Up for an Australian arts prize

From the Daily Mail see full article

This year's entries for the coveted Blake's Prize £6,000 award have caused a chorus of outrage from Christians and Muslims.

They include a portrait of Osama Bin Laden which, viewed from an angle, morphs into an image of Christ.

And just for good measure there is a figure of the Virgin Mary, hands clasped in prayer, with an Islamic burqa concealing her upper body apart from the eyes.

The decision to place them on show at the National Art School in Sydney has caused deep upset in Australia, whose 20million population is predominantly Christian.

The choice of such artwork is gratuitously offensive to the religious beliefs of many Australians, said Prime Minister John Howard.

And Labour Opposition leader Kevin Rudd said: I accept people can have artistic freedom ...BUT... I find this painting off, off in the extreme. I understand how people would be offended by it.

In an astonishing defence, the chairman of the Blake Society, the Rev Rod Pattenden, denied that they were likely to cause harm because the Christian community doesn't look at art a great deal.

Queensland lawyer Priscilla Bracks, who painted the Bin Laden portrait entitled Bearded Orientals: Making the Empire Cross, said it was not meant to compare Jesus to the terror leader but was a commentary on the way Bin Laden had been treated in the media.

Sydney artist Luke Sullivan, creator of the Virgin Mary entry, entitled The Fourth Secret of Fatima, said his work was intended to pose the question of what was the future of religion.

Glynis Quinlan, spokesman for the Australian Christian Lobby, said: It's really unfortunate that people take liberties with the Christian faith that they wouldn't dare take with other religions.

Gangs of politicians posturing on YouTube

Based on an article from The Times see full article

Three Scottish teenagers from Glasgow’s Xcross gang put a video on YouTube in which they gloated over the killing of a 21-year-old father.

Caught by the police, the three stars of the disturbing internet movie pleaded guilty to culpable homicide last week, allowing the story of their online bragging to be told. Plastered all over the Scottish newspapers last week, it is hardly surprising that the shock that such videos exist have begun to lead to calls for more regulation of the video-sharing website.

In the past fortnight MPs have queued up to criticise YouTube in an attempt to look tough on law and order, in response to the spate of gun crime. As a result, John Whittingdale, who chairs the Commons Culture Select Committee, is considering a public enquiry into the topic.

What we’re seeing is the emergence of this, and a whole series of undesirable things emerging from new media,  Whittingdale said. There are also concerns about cyber-bullying and about the use by some Islamic fundamentalist groups of some pretty appalling websites.

Ivan Lewis, a health minister, who has some responsiblity for “inter-generational issues”, delivered a warning in Sunday’s Observer that companies should “do everything in their power” to prevent such material appearing online - a clear hint of how far concerns have reached at the political level. On the other side of the fence, David Cameron called for curbs on violent music and games, as the Tory leader strayed close to the issue of online regulation.

The storm is an indication of how the “you can’t regulate the internet” debate is shifting. Two years ago, Lord Currie of Marylebone, Ofcom’s chairman, argued that there was no need for any specific internet regulation, because existing laws, such as those covering incitment to racial hatred, made illegal anything that was likely to provoke the most offense.

Yet there is a recognition privately in regulatory circles that the debate is being reopened - although there are no plans as yet for a formal Ofcom consultation - and acknowledgement that this is an issue that the Government may force the communications authority to consider.

I’m not sure there is currently the case for any statutory intervention, Whittingdale said,“but we want to see Google and the internet service providers getting together and focusing on what might be done. An inquiry from Whittingdale’s committee is likely in the next few months.

It is unlikely that a solution lies with the expansion of Ofcom’s caller centre, which handles viewer complaints about television - “Who would pay for it?” one insider asks - but there is some interest, particularly among Conservatives, in trying to extend the familiar film rating system used by the BBFC.

For the moment, YouTube is resistant, although it does restrict some content to the over18s, but that is unlikely to satisfy the growing band of political critics; if the issues of children and gangs remains in the public eye for much longer - and it probably will - the prospect of tightening internet regulation becomes more and more likely.

   
Final report into Virginia Tech killings

From Game Politics see full article
See also final report

The final report of Governor Tim Kaine’s Virginia Tech Review Panel has been made public, and video games are NOT identified as a factor in the massacre.

Quite the opposite, in fact. The only game cited as being played by Cho is Sonic the Hedgehog. An overall non-involvement with games is detailed by his college roommates.

From Chapter IV, Mental Health History of Seung Hui Cho:

...Sun and her parents recall that Cho seemed to be doing better. He was enrolled in a Tae Kwon Do program for awhile, watched TV, and played video games like Sonic the Hedgehog. None of the video games were war games or had violent themes.

...Years later when he was in high school, Cho was asked to write about his hobbies and interests. He wrote: I like to listen to talk shows and alternative stations, and I like action movies…My favorite movie is X-Men, favorite actor is Nicolas Cage, favorite book is Night Over Water, favorite band is U2.

