Roger Bennett voices concerns about BBFC

Maybe also interesting that such coordinating banning of this game coincidently immediately followed a meeting of EU justice ministers in Luxembourg. The meeting was to discuss possible regulation of what they refer to as “killer games.”

From MCV see full article

Roger Bennett, the former director general of UK games regulator ELSPA has told MCV that he hopes the firm understands the long-term implications of supporting the BBFC’s decision to ban Manhunt 2 – and that he believes both the government and BBFC have become heavily influenced by anti-game prejudice.

I hope that ELSPA’s response to the BBFC’s decision not to grant a rating to Manhunt 2 was not made without recognising the long term possible effects of such an action, as pointed out by Stuart Dinsey last week, Bennett told MCV.

It is most interesting to note that the guidelines used in reaching this decision by the BBFC includes the assumed criteria that because games are interactive, they are different to other forms of screen entertainment and should be rated accordingly.

There is no evidence for it to make such a flawed assumption. Games are becoming increasingly and wholly unjustifiably separated from other forms of screen entertainment. It seems to me that the Government and thus the BBFC have become heavily influenced by previous events which in no way have any link to our industry.

   
US TV under fire in the Senate

From Broadcasting & Cable see full article

"Cowardly, terrible, appalling, repulsive" were just some of the terms used by legislators to describe TV programmers and their violent TV programming during a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on the impact of media violence on kids. But many of those critics still weren't ready to start regulating it out of existence.

Virtually all of the Senators at the hearing agreed that there was much on TV that they did not want to watch and did not want their kids or grandkids to watch, but there was disagreement over whose responsibility it was to make sure they didn't.

There was no equivocation from Senator Jay Rockefeller who chaired the hearing. Rockefeller has tried to introduce legislation regulating TV violence before and said at the hearing he would introduce it again, while repeatedly bashing TV and its executives.

Big Media companies are putting more emphasis on profits than the well-being of kids, he said, while hiding behind ineffective Band-Aids of voluntary action. Rockefeller said he expected broadcasters to argue for parental responsibility and content-control tools, which they did, but said that has not worked and the government was going to need to step in. He didn't seem to have a lot of takers on the committee.

Rockefeller also called the $300 million TV Boss ratings/V-chip education campaign that had been spearheaded by the late Jack Valenti "farcical" and a joke.

Rockefeller called the industry "cowardly" for putting the onus on parents to control their kids TV viewing, saying it was not always possible. Then, saying he wasn't sure if his colleagues knew how violent TV had become, aired a video montage--put together by the Parents Television Council--to demonstrate.

It was that video, which included a now-famous forced oral sex scene from FX's The Shield, that prompted the legislators to register their general disgust. The video was cut short after Rockefeller and company appeared to have had their fill.

Senator Ted Stevens, ranking Republican, raised the Constitutional problems of regulating violent conent and suggested education and parental control as the better approach. He also pointed out that there were many other outlets for violent content, including iPods and computers.

Peruvian cartoonist censored

From Jerusalem Post see full article

A well-known Peruvian cartoonist is complaining of censorship after officials at a Peruvian government-funded gallery removed three of his works, including a drawing that criticized the military for massacres of highland peasants.

The artist, Piero Quijano, referring to officials from the National Institute of Culture, said that it was a "clear" violation of freedom of expression.

In protest, Quijano removed his entire 90-piece show from the gallery where it was to run for a month. The gallery's director resigned in solidarity.

The drawing depicts four soldiers planting a rifle with a bayonet into the back of a peasant - an image mimicking the iconic World War II photograph of US Marines raising the American flag over Iwo Jima.

   
Jack Straw and James Purnell

Gordon Brown has named his new ministers and our old friend Jackboots Straw is back in charge as the Minister of Injustice. There seems little chance that he will do anything to tone down the nasty Dangerous Pictures Act currently going through Parliament.

From Broadcast Now see full article

James Purnell has been named the new culture secretary in prime minister Gordon Brown's cabinet overhaul, taking over from Tessa Jowell.

Previously minister for the creative industries, Purnell, 37, also worked as a special adviser to Tony Blair between 1997 and 2001, and was previously head of corporate planning at the BBC where he worked for John Birt.

Well known in the broadcasting industry, Purnell, is widely credited with developing the idea for Ofcom at the age of 24 - he set the blueprint for a converged media and telecommunications regulator when he was a research fellow for the Institute for Public Policy Research.

Jowell, who had lead the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, has been sidelined but it is understood that she may still retain responsibility for the 2012 Olympics in a specially created role.

Closes
25th August 2007

   
to ban videogames

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Restrict the powers of the BBFC with regard to the banning of videogames.

or see http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Manhunt2/

The BBFC have recently refused to rate the videogame "Manhunt 2". As such, adults in this country will never be allowed to play this game. Adults should be allowed to make their own decisions with regard to what videogames they want to play. We all understand that this game is extremely violent and unsuitable for children. As such an 18 rating should have been applied.

   
Nutter MPs congratulate the BBFC

From Hansard see full article

EDM 1744:  BANNING OF VIDEO GAME BY THE BRITISH BOARD OF FILM CLASSIFICATION

Keith Vaz
Mike Penning
Peter Bottomley
Mr Mike Hancock
Mr Robert N. Wareing
Ann Winterton
Mark Lazarowicz

That this House welcomes the decision by the British Board of Film Classification to ban the game Manhunt 2 from being sold in the UK; further welcomes the decision to withdraw from sale another video game which used footage of the abduction of James Bulger; believes that games depicting extreme, realistic and graphic violence can damage the social development of children and young adults; and further believes video games companies should better recognise their social responsibilities when they design a new game.

