Taste and Decency- Notes 6 | Study notes Journalism

1. Self- censorship and Taste and Decency

Self-censorship is the act of censoring or classifying one's own work

(blog, book(s), ﬁlm(s), or other means of expression), out of fear of, or

deference to, the sensibilities of others, without overt pressure from

any speciﬁc party or institution of authority. Self-censorship is often

practiced by ﬁlm producers, ﬁlm directors, publishers, news anchors,

journalists, musicians, and other kinds of authors.

News media are often accused of self-censorship because such media

can face serious backlash for controversial reporting. On following

this public demand, news media have been accused of "not taking any

risks." For example, certain organizations (Media Matters for America

, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, Democracy Now!, and the

American Civil Liberties Union) have raised concerns about news

broadcasting stations (notably Fox News) censoring their own content

to be less controversial when reporting on the War on Terror.

However, this is not always attributed to self-censorship; there have

been attempts by the authorities to pressure news organizations to

withhold particular public information in the name of security.[2]

In their work Manufacturing Consent (1988), Noam Chomsky and

Edward Herman argue that corporate ownership of news media very

strongly encourages systematic self-censorship owing to market

forces. [3] In this argument, even with supposedly liberal media, bias

and (often unconscious) self-censorship is evident in the selection and

omission of news stories, and the framing of acceptable discussion, in

line with the interests of the corporations owning those media. The

UK based media analysis group Media Lens uses Chomsky and

Herman's methodology in their work.

There have also been instances, beginning with the Gulf War and

continuing in subsequent conﬂicts, where journalists have actively

sought censorship advice from military authorities in order to prevent

the inadvertent revelation of military secrets. In 2009, The New York

Times succeeded in suppressing news of a reporter's abduction by

militants in Afghanistan for seven months until his escape from

captivity in order to 'reduce danger to the reporter and other

hostages'.[4]

Journalists have sometimes self-censored publications of news stories

out of concern for the safety of people involved. Jean Pelletier, the

Washington D.C. correspondent for the Montreal La Presse

newspaper, uncovered a covert attempt by the Canadian government

to smuggle US diplomats out of Iran during the Iranian Hostage Crisis

before this so-called "Canadian Caper" had reached its conclusion. In

order to preserve the safety of those involved, he refused to allow the

paper to publish the story until the hostages had left Iran, despite the

considerable news value to the paper and writer.

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1. Self- censorship and Taste and Decency Self-censorship is the act of censoring or classifying one's own work (blog, book(s), film(s), or other means of expression), out of fear of, or deference to, the sensibilities of others, without overt pressure from any specific party or institution of authority. Self-censorship is often practiced by film producers, film directors, publishers, news anchors, journalists, musicians, and other kinds of authors. News media are often accused of self-censorship because such media can face serious backlash for controversial reporting. On following this public demand, news media have been accused of "not taking any risks." For example, certain organizations (Media Matters for America , Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, Democracy Now!, and the American Civil Liberties Union) have raised concerns about news broadcasting stations (notably Fox News) censoring their own content to be less controversial when reporting on the War on Terror. However, this is not always attributed to self-censorship; there have been attempts by the authorities to pressure news organizations to withhold particular public information in the name of security. [2] In their work Manufacturing Consent (1988), Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman argue that corporate ownership of news media very strongly encourages systematic self-censorship owing to market forces. [3]^ In this argument, even with supposedly liberal media, bias and (often unconscious) self-censorship is evident in the selection and omission of news stories, and the framing of acceptable discussion, in line with the interests of the corporations owning those media. The UK based media analysis group Media Lens uses Chomsky and Herman's methodology in their work.

There have also been instances, beginning with the Gulf War and continuing in subsequent conflicts, where journalists have actively sought censorship advice from military authorities in order to prevent the inadvertent revelation of military secrets. In 2009, The New York Times succeeded in suppressing news of a reporter's abduction by militants in Afghanistan for seven months until his escape from captivity in order to 'reduce danger to the reporter and other hostages'.[4]

Journalists have sometimes self-censored publications of news stories out of concern for the safety of people involved. Jean Pelletier, the Washington D.C. correspondent for the Montreal La Presse newspaper, uncovered a covert attempt by the Canadian government to smuggle US diplomats out of Iran during the Iranian Hostage Crisis before this so-called "Canadian Caper" had reached its conclusion. In order to preserve the safety of those involved, he refused to allow the paper to publish the story until the hostages had left Iran, despite the considerable news value to the paper and writer.

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Taste and decency are other areas in which questions are often raised regarding self-censorship. Art or journalism involving images or footage of murder, terrorism, war and massacres may cause complaints as to the purpose to which they are put. Curators and editors will frequently censor these images to avoid charges of prurience, shock tactics or invasion of privacy. When the director of the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, for example, was interviewed regarding his decision to whitewash an antiwar mural showing dollar-draped military coffins, he speculated that the mural would have offended the community in which it was placed. He then added that "there were zero complaints, because I took care of it right away," a comment that practically defines the present topic.[9]

In management and engineering, group think exists regarding matters of taste as they affect what products are acceptable for use by the public, but is not usually recognized as such.

2. Ofcom’s policy on Taste and Decency

Independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries.

Taste and Decency

This document was originally published by the ITC, one of the organisations replaced by Ofcom at the end of 2003. It represents Ofcom's current policy.

a. Transmissions should not include anything which offends against good taste or decency or is likely to encourage or incite to crime or to lead to disorder or to be offensive to public feeling. b. Licensees should take note of the guidance contained in Section 1 of the ITC Programme Code, in particular that relating to the use of bad language and bad taste in humour. c. In accordance with the ITC’s Family Viewing Policy, normally no editorial material which is unsuitable for children should be transmitted before 9.00 pm. Separate rules apply to advertising

see rule 22 of Part C.

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Taste and Decency- Notes 6, Study notes of Journalism

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