...Cho’s roommate never saw him play video games. He would get movies from the library and watch them on his laptop. The roommate never saw what they were, but they always seemed dark. Cho would listen to and download
heavy metal music.

...Cho went to bed early and got up early, so his roommate just left him alone and gave him his space. The only activities Cho engaged in were studying, sleeping, and downloading music. He never saw him play a video game, which he thought strange since he and most other students play them.

   
Is the commercial ban on adult games doing more harm than good?

All the US achieves by commercially banning adult ratings is that violent content gets forced into M rated games or R rated films.

From Game Politics

The game industry finds itself under a microscope. The issue of sales to children is a big one for critics like Leland Yee and the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. And for the Federal Trade Commission, which studies the industry’s marketing practices in relation to kids.

For their part, the console makers don’t want to be accused of licensing porn on a machine that’s sold at Toys’R'Us. The major game publishers are largely public corporations that don’t want to be seen as being in the porn creation business, either.

And it’s not just the Big Three console makers. Even if Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft were willing to license the AO version of Manhunt 2 to run on their systems, major retailers would not stock an adults only game.

The dilemma is steeped in culture, politics, finance and technology but it’s time to start the dialogue.

Surprisingly, State Senator Leland Yee, a frequent critic of the video game industry, agrees with many of these points. Adam Keigwin, one of Yee’s top aides said:

Senator Yee would agree with [Georgia Tech Professor] Ian Bogost that the consoles should allow play of AO rated games.  The parental controls are necessary however. Dr. Yee has always said that the industry has a right to make extremely violent games and to sell them to adults.

His issue has consistently been about protecting children and eliminating their access to the most violent games without their parents’ knowledge.

Another problem with this whole ratings mess is that the ESRB just refuses to use the AO rating for violence despite the descriptor calling for such a rating when there are “graphic depictions of violence.”  If Manhunt doesn’t qualify, what would? 

Thailand unblocks YouTube

Based on an article from The Nation

The government yesterday lifted its ban on the YouTube website after the site's management agreed to block any video clips deemed offensive to Thai people or those that violate Thai law.

Information and Censorship Technology Minister Sitthichai Pookai-yaudom said local Internet surfers would now be able to access the YouTube site, which has been banned since April 3.

This follows an agreement between the Ministry of ICT and YouTube that the site would curb any clips which have contents considered an affront to Thai people or those that violate the Kingdom's laws.

Sitthichai said YouTube had just finished creating a program that would block sensitive video clips from being accessed from Thai Internet service providers (ISPs).

Other video sharing sites, Metacafe & Veoh, remain blocked in Thailand.

Chinese police on the lookout for those carrying an offensive opinion

From The Telegraph see full article

Cartoon police officers are to appear in "pop-up" warnings on the internet every half hour to warn Chinese users that they must steer clear of unapproved websites.

Officials stress that "Jing" and "Cha", its two "internet cops" named after the two characters that make up the Chinese word for "police", are on the look out for criminal activity. They will be on the watch for websites that incite secession, promote superstition, gambling and fraud, an official told the China Daily newspaper. "Secession" refers to support for an independent Tibet or Taiwan.

A second official said it was important to wipe out information that disrupts social stability, a catch-all phrase often used to refer to emails, bulletin boards and blogs that challenge the political status quo.

The new rules, devised by Beijing city authorities under the devolved system common in China, mean that the two cartoon characters will from Saturday roll up from the bottom of the 13 biggest internet sites every 30 minutes. They will expand their presence to all city internet sites by the end of the year.

Opposing internet censorship

From the BBC see full article

The internet should not be used as a scapegoat for society's ills, said Vint Cerf, Google's net evangelist and a founding father of the network.

Speaking on the BBC Radio 4's Today programme he rejected calls for strict control of what is put online.

He said the net was just a reflection of the society in which we live. Anyone regulating beyond what was clearly illegal put themselves on a "slippery slope" that could limit freedom of expression, he said: If it's not illegal, it raises a rather interesting question about where you do draw the line.

Rather than impose controls centrally, said Cerf, it was far better to put them at the edges of the network where users go online. For instance, searching for results via Google can be constrained by filters that can be set to be strict or lax.

It was a mistake to divorce what was seen online from what happens in the real world: Most of the content on the network is contributed by the users of the internet. So what we're seeing on the net is a reflection of the society we live in. Maybe it is important for us to look at that society and try to do something about what's happening, what we are seeing. When you have a problem in the mirror you do not fix the mirror, you fix that which is reflected in the mirror.

Collage made from porn pictures

From Metro see full article

When a British artist was denied US backing to paint a portrait of President George Bush he decided to make an 'alternative' version - from images of porn.

Now Jonathan Yeo has caued a stir in the US, where Republicans have attacked the work for being in poor taste.

A Republican spokesman said: This picture is very distasteful. Why would anyone want to make a picture of our President from pornographic material?

But Jonathan, son of former Tory backbencher Tim Yeo, told Metro: I did it for fun. I was mildly irritated after the commission was cancelled and just went with this idea which initially I thought would not end up in a gallery.