Film critical of Iran censored

From Reuters see full article

Thailand has caved in to pressure from Iran and withdrawn the animated movie Persepolis, about a girl growing up and feeling repressed under Islamic rule, from next month's Bangkok International Film Festival.

I was invited by the Iranian embassy to discuss the matter and we both came to mutual agreement that it would be beneficial to both countries if the film was not shown, festival director Chattan Kunjara na Ayudhya: It's a good film, but there are other considerations.

In a letter published by several news organizations, Iran said the film presented an unrealistic face of the achievements and results of the glorious Islamic Revolution in some of its parts.

Iran's rulers are criticized in Persepolis but so are Western democracies for backing the Shah and supplying his government with weapons.

Persepolis jointly won the Jury Prize at Cannes, is based on best-selling comics by an Iranian-French emigre about her struggling with the authorities in the early days of the Islamic revolution.

Islamophobia in Western drama started in France, and producing and highlighting the anti-Iranian film Persepolis in Cannes falls in line with this Islamophobia, seethed Mehdi Kalhor, a cultural advisor to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He said Persepolis sought to sabotage Iranian culture and will not be the last anti-Iranian film.

The Bangkok film festival, which runs from 19-29 July.

   
PlayStation game advert banned

From the Bit-Tech see full article

An advert for the upcoming PlayStation 2 game, Burnout: Dominator from EA, has been labelled as 'irresponsible' by the UKAdvertising Standards Authority.

The advert was the subject of 37 complaints and features a crashed car under the slogan Inner peace through outer violence.

An ASA spokesperson said: The complainants described the advert as offensive as it condoned and was likely to encourage violence, dangerous driving and anti-social behaviour such as vandalism... The Advertising Standards Authority determined that the implication of the advertisement was likely to cause serious or widespread offence.

BBC apologise after complaints about the word 'Paki'

From the BBC see full article

The BBC has apologised after rock star Iggy Pop used the term 'Paki' during the coverage of the Glastonbury Festival.

During a studio interview, the veteran musician made the remark while talking about visiting 'Paki shops' in Camden.

Hosts Jo Whiley and Mark Radcliffe made no on-air apology on Saturday night, prompting three viewer complaints.

A spokesman for the corporation said: We would like to apologise if anyone was offended.

The presenters on the BBC Two programme made no reference to the word after it had been said.

Take a trip to jail if you cannot tell

Thanks to Paul

The I just noticed something being slipped through on the tail of the the "dangerous pictures" legislation. It's in Clause 68 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill. Section 3 of this clause:

"...amends section 7 of the 1978 Act to extend the definition of "photograph" to include derivatives of photographs, such as tracings or other forms of data. As a result, references to a photograph in the 1978 Act will include tracings or other images, whether made by electronic or other means, that are not in themselves photographs or pseudo-photographs (as defined in the 1978 Act) but which are derived from the whole or part of a photograph or pseudo-photograph, or a combination of either or both. This amendment will mean that an offence under section 1 (indecent photographs of children) of the 1978 Act, will cover derivatives of indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs, alongside indecent photographs and pseudo-photographs themselves. These derivatives include line-traced and computer traced images, for example, pencil traced images using tracing paper or computer traced images of photographs taken on a mobile phone."

The good news is that surely this will weaken the case for further legislation on the subject, because it seeks to protect actual children from abuse. However, the very bad news is that someone could possess a drawing of a child NOT REALISING that it was traced from an "indecent image". I can see no defence being mentioned about not knowing it was traced from an indecent image, so doesn't this conflict with Human Rights legislation?

   
New York State agrees law to restrict games sales to minors

There is a worrying possibility that the Manhunt 2 publicity may add weight to the arguments for censorship.

From GamesIndustry.biz see full article

The New York state Senate and Assembly have reached an agreement on proposed legislation making it a felony to rent or sell violent videogames with mature themes to minors.

The legislation also requires manufacturers to equip game consoles manufactured after September 1, 2009 with parental-control devices, requires retailers to label games that are violent and obscene, and requires the state to establish an advisory council to review the ESRB.

This bill is ill-conceived and unconstitutional, declared Bo Andersen, president of the EMA, a trade association for the retailers of DVDs, computer games, and console games: Nine similar proposals that have been enacted around the nation in recent years have all been blocked by federal courts on First Amendment grounds. For such an ill-conceived and unconstitutional law, ignorance is no excuse.

Although the legislators ran out of time for a final vote, the compromise bill is expected to receive formal approval when the legislature reconvenes in July. New York Governor Eliot Spitzer has signalled his intent to sign the bill into law.

Criminal Justice Bill to be debated today

From SeeNoEvil

The Criminal Justice Bill containing the criminalisation of possession of 'extreme' pornography was published yesterday and will be debated today in 2nd reading even though nobody has had chance to digest the details yet.

The main bill can be read here:

www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmbills/130/en/index_130.htm

The main page describing the offence of Possession of extreme pornographic images is:

www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmbills/130/en/07130x-f.htm#index_link_104

Phantom has kindly summarised the parts of the bill relevant to extreme porn:

www.seenoevil.org.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=324

Update: Tomorrow's Another Day

Thanks to Alan who pointed out that use of the word 'tomorrow' in parliamentary speak means not tomorrow and the bill isn't actually getting its 2nd reading today.

