines - I don't even know why they put the guidelines out. This kind of thing is not what families want to see.

We are sleepwalking into a situation where pornography is the norm.

A spokesman for ITV said :

Mindful of our family audience, the performance was carefully edited to ensure it was suitably inexplicit.

Ofcom said that it was too early to tell if they had received any complaints from the public.

Update: Independent takes up the Twitter Trawl

16th April 2013. See  article from  mediasnoops2.wordpress.com

Dan reports that the Independent is trawling Twitter for complaints about the show. It seems it's not just the Daily Mail and right-wing tabloids which do this.

You would think The Independent would have more sense. Obviously not.

See Britain's Got Talent draws complaints over lap dance and child singing about one-night stand from independent.co.uk

The BBC has defended its decision to censor Radio 1's Official Chart Show. The song championed by opponents of Margaret Thatcher, Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead , will be banned from the customary full broadcast for a song rising in the singles charts.

Instead the BBC will give the song a passing mention in a news item supported by a mere 5s clip.

BBC Radio 1 controller and censor Ben Cooper claimed the move over the Wizard of Oz film track had been a difficult compromise. Whenever people spout political bollox about 'balancing rights with...' one knows that they are taking something away. Cooper is no exception, he spewed that he had to balance 'respect' for someone who had just died with issues around freedom of speech.

Sales of the song, from the 1939 musical starring Judy Garland, have soared since former Prime Minister Lady Thatcher's death on Monday, supported by Thatcher's opponents. The single is set to take the number three spot in Sunday's countdown, according to the Official Charts Company.

Capital FM, which has its own chart show, said the station was currently reviewing the situation .

The Conservative chairman of the Commons culture, media and sport select committee, John Whittingdale, claimed the BBC's decision was a sensible compromise.

However, the Conservative MP for Reading East, Rob Wilson, said the track should be played in its entirety. He said:

I think that Margaret Thatcher would be horrified having helped free millions of people in eastern Europe and been the symbol of freedom around the world that she could in any way have censorship in her own country.

The BBC has had a very difficult decision and it's come up with a very British old-fashioned fudge.

Journalist and DJ Paul Gambaccini said that the programme was not a programme of choice .

The Top 40 is the news of music, he went on. It's not something to editorialise about - it's just fact. You can't change reality.

Comment: And a little good sense from Mediawatch-UK

Dan comments in an article from mediasnoops2.wordpress.com

The BBC's earlier report on the fuss surrounding whether or not Radio 1 should play Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead on their chart rundown show featured a rather surprising quote from Our Viv...

Vivienne Pattison says:

I feel utterly sorry for all the chart shows. It's put them in a really invidious position.

But chart shows exist to play the most bought or downloaded songs, and to change that is to interfere with a democratic process.

John Beyer would have probably demanded the BBC ban it completely. Viv's comments are surprisingly measured.

That's not to say she is saying the BBC should play it but she has more time for democracy than Beyer ever had.

Comment: Thatcher Ding Dong! chart campaign is puerile

...but the best protest available. The possibility of Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead charting high on Sunday reflects the messy, visceral side of human nature.

See article from guardian.co.uk

Comment: And as for the Daily Mail...Well...

See article from dailymail.co.uk

What a sorry, unedifying mess the BBC has got itself into over the hateful campaign by sick Left-wing zealots trying to bounce the song Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead to the top of the music charts.

First the Corporation -- with its countless overpaid commissars of political correctness -- let it be known that, on Sunday's pop chart show, the song would be played in full.

Then, faced with a barrage of complaints from MPs on all sides on the disgrace of giving airtime to a song viciously celebrating the death of a great Prime Minister before she was even buried, a re-think was ordered.

Update: No 2

15th April 2013. See  article from  bbc.co.uk

Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead duly entered the singles chart at number two, and the BBC duly banned the song from the show.

The Wizard of Oz song had sold 52,605 copies,  5,700 copies behind Duke Dumont and A*M*E with Need U (100%) which remained at the top for a second week.

Rival campaign song I'm In Love With Margaret Thatcher entered at 35. The 1979 song by punk band Notsensibles sold 8,768 copies after a late push from Lady Thatcher fans. The Notsensibles track was played in full on the programme.

But Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead was replaced by a Newsbeat reporter explaining why the song was in the chart. Two short clips of the song were played as Sinead Garvan gave details of the online campaign and explained why opponents had been critical of Lady Thatcher. The news report - which ran for almost 40 seconds longer than the song itself - also included two views from members of the public on the controversy, with one saying it was quite funny , while the other said it was disgraceful .

A television advert for E45 cream, featuring a young woman talking about her addiction problems, has been accused of supposedly trivialising drug abuse.

60 viewers have complained to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) about the  advert for the popular moisturiser.