I suppose it was a bit of amusement for myself, poking fun at this unpopular man and for the majority of those who have seen it it has struck a chord. Essentially it makes people smile and it's an interesting new medium for me.

Although it hasn't gone down too well with some sections of America, Jonathan's work has caught the attention of the art fraternity this side of the Pond.

It has been unveiled at the Lazarides Gallery in London's Soho and is set to be a star attraction.

   
A photo album dedicated to censorship

From eitb24 see full article
See Against Censorship at Flickr

Some web surfers have decided to create a Flickr photo album to protest against censorship at Flickr and on the Web. Users of this web site in countries such as Germany, Singapore, China or South Korea can not access many of the photos after these countries had labeled them as not suitable.

The new photo album, Against Censorship at Flickr, gathers photos of all the flickr users who want to protest against censorship in this photo service.

 
From Voice of America see full article

Chinese authorities are tightening their control of the media and continuing to put those who resist censorship behind bars.

Most recently, Chen Shuqing, a Chinese rights activist, was reportedly sentenced to four years in jail after being charged with subversion for posting politically sensitive essays on the Internet.

His lawyer, Li Jianqiang, called the sentence "totally unreasonable," saying Mr. Chen "was only expressing his opinion and that is within his rights under the constitution."

Li himself has also come under fire by Chinese authorities for defending rights activists. He was notified in June that his license to practice law had been suspended for at least one year.

29th August

  A New Fad for Self Censorship...

   
Opus cartoon missing from US newspapers

From Spero News see full article

The Washington Post and several other newspapers around the country did not run Sunday's installment of Berkeley Breathed's "Opus," in which the spiritual fad-seeking character Lola Granola appears in a headscarf and explains to her boyfriend, Steve, why she wants to become a radical Islamist.

At least two dozen newspapers refused to run a cartoon last Sunday (the first of a two-part series) because it might offend Muslims; more newspapers are expected to censor the September 2 instalment. The cartoon strip that was slated to run on August 26, Berkeley Breathed's "Opus," contained a sexually suggestive panel and poked fun at radical Islam. "Opus" is syndicated by the Washington Post Writers Group, which is led by Alan Shearer.

Shearer explained that Whenever something lands close to the edge, we give editors enough notice in case they choose to run something else. He checked with Islamic experts to see if the "Opus" strips might be a problem, and even though they said they weren't, they were nixed anyway. Muslim staffers at the Washington Post were also asked for their input.

The installment did not appear in the Post's print version, but it ran on WashingtonPost.com and Salon.com. The same will hold true for the upcoming Sept. 2 strip, which is a continuation of the plotline.

More blame, more censorship and less human rights

From Dan

Cameron blasts Labour's knee jerk soloutions to violent crime. If his proposals arn't knee jerk then I dunno what is.

This should go down with John Beyer who will be saying: This is what we've said all along.

From The Telegraph see full article
See also How a Conservative Government will Tackle Britain's Crime Crisis [pdf file]

David Cameron geared up for a potential autumn election yesterday by putting measures to end Britain's "crime crisis" and heal its "broken society" at the heart of a possible Autumn election campaign.

The relevant sections of his latest policy document are:

Section 2.8 Abolish the Human Rights Act:

In Britain today, people rightly sense that the criminal justice system is too often tilted in favour of the criminal and away from the victim.

This is partly the consequence of the Human Rights Act 1998. The Act has created a culture of risk aversion on the part of public bodies, an excessive sensitivity to the demands of criminals, and difficulties in the fight against terrorism.

Meanwhile, even on its own terms the Human Rights Act has not proved to be effective in protecting fundamental rights in Britain. It has not protected the right to trial by jury and it did not prevent the right to free speech from being undermined in the Government’s legislation on religious hatred.

A Conservative Government will repeal the Human Rights Act and replace it with a modern British Bill of Rights. This will spell out the duties and responsibilities of people living in this country both as citizens and foreign nationals. It will enshrine and protect fundamental liberties such as jury trial, equality under the law and civil rights. And it will guide the judiciary and the Government in applying human rights law when the lack of responsibility of some individuals threatens the rights of others.

Section 3.2 Popular Culture

Parents need the support of wider society. Too often, the positive lessons learnt by children at home are undermined by negative lessons taught by popular culture. Two examples stand out.

First, the music industry, and in particular the lyrics and videos of rap, hip-hop and R&B. These often explicitly popularise gangs, guns, a culture of unconstrained acquisition, and the degradation of women. In 2006 the Conservative Party called for the music industry to show a greater sense of social responsibility. A Conservative Government will establish a regular process of consultation with music producers to ensure a constructive dialogue on social responsibility.

The second aspect of popular culture which causes concern is the content of films and video games which are marketed at children and young people, or accessible to them. Extreme, casual and callous violence in a context of social indifference and moral ambiguity – and in the absence of positive, counterbalancing influences from family, community and the wider culture – has a coarsening effect on the ethical sensibility of young people.