BBFC comment on their 12A for Transformers

From SciFi.com see full article

Transformers was originally lined up for a US R rating but Steven Spielberg appealed the decision and got a PG-13 instead.

Perhaps it is related to the US experience but the BBFC have made a statement about their decision to award the film an uncut 12A,

Note Comment from Shia LaBeouf deleted, see update below

From the BBFC see full article

Transformers is a science fiction action film, based on the 1980’s animated television series and toy franchise. It has been classified 12A for moderate action violence. BBFC Guidelines at 12A state that violence must not dwell on detail and that there should be no emphasis on injuries or blood. This includes many battle scenes between warring robots, which whilst being intense, place an emphasis on spectacle rather than detail. For example, a fight scene in which two robots rip each other apart features no human casualties and is played out in a fantasy context. The violence featured is similar to that found in other recent 12A action films, such as Spiderman III.

Transformers also features infrequent mild sex references and language. The sex references – in keeping with BBFC 12A Guidelines – do not go beyond what is suitable for adolescents and deal with a boy’s parents enquiring if their son has been masturbating. The language is also infrequent and is mild to moderate (‘shit’, ‘pissed’ and ‘bitch’). The film also includes one mild drug reference that is comic in tone and neither instructional or glamorous.

Update: Oops Misquote

Transformers was never a R rating. Shia LaBeouf later admitted that he got mixed up between 2 movies he is in, Transformers, and Disturbia which was reduced on appeal from R to PG13 (and has always been a 15 in the UK)

 
Nutters scupper art exhibition

Based on an article from the Catholic World News see full article

An art exhibition including a supposedy obscene image of the Virgin Mary has been cancelled in Bologna, Italy, on orders from the city's Mayor Sergio Cofferati.

Cofferati described the anti-Catholic display as unacceptable vulgarity that offends believers and non-believers. The Communist mayor went on to say: Cultural exhibits are effective when they are respectful and do not become vulgar, as unfortunately, happened in this case.

A local politician from the Forza Italia Party, Fabio Garagnani, has demanded the exhibit be tried before the courts for transgression of article 403 of Italy’s penal code, which penalizes public offences against religious faith. A statement by the Archdiocese of Bologna called the event an “abominable blasphemy."

 
Censorship crazed Malays to re-evaluate banned films

From X Biz see full article

The Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry plans to set up a committee comprising local film activists to re-evaluate banned films.

Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said that the proposed committee would make the evaluation in terms of creativity, theme and sensitivity, particularly in the case of films banned for their racial overtones.

Rais said the appointment of the panel of arts activists could help in terms of the creativity aspect of the films.

However, he said, the committee would only be empowered to evaluate a film before it got the approval for screening from the censorship board.

Criminal Justice Bill to be introduced today

Perhaps rather appropriated that the Times headlined the news as: New law will see 3,000 more being sent to jail

Thanks to Peter

It seems that the Criminal Justice Bill (which includes the "violent pornography" clause) will receive its First Reading in the Commons today (Tuesday June 26th).

Not surprisingly, the first signals came from the newspapers (Sunday Times and Daily Mail). Don't bother looking for anything about this on Parliament site, as it appears to have been kept a secret from just about everyone (including Jack Straw, who didn't mention it in his weekly announcements a few days ago).

The First Reading is a formal announcement of the publication of a new Bill. There is no debate at that time. Normally, there's a gap of two weekends before the Second Reading, which is the when MPs have a chance to debate the Bill.

And thanks to Phantom who asked about who was responsible for this injustice bill:

Departmental responsibility for this policy passed to the Ministry of Justice with the machinery of Government changes in May. The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State who holds policy responsibility for changes to the Criminal Law is Gerry Sutcliffe.

 
Obscenity investigation into The Da Vinci Code quickly dropped

From the CBC.ca see full article

State prosecutors in an Italian town have dropped an obscenity investigation into the movie The Da Vinci Code, a day after it was launched.

The port village of Civitavecchia, north of Rome, was the centre of international media attention over the investigation.

But the state prosecutor's office in the town said the decision to drop a plan to lay charges was made based on the merits of the case.

There are no grounds for this investigation, an official said.

It was launched following a complaint from a group of clergy who claimed the film violated Italian obscenity laws because it puts forward the idea that Jesus married and had a child.

Politically incorrect jokes about the politically incorrect

From The Telegraph see full article

Sir Trevor McDonald's ITV show drew more than 100 complaints from viewers after he made a joke about Bernard Manning, the comedian who died last week. Manning, 76, was notorious for his politically incorrect humour.

The show, News Knight takes a satirical look at the week's news.

Sir Trevor introduced an item titled: This week's racist and dead. He said: This week it's fat, narrow-minded comic Bernard Manning. I never thought he was a racist. I just thought he was a fat white bastard.

ITV said yesterday it had received 77 complaints and Ofcom, the television regulator, said it had received 26 and would be assessing them.

Sir Trevor's remark about Manning was described by the comedian Jim Bowen as "appalling" and Lynn Moran, Manning's "companion", was said to be "very shocked".

An ITV source said: It's a satire show. I'm sure Bernard would find the whole thing hilarious.