The advert features a thin, pale-looking woman sitting on a chair in a darkened basement rubbing her arms anxiously saying:

It all started with a small dose. All my friends were using it. I immediately liked it and wanted more. It became a routine. It affected how I looked and how I felt. I couldn't stop thinking about it.

She is shown applying it to her arms, before saying:

It was the perfect daily moisturiser. It's so light and smells great . . . I was hooked.

Ken Stringer, chief executive of Alliance, which is a support group for addicts, claimed:

It certainly trivialises the issue of addiction and people who are struggling to overcome their addiction. It is exploitative because it relies heavily on a stereotype of people in recovery.

Vivienne Pattison, director of the campaign group Mediwatch-UK, had little to say:

I can imagine people might find it offensive.

A TV sitcom joke has 'offended' moralist campaigners even before it has been shown.

The Channel 4 show, London Irish, is billed as a comedy about young hard-drinking, hard-living ex-pats.

In one scene, a woman wakes up in bed after a boozy night and pulls back the covers to discover a five-year-old boy next to her. In a clear sexual reference, she says to him: We didn't? Did we?

A spokesman for moralist campaigners Mediawatch-UK said:

Channel 4 have a history of trying to create mischief but I feel they have seriously misjudged the social mood if they think this is a laughing matter.

A spokesman for the easily offended at Kidscape added:

This crosses lines that should not be crossed.'

A Channel 4 spokesman explained:

The joke is directed at the character's inability, because of drink, to remember the night before.

Could this be the beginning of the end of the love affair between the right-wing tabloid press and Mediawatch-uk?

The Sun is one of the tabloid newspapers which provide Mediawatch-uk with a platform to air their views and promote their moral crusade against violence and sex in the media. Mediawatch-uk have shyed away from targetting things like Page 3 and the other sexual content found in The Sun and this is the first time they have expressed some criticism. It's very interesting indeed.

...Read the full article

From a BBC article about the prevalence of murder stories on TV.

Vivienne Pattison is director of Mediawatch UK, a campaign group that fights for family values in the media, and against graphic violence. But even she says murder has a role to play:

I don't think there's anything wrong with the subject being covered on television per se, it's how it's dealt with, she says.

There is clearly a huge amount of difference between the treatment of murder in say The Killing - which invites the viewer to solve the case, EastEnders - which usually looks at motivation and the emotional fallout from the event, and the Saw franchise - the films of which are little more than gore fests of torture porn.

The latter I do consider to be more problematic as they remove the humanity of the victims and so the death itself becomes entertainment.

...Read the full article

The latest article from the Daily Mail reads:

Sick comic facing axe: Jack Whitehall could be dropped as presenter at TV awards as Channel 4 repeats vile quiz

Comedian Jack Whitehall is facing the axe as the presenter of a prize at the National Television Awards following the growing controversy over his lewd behaviour on a Channel 4 panel game.

The star has been booked for the ITV show to be broadcast later this month, but it has emerged that a key figure on the programme believes he should not now appear on the awards show.

Channel 4 yesterday ignored the protests of viewers and said the Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2012 which featured vile jokes about the Queen and Susan Boyle will be repeated unedited on the main channel tonight at 11:35pm.

Last night co-executive producer of the National Television Awards, George Mitchell, said he would be having a summit conference on Monday about whether Whitehall should still present a prize at the awards. He said he would like to offer him the chance to bow out gracefully and give him the chance to withdraw . But he admitted other bosses on the show may not agree with him.

But unfortunately for the Daily Mail, the supposed axe of Jack Whitehall's awards presentation seems to be bollox. See  article from  independent.co.uk :

K im Turberville, creator and executive producer of the NTA, told The Independent:

Contrary to spurious reports earlier today, I would like to confirm that there has been no crisis summit over Jack Whitehall's invitation to present an award at this year's National Television Awards.

We are very much looking forward to welcoming him on January 23 for our live show.

The Independent also pointed out that a poll of readers found that 95% of readers don't think participants on the panel show took the joke too far anyway.

The Daily Mail also dragged up a rather low key sound bite from Vivienne Pattison of Mediawatch UK said:

This programme should have always been broadcast in the late night 11.35pm slot. Putting it out at primetime was totally inappropriate.

Children are far more likely to be watching at 9pm, especially when you consider it was the Christmas holiday.

The Daily Mail added that another show has sparked a little 'outrage' too:

It emerged also that another festive Channel 4 show, The 50 Funniest Moments of 2012 , also triggered complaints after it included footage of a male far-Right Greek politician punching a woman in the face and strong swearing just after the watershed. Some 40 viewers contacted Ofcom about the programme, most of them angry at the suggestion that a woman being punched in the face was funny.