We all have a responsibility to ensure a healthy culture for our children to grow up in. This includes not just the producers of films and video games, but the manufacturers of relevant hardware, and the regulators who determine age-related classifications.

A Conservative Government will review the regulatory framework relating to films and video games to ensure that violence and misogyny are not directly promoted to young people. This should include the role of the British Board of Film Classification. Regulatory authorities must be on the side of parents, building classifications that are trustworthy. Our review will consider what regulation is practical given the wide availability of content through a variety of modern media.

 
Libel used to censor YouTube video in Finland

From The Guardian see full article

A Finnish court ruled against a 15-year-old student in a libel case on Friday after he posted a clip of his teacher on YouTube, ordering the youth to pay 800 euros ($1,085) in damages and a 90 euro fine.

The student had filmed his teacher singing at the school party last May and put the clip on YouTube with English subtitles under the headline "Karaoke of the mental hospital".

The teacher took the boy to court and asked for 2,000 euros in damages.

This is the first time a Finnish court has found against someone based on a video clip published on the Internet.

   
Allowed before the watershed

From Ofcom see Broadcast Bulletin Issue 91

Sky News, 25 April 2007, 19:00

A viewer complained that the channel broadcast the word ‘fuck’ during a live link to the opening of the trial of Phil Spector. The complainant objected to the fact that an early evening news programme allowed this to happen and had not used a time delay.

Ofcom considered the complaint against Rule 1.14 (the most offensive language must not be broadcast before the watershed or when children are particularly likely to be listening) and Rule 2.3 (generally accepted standards) of the Code.

Sky accepted that the word was broadcast before the watershed but regretted that it was impossible to have anticipated that such language would have been used by the lawyer at the trial.

Ofcom Decision

Because of the immediacy of news and the necessity to go live at times, the broadcaster has less control of its editorial output. There is always the possibility that material transmitted on these channels may be unsuitable for children, although these services are generally aimed at adults and for a ‘self-selecting’ audience.

In this case, Ofcom took the view that offensive language was unlikely to have been anticipated from a live news report from a courtroom, unlike for example, in programmes where the inclusion of such language was more likely and necessitated greater care over compliance.

We then considered the context of this programme and whether within context it had complied with Rule 2.3. We took into account the editorial content, the service on which the material was broadcast, the likely size and composition of the potential audience and any supporting information that was given. In this case, it was a live news broadcast from a courtroom, contained within a rolling news service, and aimed primarily at an adult audience. An apology was made very soon after the word had been broadcast.

We welcome the apology given shortly after the incident and Sky’s assurances that it takes the broadcast of offensive language seriously. Taking into account all of these factors, Ofcom considers the matter resolved.

 
Pipex censors quick to pull the plug on Christian Voice

From the Freethinker see full article

One of Britain’s most hate-filled websites, Christian Voice, was temporarily silenced last week following a complaint to Pipex, which hosts the website via a subsidiary company.

The homophobic website, run by Stephen Green, was closed down for four days pending investigations by Pipex into a complaint lodged against it by the Brighton-based gay newspaper, One80News after it had been contacted by a reader, Angie Rowland-Stuart.

She told the paper that she was disgusted by the “spiteful lies” on Green’s website. She said: I do think that Christian Voice has broken the rules of the ISPs (Internet Service Providers) they use. The site should be pulled or become a subject for investigation by the police.

The paper revealed that, following Ms Rowland-Stuart’s complaint, it emerged that Pipex supports the sexual health charity The Terrence Higgins Trust, which is described on Green’s website as a homosexual AIDS charity that promotes homosexual perversion.

In a statement posted on the CV website, Green said: Initially, a Sarah Cooper said Pipex had received a letter of complaint ‘of an official nature’ requesting removal of the website, which suggested some Government involvement. It also spoke of ‘the defamatory material’ on the site without specifying it, so we didn’t have a clue what their problem was.

But now Pipex are speaking of ‘a number’ of individual complaints, which would be consistent with us accidentally ruffling the feathers of some humourless gay activists.

Pipex are under notice of legal action as a result of the down time. A commercial company cannot act as judge and jury unilaterally cutting off valuable web traffic on a whim or because of behind-the-scenes politicking. If they get away with it, every politically incorrect website is at risk.

   
The mystery of the rapid re-rating

From Game Politics see full article

The Manhunt 2 fallout continues as California State Senator Leland Yee (D) issues a call for the ESRB to explain its about-face on Manhunt 2 and backs an earlier demand for a federal investigation into the matter.

Yee, of course, is the architect of California’s 2005 video game law, which was recently declared unconstitutional by a federal judge.

Yee said: Parents can’t trust a rating system that doesn’t even disclose how they come to a particular rating. The ESRB and Rockstar should end this game of secrecy by immediately unveiling what content has been changed to grant the new rating and what correspondence occurred between the ESRB and Rockstar to come to this conclusion. Unfortunately, history shows that we must be quite skeptical of these two entities.