Call to ban Shootout at Lokhandwala

From World Sikh News see full article

Several Sikh organisations have demanded a ban on screening of Bollywood multi-starrer Shootout at Lokhandwala, alleging the film tarnished the image of the community by portraying them as "terrorists".

Scenes relating to Sikhs in the film had not only tarnished the image of the community in the world but was also affecting the minds of the Sikh younger generation, according to Guru Gobind Singh Study Circle Media Study Centre coordinator Balwinder Singh.

There is a flashback in the film where inspector Abhishek Mhatre (played by Abhishek Bachchan) is shot by a group of Sikh terrorists. The organisations urged the Central government to impose a "complete ban" on the film's screening and include a person nominated by SGPC as a member of the censor board to evaluate the objectionable scenes.

They also appealed to Sikhs across the country to "bitterly oppose" the film.

Thailand considers unblocking YouTube

From the Bangkok Post
See also FACT who list 1000's of blocked websites

The Information and Communication Technology Ministry plans to ask the cabinet to waive a decree issued by the Council for National Security, earlier known as the Council for Democratic Reform, which has prohibited political websites, said ICT minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom.

The junta's decree, known as Order No. 5, which has banned political websites, will be lifted by the Surayud cabinet this week in order to make the people feel better now that the political situation has improved and a general election is to be held, he said.

The ICT minister who claimed to have banned only about 200 websites, 90% of which featured pornography said that Thai-based internet users will again be allowed to access www.youtube.com, the popular video-sharing website after it had been blocked for several months.

[As an aside, according to FACT, the list of blocked websites has increased to 17793 entries (representing 11329 websites). 90 political websites were added to the banned list in May 2007].

Google, the US-based parent corporation of YouTube, had offered to see to it that any lese majeste content will be kept off that website, he added.

 
Russia considers censoring internet of 'extremist' material

From Australian IT see full article

Internet sites in Russia should be censored to combat extremist material, a senior legal official says.

Changes need to be made to the current laws. As experience shows there is often room on the internet for the spread of material of an extremist nature, Deputy Prosecutor General Ivan Sydoruk said: Therefore it is necessary to draft an effective control system so that material published there corresponds to legal requirements.

Critics say the laws are also used to stifle political opponents of President Vladimir Putin and to prevent the airing of opposition views on sensitive subjects such as the conflict in Chechnya.

Television is almost entirely controlled by the authorities and only a handful of newspapers, which reach limited audiences, are considered independent.

   
BBFC statement about download certificates

From a recent BBFC release introducing the 2006 annual report
See also details of the BBFC scheme

The BBFC is working closely with the film industry to develop a means of classifying films which will be available to download via the internet. An industry/BBFC working party has come up with plans which will enable consumers to have access to the same BBFC category information and Consumer Advice as they currently enjoy with cinema films and DVDs, at point of online hire or sale.

David Cooke, Director of the BBFC said in the BBFC 2006 Annual Report:

The BBFC is not seeking an open-ended regulatory role on the internet; the focus here is on material which would previously have been delivered in physical film or DVD format. We are keen to show that the BBFC is prepared to be open-minded and imaginative in responding to the challenges and opportunities of new media.

The response of the industry to this initiative has been extremely positive. We are currently working on a pilot scheme with several key industry players, covering the family entertainment end of the market through to the adult industry. We are also talking to the games industry about the possibility of classifying some online games. Recent research carried out for us showed that 84 per cent of people would like to see the BBFC classifications applied to films downloaded via the internet and this rose to 91 per cent of parents. This is not surprising when one considers that many downloads are likely to be offered on a ‘download to burn’ basis by which the consumer ends up with a DVD just like the one being sold on the high street. As well as the known and trusted classification category symbols, downloaded films will come with an online version of the BBFC’s ‘black card’, which is so much a part of the cinema going experience.

This co-regulatory approach is very much in line with the latest version of the Audio-Visual Media Services Directive, covering online media services. The BBFC is also a member of the Cross-Industry Audiovisual Content Information Group, an Ofcom backed initiative aimed at establishing common principles for the labelling of online content.

   
Press get wind of BBFC download certificates

From The Telegraph see full article
See also details of the BBFC scheme

Cinema-style ratings are to be introduced on the internet in an attempt to protect children from hardcore pornography and graphic violence.

The BBFC wants the most explicit online material to carry a new version of the R18 certificate which normally only applies to material bought in sex shops or screened in specially licensed cinemas.

The new online R18 ratings, subject of a pilot scheme now being run by the board, could be introduced as early as next month if, as expected, the Government backs the scheme. It will be the first time that a British watchdog has tried to regulate access to internet material.

The system, which is backed by the sex industry, would see porn available for download or streaming clearly labelled as being unsuitable for children. Access to such material would be via a "landing page" which would contain clear warnings, be free of sexual images and require users to verify their age.

Details of the scheme are contained in correspondence between the film board and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, obtained by The Sunday Telegraph under the Freedom of Information Act.

In March, David Cooke, the board's director, wrote to Phil Clapp, who leads the department's creative industries division, saying that the board believed the scheme will allow UK customers to avoid inadvertently being exposed to material which may be illegal and/or harmful.

But John Beyer, the director of Mediawatch UK, said the system was "utterly useless" as people would still be able to access the material: A lot of children have their own money and bank accounts and so it's not a problem for teenagers to download 18-rated films.

 
Jamie Bulger picture simply not recognised in the US

From GamesIndustry.biz see full article

Legacy Interactive has apologised to the family of James Bulger for featuring an image of the murdered toddler in PC title Law and Order: Double or Nothing.

In a statement the company said, Legacy Interactive sends our most heartfelt apology to the family of James Bulger for the inadvertent use of a background photo in our Law and Order game.

The image was included in the game years ago and without any knowledge of the crime, which occurred in the UK and was minimally publicised in the United States.

The image of Bulger, a still of CCTV footage recorded in The Strand shopping centre, Merseyside, is visible on a bulletin board in the game.

The company has now confirmed that a patch has been created to eliminate the photo from the game, and it's now available for download from LegacyInteractive.com. Legacy also said that the photo will be removed from any future printings of the game.

   
Shipwrecked cleared over racist comments

From Digital Spy see full article

Ofcom has cleared Channel 4's Shipwrecked after the regulator received complaints about alleged racist and homophobic comments in the show.

1,453 complaints were received about the about the 'homophobic' treatment of student Joe Stone and the 'racist' views of teenager Lucy Buchanan.

Ofcom recognised that unscripted reality television should give an accurate picture of each contestant rather than "editorialise" them.

In Buchanan's case, the regulator said the broadcaster showed an appropriate counter balance to her comments, including airing footage of fellow competitors challenging her views.

A reference to Stone as a "fairy" was justified by the regulator, stating: Whilst most would consider the pejorative use of the word ‘fairy’ as offensive, Ofcom noted it was not used as an insult or in a derogatory way towards Joe. It was an off-the-cuff remark to camera from the self-appointed leader of the group who was frustrated by Joe’s lack of willingness to participate in the more
macho elements of the group.

Ofcom added: There is no requirement that all people who take part in a reality television programme must be shown to only express views which meet generally accepted standards. This would not be a justifiable or proportionate limitation on freedom of expression.

 
Transvestite chat show given marching orders in Pakistan

From the BBC see full article

Pakistan's first and only television chat show hosted by a transvestite is being taken off air after falling foul of the state censor.

Ali Saleem, who dresses up as Begum Nawazish Ali for the show, said its last broadcast will be on 1 July.

The popular late night programme features politicians and celebrities in frank conversations.

It is believed to have aggravated feelings in the army with its remarks about the military.

Referring to pressure from the censors, Ali Saleem told the BBC: My show was being slaughtered and the channel was helpless to do anything about it.

He said that some members of the army were particularly offended that the character of Begum Nawazish Ali is supposed to be the widow of an army colonel.

Ali Saleem has been previously described in a US daily as having devised the perfect, if improbable, cover for breaking taboos in conservative, Muslim Pakistan. He is said to have managed not only to bring up the subject of sex on his prime-time television talk show, but to do so without stirring a backlash from fundamentalist Islamic clerics. And he has done so as a “woman”.

 
Thailand proposes Suitable for All, 15, 18 & Banned film certificates

From the Bangkok Post by Kong Rithdee

Big Sister at our Ministry of unCulture is pushing a new Film Act that promises a weird rating system that will zap us back to the Dark Ages, if not into a black hole.

Now in the pipeline to be tabled before Cabinet and subsequently to the National Legislative Assembly, the draft of the new film law, written by the Council of State under the guidance of the hawks at the unCulture Ministry, proposes a system unseen before in the history of film rating (bar Communist states).

As written, there will be the G rating, given to a movie suitable for all age groups; the over-15 rating, the over-18, and here's the kick: the "Banned" rating.

Hidden like a dagger in a cloak is another clause that gives legal right to the film committees, which will be made up mainly of bureaucrats, to axe "inappropriate scenes". They just adore their scissors, these self-appointed dogs - I mean watchdogs - and with the tenacity of a rottweiler biting into the arm of a suspect murderer, they'll do everything to cling on to their power to cut, hack, bite, butcher, amputate, mutilate and maim. In short, there will be both the rating and the cut.

This proposed legislation is not in the least an improvement to the antiquated, pre-constitutional monarchy 1930 Film Act that is still being enforced today. Seventy-seven years of trying to catch up with reality, and still we fail miserably. It's not just disappointing, it's utterly sad.

   
DVD extra for Weeds Season 2 banned

From the BBFC see full article

The BBFC have banned a 5 minute DVD extra on Season 2 of the 2005 US comedy Weeds

The BBFC explained themselves as follows:

Cream of the Crop is a 5 minute DVD extra for the US TV show Weeds. It consists of a segment, filmed in the style of a cookery programme, in which a member of the cast introduces the viewer to his top 5 varieties of marijuana. He extols the virtues of each variety in terms of its flavour and effects and encourages viewers to obtain and partake in marijuana.

Although the Board accepts that the work is played with a certain degree of knowing humour, it is clear that the lack of any other content or context means that the likely effect of the work, taken as a whole, is to promote and encourage the use of illegal drugs. The Board’s Guidelines state that No work taken as a whole may promote or encourage the use of illegal drugs

   
And UK Government to re-examine violent games

There were also rumours that an unnamed source from Rockstar Games said that Rockstar intended to appeal the BBFC decision

Manhunt 2 not distributed in Switzerland

From Sawf News see full article

The Swiss Interactive Entertainment Association (SIEA), which groups leading manufacturers of consoles and software, decided not to distribute Manhunt 2, which is to be launched in Europe in mid-July.

The SIEA said the game: exceeds what is tolerable as regards the representation of violence.