Clearly the ESRB has a conflict of interest in rating these games. I join the [Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood] in urging the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the process by which Manhunt 2’s rating was downgraded from AO to M.

From Game Politics see full article

Plenty of theories in the blogosphere such as:

Theory 1: The whole things a scam!  Manhunt 2’s content hasn’t changed at all.  Take-Two and the ESRB are in cahoots to placate the industry’s critics.  

Theory 2: Rockstar did something simple but drastic like fading to black during the killings.
 
Theory 3: There was only one kill or sexual situation that earned the game an AO in the first place.  Maybe all Rockstar had to do was remove the testicle trauma or put some underwear on a bordello girl.
 
Theory 4:  Rockstar intentionally put in some truly over the top and obnoxious sex and/or violence that they never intended to have in the game.  It was included solely to have something to cut out when the ESRB balked.

 
Iran protests to Sweden over cartoon of dog Muhammad

From The Local see full article

Iran summoned a Swedish diplomat to its foreign ministry on to protest against a cartoon in a Swedish newspaper depicting the head of Prophet Muhammad on a dog's body, Sweden's foreign ministry said.

Gunilla von Bahr, Sweden's charge d'affaires, was summoned to the Iranian foreign ministry today where she received a protest from the Iranian government, foreign ministry spokeswoman Anna Björkander told AFP.

The Iranian government told Von Bahr the cartoon was offensive to Prophet Muhammad, Björkander said, refusing to disclose any further details of the meeting.

The cartoon was drawn by Swedish artist Lars Vilks, whose series of drawings of the prophet as a dog have sparked a controversy in Sweden. The sketches were inspired by Sweden's recent 'roundabout dogs' craze. Several art galleries refused to display the sketches amid fears of angry reactions from Muslims.

The Örebro local newspaper Nerikes Allehanda published one of the drawings on August 18 to illustrate an editorial on self-censorship and freedom of religion.

The editorial was critical of the fact that so many had turned down Vilks's drawings for fear of the reactions they would provoke, Nerikes Allehanda's chief editor Ulf Johansson told AFP.

On Saturday, a week after the publication, a group of about 60 Muslims held a demonstration outside the newspaper's office to protest against the publication of the sketch.

28th August

  Gone Gonzales...

   
US anti porn Attorney General resigns

With his promises to prosecute porn producers etc, I don't suppose that many in the adult industry will be unhappy to see him go. His big idea to prosecute porn for being addictive like drugs didn't seem to come to fruition.

From AVN see full article

Alberto Gonzales has resigned his position as Attorney General in the wake of political controversy over corruption in the U.S. Department of Justice.

Gonzales' misleading testimony before Congress about the politically-motivated dismissal of nine U.S. attorneys and the wiretapping of suspected terrorists was a main factor leading up to his resignation. Despite the unwavering support of President Bush, Gonzales faced heated criticism from both Republicans and Democrats over abuses of power in the DOJ.

DOJ documents revealed that the firings of attorneys Paul Charlton and Dan Bogden were related to the Bush Administration's anti-porn agenda. AVN's Mark Kernes reported earlier this year, federal obscenity task force leader Brent Ward had expressed dissatisfaction with the attorneys' alleged lack of cooperation in pursuing obscenity cases.

27th August

 Update: Fighting over Cockfighting...

   
Humane Society takes Amazon to court

From the New York Times see full article

The Humane Society has filed suit against Amazon over sales of The Gamecock magazine.

The online bookstore sells subscriptions to two cockfighting magazines, The Feathered Warrior and The Gamecock, even though cockfighting has been declared illegal in all states (until Louisiana’s ban takes effect next summer, the activity remains legal in parts of the state).

After trying in vain to persuade Amazon to stop selling the publications, the Humane Society filed a civil lawsuit in District of Columbia Superior Court asserting that the Web company violates animal cruelty laws and that the magazines, which run advertisements for blades that attach to birds’ legs, are effectively catalogs for illegal goods.

But Amazon says the suit amounts to censorship. These materials are legal to sell, and we do not believe we should act as a censor because their message is objectionable to some people, said Patty Smith, a spokeswoman for Amazon, adding that her company sells subscriptions to more than 90,000 magazines. With our incredible selection of titles, we’re bound to sell something that someone will find objectionable.

Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society, said his organization would never hinder free speech. We think that Amazon should have the right to sell magazines with pro-cockfighting editorial, ...BUT... they cross the line when they advertise the sale of contraband.

Mark Pollot, a lawyer based in Boise, Idaho who represents Verna A. Dowd, publisher of The Feathered Warrior, said that while federal law prohibited promoting cockfighting or shipping birds or gear across state lines, the advertisements themselves were aboveboard. The Humane Society itself laments that because of loopholes, possessing cockfighting paraphernalia is legal in 39 states, while possessing fighting birds is legal in 17.

The bottom line is as long as its legal someplace, you’re not advertising an illegal activity, Pollot said.