SIEA chief Roger Frei said that in deciding not to distribute Manhunt 2 the industry had shown a sense of responsibility and was no longer prepared to accept just anything, despite respect for artistic freedoms.

The SIEA includes console makers Sony Computer Entertainment, Microsoft and Nintendo, as well as Swiss offshoots of software companies Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Atari and Koch Media.

Questions in the House

Based on an article from GamesIndustry.biz see full article

The nutter MP Keith Vaz raised the issue of Manhunt 2 being banned by the BBFC in Parliamentary questions this week, as well as the withdrawal of PC title Law and Order: Double or Nothing, which contained an image of murdered toddler James Bulger: Will the Leader of the House please tell us when he expects a statement to be made... or when we may have a debate on the social responsibilities of those who make a huge amount of money out of these videogames?

Jack Straw admitted the BBFC falls under his responsibility, and that violence in games is a subject that is likely to be further examined by the UK Government.

We do not see sufficient social responsibility and understanding by the creators and purveyors of such games, commented Straw.

Comment: Sanitised

From JAK

On forums around the web the current fear is that the game will be sanitised. Some people are hoping that the full game will be ported to the PC so that it can be released in the USA as an AO (Adult Only) rated game. At the moment Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony will not allow AO titles to be released on their gaming consoles.

In my own opinion: now I really want to play the game as it was originally intended. I have no desire for a sanitised version so I'm hoping that pirate copies are made available in the UK if the game cannot ever be released here as it was meant to be

   
Family and Consumer Choice Act

From AVN see full article

House lawmakers Daniel Lipinski (D-Ill.) and Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) joined FCC chairman Kevin Martin to announce the introduction of a bipartisan federal legislation called the The Family and Consumer Choice Act.

According to a recent report, the conservative bill would force cable operators to create a family-friendly programming tier, comply with existing federal indecency rules, or rebate customers who have blocked channels in a tier.

The cable industry has argued that The Family and Consumer Choice Act would be an expensive burden on consumers and would be an infringement of operators' First Amendment rights.

 
Thailand dictates TV news

From The Nation

Several TITV employees yesterday lodged a complaint with the Thai Broadcast Journalists' Association against "government officials" dictating to them not to produce any news reports that ran counter to government policies.

The statement said government officials attended every news briefing to make sure no news content conflicted with the government's interests.

It is the first time TITV has protested publicly about the junta-installed government's reportedly close control over programming produced by the station, which was once owned by ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

When it was iTV, before Thaksin was toppled by the military coup on September 19, it was known for siding with him, and it was taken over by the government last month.

The staff did not explicitly name the government agencies sending the officials but said the strict policy had begun to be enforced about a month ago when political frictions became particularly heated.

The officials threatened to use "drastic measures" against TITV if their orders to carry "one-sided" messages on news programmes were not followed, the TITV workers said.

Forced caesarean birth story line on EastEnders offends

Based on an article from Bounty see full article

At least 80 viewers have made complaints about the recent scene in EastEnders which saw pregnant Dawn chained to a bed and threatened with having to undergo a caesarean section.

The storyline was already under scrutiny as the scriptwriters admitted they were forced to rewrite scenes in the light of the Madeline McCann disappearance, but it seems the unnerving story with Dawn, Rob and May was too much for a few viewers.

A BBC spokesman has since apologised, adding: We are sorry if some people were offended by this drama unfolding. He also stressed that the corporation will be addressing complaints fully in due course.

   
Rife in the Australian Government

From the BBC see full article
See also Australian Government Report [pdf]

Australia is to ban alcohol and pornography in Aboriginal areas in the Northern Territory in a bid to curb child sex abuse. All Aboriginal children in the territory will be medically examined.

The new proposals follow a report last week which found evidence of abuse in each of the territory's 45 communities. Last week's landmark report identified a wide range of social issues that contribute to child sexual abuse. They included unemployment, poor health and nutrition, overcrowded housing, substance abuse and pornography.

Local police officers were accused of turning a blind eye to a "rampant informal sex trade" between Aboriginal girls aged 12 to 15 and non-Aboriginal local mineworkers, who paid the girls in alcohol, cash and other goods. Alcohol was used as a "bartering tool" by black and white men for sex with under-age girls, the report added.

Prime Minister John Howard said the federal government would take over the administration of Aboriginal communities for the next five years so that the new laws would be strictly enforced. For the last decade, Aboriginal communities have by and large been allowed to govern themselves.

Aboriginal leaders have expressed outrage at the new measures: It's another knee-jerk reaction from our government to a very serious issue, the director of the Crossroads Aboriginal Ministries in Sydney, Ray Minnicomb, told the BBC: To ban alcohol on Aboriginal communities, where that ban has already been in place for the last 20 or 30 years by the Aboriginal people themselves, is a bit silly. [Mr Howard] would have to ban that in the cities and towns where white people live with Aboriginal people in order to make it effective.

Under the new measures, the sale, possession, transportation and consumption of alcohol will be banned in indigenous communities for six months.

Hardcore pornography will also be made illegal and all publicly-funded computers will be searched for pornographic images.

Welfare payments would be contingent on children attending school and new rules would dictate how they are spent to ensure that young people are properly fed and clothed.

   
Italian minister also hunts for Euro-wide ban of Manhunt 2

From past experience, Germany, Australia and New Zealand are all likely to ban it too.