Opus Dei appeal against Waking the Dead rejected

From the BBC see full article

The BBC Trust has dismissed a complaint by Opus Dei that episodes of Waking The Dead portrayed a "negative and false" view of the Catholic organisation.

The Trust ruled the drama was about individuals, not Opus Dei as an organisation.

Opus Dei's complaint went to the Trust on appeal after being rejected by the BBC earlier this year.

The two offending episodes of Waking The Dead were screened on BBC One in January. The shows, subtitled The Fall, contained characters with Opus Dei connections who were "criminal or immoral", according to the complaint.

The committee ruled that the TV audience would have been aware they were watching a drama. It added that Waking The Dead was an established and popular show into its sixth series, which dramatises a police unit who investigate dormant crimes.

It added it was satisfied that the criminal motivations of some of the characters in the dramas were not linked to their membership of Opus Dei.

The complainants were concerned that the BBC had, in its view, chosen to reflect the portrayal of Opus Dei in The Da Vinci Code rather than challenge it.

The committee ruled that the organisation had not been depicted in a "stereotypical" way. It pointed out that one character had told a police officer in the show not to make a fool of himself "by taking seriously the swirls of conspiracy that surrounded Opus Dei".

 
China ends anonymous blogging

From Reporters without Borders see full article

The Chinese government gets blog service providers to sign "self-discipline" pact to end anonymous blogging

Reporters Without Borders condemns the “self-discipline pact” signed by at least 20 leading blog service providers in China including Yahoo.cn! and MSN.cn. Unveiled yesterday by the Internet Society of China (ISC), an offshoot of the information industry ministry, the pact stops short the previous project of making it obligatory for bloggers to register, but it can be used to force service providers to censor content and identify bloggers.

The Chinese government has yet again forced Internet sector companies to cooperate on sensitive issues - in this case, blogger registration and blog content, the press freedom organisation said. As they already did with website hosting services, the authorities have given themselves the means to identify those posting ‘subversive’ content by imposing a self-discipline pact.

Reporters Without Borders added: This decision will have grave consequences for the Chinese blogosphere and marks the end of anonymous blogging. A new wave of censorship and repression seems imminent, above all in the run-up to the Communist Party of China’s next congress.

Under the new pact, blog service providers are “encouraged” to register users under their real names and contact information before letting them post blogs. More seriously, they will be required to keep this information, which will allow the authorities to identify them. These companies have already in the past provided the police with information about their clients, resulting in arrests.

The pact says blog providers should monitor and manage comments ... and delete illegal and bad information in a timely manner. Articles 11 and 12 urge them to equip themselves with a secure management system that allows them to keep bloggers’ details, including their real name, address, contact number and email address.

ISC secretary-general Huang Chengqing was clear yesterday when he said: Blog service providers who allow the use of pseudonyms may be more attractive to bloggers, but they will be punished by the government if they fail to screen illegal information.

David Cameron goes on the rant

From Game Politics

Conservative Party leader David Cameron said:

What has become of our society when we have this spate of children killing children?

It means understanding and acting on that age-old maxim that it takes a village to raise a child. It means retailers stopping the sale of alcohol to young teenagers. It means music companies, media companies, games manufacturers, not just thinking, ‘What is my social responsibility as a company in terms of the projects I support and the charities I back, good and important as they are’, but asking, ‘What is the effect of the music I produce, the games I market and the programmes I broadcast?’

He previously said in an interview with MCV. Another article attributes this to Jeremy Hunt Shadow Secretary of State for Culture. So perhaps it is just a case of the Tories singing from the same hymn sheet.

Issues involving content have largely focused on the negative aspects associated with games. The arguments around Resistance: Fall of Man and Manchester Cathedral being the most recent example. The industry needs to accept it has a duty to act responsibly when it comes to appropriate content and politicians and the media needs to realise that the industry can have a positive impact on young people’s lives…

I believe that it is time for the games industry to act in a responsible and sensitive way and play their part in the prevention of unsuitable material falling into the hands of children. It is essential that manufacturers take seriously the messages sent out by violent and increasingly life-like video games and I believe that most currently do so.

And courtesy of Mediawatch-UK they point out a Tory press release:

In a speech at Brize Norton, Conservative Party Leader, David Cameron outlined his concerns about our broken society. He said:

The brutal and callous murder of Rhys Jones has shocked us all. It must not be allowed to become just another testimony of despair that shocks a nation one night and is then forgotten … no child in this country should be riding around on a BMX bike with a gun shooting at other children ... it’s not just about parents. It’s about our culture too.

Magazines that see the glorification of ‘getting wasted’ as a circulation boost. Music businesses that grow fat on the profits of exploiting black youth. Movie and video game directors who push the boundaries of acceptable violence, and the regulators who meekly give in to them, you all have a responsibility. We can’t change our society unless you change you ways.’

Calls to ban gang videos

YouTube has been banned for months in Thailand, and guess what, gun crimes are still amongst the highest in the world.

It seems that what all these calls to ban YouTube are really targeting is for people to be banned from communicating amongst themselves.