From Variety see full article

Rockstar Games is delaying its latest controversial game, Manhunt 2, after it was banned by three European countries and slapped with an adults only "AO" rating in the U.S. that would essentially prevent it from being released.

Italy became the latest European government to ban the title, in which players control an inmate escaping a mental asylum who gruesomely murders guards and other prisoners along the way.

Though it didn't provide further details, Rockstar and parent company Take 2 most likely will try to edit the game in order to garner an M rating in the US and to pass the muster of foreign governments.

As it currently stands, Manhunt 2 could be barred across all of Europe. Italo Communications Minister Paolo Gentiloni said that he has filed a complaint with the Interactive Software Federation of Europe, which will address a potential Europe-wide ban. Gentiloni's office said in a statement that the Brussels-based org has agreed to address whether Manhunt 2 should be allowed on the European market at a meeting on to be attended by Vivianne Reding, the EU commissioner for information, society and media.

Critics have taken particular exception to Manhunt 2's controls on the Wii, arguing that the console's motion-sensing "Wii-mote" allows players to act out grisly murders even more directly than on a standard videogame controller.

   
Censors gorge themselves on pedantry

From the BBC see full article

Reruns of a TV commercial from the 1950s which urged viewers to "go to work on an egg" have been banned.

An advertising watchdog said the slogan went against the principle of eating a varied diet.

The Egg Information Service had wanted to screen the advert, which featured comedian Tony Hancock, to celebrate its 50th birthday.

Author Fay Weldon, who headed the team which came up with the slogan, has described the decision as absurd.

The Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre (BACC) defended its decision, insisting that the adverts did not suggest a varied diet.

BACC spokesman Kristoffer Hammer said: Dietary considerations have been at the centre of the new rules for advertising and in consideration of this we felt that these adverts did not suggest a varied diet. The concept of eating eggs every day for breakfast goes against what is now the generally accepted advice of a varied diet and we therefore could not approve the ads for broadcast.

British Egg Information Service spokesperson Amanda Cryer said: We have been shocked by this ruling as eggs are a healthy, natural food which are recommended by nutritionists.

What's more, there are no restrictions on the number of eggs people can eat, which was recently confirmed by the Food Standards Agency, and between five and seven eggs a week would be totally acceptable for most people.

In addition, many other advertisers clearly promote their products to be eaten every day such as breakfast cereals so we are very surprised that eggs have been singled out in this way.

Comment: Eggstreme Censorship

From Shaun

Unelected advertising censor, bans a new version of the TV advert  I've never known anything so daft. I've emailed 'em to tell 'em so too.

Others can too: enquiries@bacc.org.uk

Interestingly "Go to work on an egg" was coined by Fay Weldon, who was on the panel at the BBFC appeal which finally made hard core videos legal. She was one who voted in favour. Now she has a famous phrase of her own censored. I wonder what she thinks about that?

   
Shaun comments on the game ban

From a letter by Shaun to his MP

That unelected and totally undemocratic quango, "The British Board Of Film Classification" (C= CENSORS really) has refused a "classification certificate" to the RockStar video game Manhunt 2 which means it cannot be legally sold in the country.

This game was only targeted at adults, not children, and was seeking an "18" rated certificate.

Perhaps they didn't want people to play it, in case they become a future Prime Minister, start illegal wars, and cause the death of 18 year old soldiers and foreign civilians.

Oh the absolute hypocrisy of it all!

It stinks to high heaven.

In any case, who elected the sanctimonious BBFC people for goodness sake ? I know I didn't.

If people let children (younger than 18 years) old play such games, should there not be a duty of care imposed on them not to do that, rather than impose CENSORSHIP AND PROHIBITION ON FREEBORN ADULTS?

I notice that some prisoners are being released. No doubt this is to make way for the new criminals which will be created when New Nanny's "Dangerous Pictures Act" becomes law, which (quite unnecessarily I think) makes some types of pornographic material illegal to posses.

I am ever more conscious that we do not live in any kind of free society and our current politicians are completely responsible for this. More and more people are becoming aware of it too. You should consider this carefully.

Censorship is a tool used by REPRESSIVE GOVERNMENTS around the world, not the custodians of a so called FREE (?) society whose duty it should be, to respect, protect and enhance those freedoms whenever possible.

Human rights anyone?

What a complete joke.

Why do politicians generally love censorship ? Is it because the media offers them wonderful scapegoat they can blame, for society's ills that they can't otherwise do anything about ? Censorship gives them the opportunity to announce: We are doing something about this filth etc. But it doesn't work you know. Countries who really value their citizens right to free choice in the media, generally have far less crime than we do here.

Comment: Confusion Hunt

Another Melon Farmer, JAK, has also posted comments on a MySpace blog

Check out the full article: Confusion Hunt (MySpace registration required)

A Playstation 2/Nintendo Wii game called Manhunt 2 has been banned in the UK by the BBFC. It has also been banned in Ireland by their board of classification.

The game is about a patient of some dodgy medical facility who manages to escape some unethical treatment with the help of another patient. You, playing as the patient, are then hunted by the medical facilities employees who seek to kill you. Your response, goaded on by your saviour, is to turn the tables and kill you tormentors in various unpleasant ways.

The game has two endings - the bad ending if you are very proficient at killing people in horrid ways, or the good ending which is caused by a more vanilla way of burning the enemy off.

The creators of the game had designed the game for a strictly adult audience, the sort of people who enjoy movies like Saw and Hostel.

   
British & Irish Censors reject video game Manhunt 2

From the BBFC see full article

The BBFC has rejected the video game Manhunt 2. This means that it cannot be legally supplied anywhere in the UK. The game was submitted in both a PS2 and a Nintendo Wii version. The decision was taken by the Director and the Presidential Team of Sir Quentin Thomas, Lord Taylor of Warwick and Janet Lewis-Jones.

David Cooke, Director of the BBFC said: Rejecting a work is a very serious action and one which we do not take lightly. Where possible we try to consider cuts or, in the case of games, modifications which remove the material which contravenes the Board’s published Guidelines. In the case of Manhunt 2 this has not been possible. Manhunt 2 is distinguishable from recent high-end video games by its unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone in an overall game context which constantly encourages visceral killing with exceptionally little alleviation or distancing. There is sustained and cumulative casual sadism in the way in which these killings are committed, and encouraged, in the game.

Although the difference should not be exaggerated the fact of the game’s unrelenting focus on stalking and brutal slaying and the sheer lack of alternative pleasures on offer to the gamer, together with the different overall narrative context, contribute towards differentiating this submission from the original Manhunt game. That work was classified ‘18’ in 2003, before the BBFC’s recent games research had been undertaken, but was already at the very top end of what the Board judged to be acceptable at that category.

Against this background, the Board’s carefully considered view is that to issue a certificate to Manhunt 2, on either platform, would involve a range of unjustifiable harm risks, to both adults and minors, within the terms of the Video Recordings Act, and accordingly that its availability, even if statutorily confined to adults, would be unacceptable to the public.

No Political Influence

From GamesIndustry.biz see full article

The BBFC has stated that there was no political influence in the decision to ban Rockstar's Manhunt 2

The original Manhunt caused a media frenzy following release when it was unfairly linked by the press to the murder of teenager Stefan Pakeerah.

However, the BBFC's Sue Clark has told GamesIndustry.biz that past incidents have not influenced the decision to deny the sequel to UK consumers.

That had nothing to do with this decision, absolutely not, said Clark: We are independent of government and independent of the industry and we reached this decision based on our guidelines and our concerns and not on any other basis at all.

Recent research by the BBFC showed that negative press surrounding controversial games actually encourages sales. A UK ban of Manhunt 2 would not be able to stop dedicated consumers importing copies on release.

Banned in Ireland

From Irish Examiner.com see full article

Ireland has joined the UK in banning the violent video game Manhunt 2.

The Irish Film Censors Office (IFCO) said it contained gross acts of violence, making it the first video game to be banned in the State: A prohibition order has been made by IFCO in relation to the video game Manhunt 2. The Order was made under Sec 7 (1) (b) of the Video Recordings Act 1989 which refers to acts of gross violence or cruelty (including mutilation and torture).

IFCO recognises that in certain films, DVDs and video games, strong graphic violence may be a justifiable element within the overall context of the work. However, in the case of Manhunt 2, IFCO believes that there is no such context, and the level of gross, unrelenting and gratuitous violence is unacceptable.

Rockstar Games today said that it “emphatically disagrees” with the decision to ban Manhunt 2 from stores in the UK.

The subject matter of 'Manhunt 2' is in line with other mainstream entertainment choices for adult consumers, the company said, stressing that the game is aimed at over-18s and not children: Manhunt 2 is an entertainment experience for fans of psychological thrillers and horror. The subject matter of this game is in line with other mainstream entertainment choices for adult consumers.

The statement added: We respect those who have different opinions about the horror genre and video games as a whole, but we hope they will also consider the opinions of the adult gamers for whom this product is intended.

We believe all products should be rated to allow the public to make informed choices about the media and art they wish to consume.

The company will consider over the next few days whether or not to launch an appeal, a spokesman said.

Rated Adults Only in USA

From Games Dog see full article

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has given Manhunt 2 an AO rating, the highest rating which will severely restrict its sale in the U.S.

The problems arise from the fact that the major U.S retailers do not stock games with an AO rating.

Although this is only an initial rating, giving the publishers Take Two a chance to modify the game, it is difficult to see what can be done to mollify the censors.

A Take-Two representative commented: Manhunt 2 was created for mature audiences and we strongly believe it should receive an M (Mature) rating, aligning it with similar content created in other forms of media. We are exploring our options with regard to the rating of Manhunt 2.

 
Small Bulger image leads to call for ban of video game

From The Guardian see full article

A computer game which uses the CCTV image of James Bulger being led away to his death from a Merseyside shopping centre has been withdrawn from sale in the UK after being condemned by his mother as "sick and hurtful".

The image of the two-year old, which was seared into the public appears as a grainy visual clue in the game Law and Order: Double or Nothing.

Denise Fergus, James's mother, called for all copies of the game, which is based on the US television drama Law and Order, to be scrapped. She also complained to its manufacturer, Global Software, demanding that the image be removed and appealed for anyone who owns the game to destroy it: It dehumanises the memory of my lovely son I want it stopped immediately. What on earth were they thinking when they did this beggars belief.

Church intervention assists sales of Resistance: Fall of Man

From the PS3

Resistance: Fall of Man sales have actually gone up since the recent controversy, as reported by Spong.

Resistance is now the best-selling PS3-only game and has climbed back into the top-forty all-format charts, presumably on the back of the publicity generated by its controversial use of a digital replica of Manchester Cathedral as one of its levels.