From the Guardian see full article

Video clips glamorising gang culture posted on popular internet sites such as YouTube should be blocked, a government minister and a leading children's charity said.

The calls come amid growing fears about the glorification of violence among young people sparked by the fatal shooting of 11 year old Rhys Jones.

Two local gangs, the Croxteth Crew and the Norris Green Strand Gang - also known as the Nogzy - have posted online video of members touting guns. Clips from other gangs, such as the MI6 from Manchester and Soi from Birmingham also feature prominently.

These videos are clearly an extremely malign and dangerous influence on young people, said Ivan Lewis, the Health Minister, who has responsibility for intergenerational issues and was the victim of a young gang recently when he tried to stop a crime in his constituency: The companies have a responsibility to do everything in their power to prevent young people from being exposed to such imagery and glorification of violence.

John Carr, an internet expert with the children's charity NCH, last night backed his comments: It's very worrying that these sites offer these children their 15 minutes of fame. They are making things worse not better. There must be a rapid way of removing these things.

Carr said companies such as Google, which owns YouTube, were aware of public concern over the way their sites were providing a forum for gang culture to flourish: The political pressure is really ratcheting up. There is going to have to be some movement by the companies on this. Otherwise we'll get kneejerk legislation.

The refusal of YouTube to take action may be investigated by the Commons select committee on the media. One of its members, Labour MP Paul Farrelly, said: For me, the same editorial controls should apply to sites like YouTube as they do to newspapers and television. It is irresponsible, and simply not acceptable, for the site to disown its responsibility. It is something that may merit a future investigation by the committee.

   
BarclayCard and National Lottery pull ads from IMDb

From X Biz see full article

National Lottery and BarclayCard have pulled online ads off of Amazon’s Internet Movie Data Base (IMDB) after finding the banners placed next to listings for adult movie titles.

As company policy, we seek to advertise only on reputable websites and temporarily removed our adverts from this site while we carried out a full investigation and spoke to the website, a Barclays Group spokesperson said.

The Internet Movie Database seeks to list all the movies which have ever been made, including adult ones, but by no stretch of the imagination could it be described as a porn site, the Barclays spokesperson said.

Recently, social networking website Facebook had several advertisers, including Vodafone, pull advertising off the site after the ads were placed next to member profiles that did not meet company standards for appropriate content.

The incidents raise questions about future online advertising campaigns on sites in which the marketers have very little control over ad placement or advertising on sites that are comprised mostly of user-generated content.

 
Malaysian paper forced to take a break over Jesus picture

From the BBC see full article

Malaysia has shut down a newspaper for a month after it published a picture of Jesus holding a cigarette and what appears to be a can of beer. It appeared with the paper's daily spiritual message on its front page with the caption if someone repents for his mistakes, then heaven awaits him.

Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi himself stepped in to admonish the editors of Makkal Osai, a Tamil-language paper.

The country's publishing laws allow politicians to close any publication without judicial approval.

Sensing perhaps that it has to be even-handed between all of Malaysia's many faiths, the government moved quickly to punish Makkal Osai.

Makkal Osai had already said sorry, explaining that a graphics editor had inadvertently downloaded the picture from the internet.

The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, Murphy Pakiam, expressed surprise at the paper's closure, saying that Christians believe in reconciliation and that the paper had indeed appeared to have sincerely repented of its mistake.

Petition to restore WordPress in Turkey

From MediawatchWatch
Please sign the Petition

The Turkish government has blocked WordPress, a blog publishing system, in all of Turkey because of a private defamation case. Because this censorship silences the voices of thousands of Turkish bloggers, we are petitioning for their rights to free speech.

Banning WordPress is a clear violation of free speech that effects the citizens of Turkey, WordPress bloggers, and readers all over the world. Certainly these disputes can be handled more judiciously by the Turkish courts.

We, the undersigned, respectfully ask the Turkish authorities to reconsider the decision to block WordPress.

Please sign the Petition

   
Manhunt 2 now rated M and set for US release

From Take 2 Games see full article

Rockstar Games today announced it will release Manhunt 2 in North America on October 31 2007.

This announcement follows the submission of a modified version of Manhunt 2 to the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), who has now rated the title "M" for Mature for ages 17 and older.

In June, Take-Two was compelled to suspend the release of the horror title when the ESRB issued an AO (Adults Only) rating.

Manhunt 2 is important to us, and we're glad it can finally be appreciated as a gaming experience, said Sam Houser, founder and executive producer of Rockstar Games: We love the horror genre. Manhunt 2 is a powerful piece of interactive story telling that is a unique video game experience. We think horror fans will love it.

Along with the Mature rating, the ESRB also assigned the following content descriptors to Manhunt 2: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content and Use of Drugs.

John Beyer: violently assaulting our intelligence

 
Dumbed down by television

Thanks to Dan
John Beyer letter published in the Belfast Telegraph

Far too much violence on TV

The news that three teenagers have been charged with the murder of a father-of-three shocks us all.

But we must ask ourselves what influenced these youngsters to act in the way they did? We frequently see violence on television and reality footage of similar scenes, and we are all now aware of the phenomenon of 'happy slapping' and such images appearing on social websites.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown recently expressed concern about all the violence 'that kids can see so easily now' in the media. For more than 15 years, Mediawatch-uk has monitored over 1,000 films shown on the five main TV channels, and the most frequently portrayed violence involves firearms and violent assaults.

More and more people now recognise that media violence has contributed to social violence just as the late Mary Whitehouse CBE, warned over 40 years ago.

For three years running, the Office of Communications, the regulator, has found that the majority of people believe there is too much violence and swearing on television but has done little to respond to these expressions of public concern.

For these reasons, we have launched a new online petition to the Prime Minister calling for a substantial reduction in violence and swearing on TV. If you would like to add your name please, sign our petition at: ViolenceonTV.

We aim to get one million signatures by January 2008.

John Beyer, Mediawatch-uk

Death threats to author of Japanese royal biography

From The Telegraph

The Australian journalist who wrote a controversial biography of Crown Princess Masako has received death threats ahead of the release of its Japanese translation.

Daisan-Shokan, the Tokyo-based publisher of the translation, has also reported being targeted by rightwing nationalist groups.

The translation of Princess Masako, Prisoner of the Chrysanthemum Throne by Ben Hills is due to be published in early September.

Hills said he has received several e-mail death threats via his Web site in the leadup to the Japanese publication: They were saying things like, 'Die white pork!' They were quite racist.

Hills' biography has proved popular in the United States, Australia and parts of Asia but has drawn the ire of the Japanese government, which claims it defames the Crown Princess and contains errors.

The book alleges she conceived her daughter, Princess Aiko, through in vitro fertilization and was driven to a nervous breakdown by the Imperial Household Agency, which looks after the Imperial family's affairs.

As a result of the government criticism, the publisher originally contracted to release the book in Japan, Kodansha Ltd., backed out of the deal in February. Daisan-Shokan came forward and agreed in June to publish the book, saying it was a freedom of speech issue.

In an e-mail to Hills, the publisher's president, Akira Kitagawa, said a Japanese ultranationalist group visited the company's office Aug. 10 and demanded the publication be pulled: Just now, two black cars with ultranationalistic slogans on them are parking (next to) the building where my company address is. They are shouting hysterically, 'Stop the publication of Princess Masako' with huge loudspeakers.

 
Japanese police claim that they didn't censor enough

From Mainichi see full article

An adult video screening body was raided by Japanese police over allegations that it helped several Tokyo companies sell overly obscene videos and DVDs by overlooking the images, investigators said.

This is the first time that law enforcers have searched the body, the Nihon Ethics of Video Association, according to Tokyo police. The association has declined to comment on the raid.

The video production companies are accused of releasing DVDs and videos containing obscene images after they were screened by the association, the Metropolitan Police Department said.

The association allegedly helped the firms sell obscene DVDs and videos by failing to screen them properly, according to investigators.

 
Over political decision to keep her as censor

From SR International see full article

Gunnel Arrbäck, head of Sweden’s National Board of Film Censors, is to resign from her post, after 26 years on the job.

Arrbäck told Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet she had been unable to get her planned changes to the board’s role sanctioned, and would therefore leave her position.

Two of the parties in Sweden’s center-right government, the conservative Moderates and the Liberals, have proposed abolishing film censorship. However, the plan has stalled because another government partner, the Christian Democrats, argue there is still a need for film censorship to protect children.

The board itself, the world’s oldest film censor, has repeatedly pushed for a change in its role, restricting it to film classification.

The board says it has not made a cut to a film released in Sweden since Martin Scorcesse’s Casino in 1995.

   
Transport for London ban discreet vibrator advert

From The London Paper see full article

Bosses at high street sex retailer, Ann Summers, are hopping mad with Transport for London for vetoing the poster for the Rampant Rabbit.

The commercial, which has already appeared in a number of magazines and newspapers, had already been cleared by the Advertising Standards Authority.

Inspired by a famous Japanese tsunami painting it features a floating mermaid and carries the slogan wave after wave of pleasure.

Ann Summers chief executive Jacqueline Gold said: I don’t understand. There is nothing remotely offensive about it. This is censorship gone mad.

But transport executives reportedly told Ann ­Summers’ advertisers they would only reconsider their decision if the words Rampant Rabbit were removed from the ad, along with any mention of pleasure.

A TfL spokesperson said: Consumers purchasing magazines make a conscious choice to read a magazine. Millions of people travel on the London Underground each day and they have no choice but to view whatever ads are posted there. We have to take account of the full range of travellers and endeavour not to give offence in the adverts we display.”

 
Lay waste Chinese entertainment

From the BBC see full article

Chinese action star Jet Li has voiced frustration that his Hollywood films do not get shown in his home country.

Writing on his website, the star said his 2000 hit Romeo Must Die was banned by censors for featuring gangsters.

In 2001, Kiss of the Dragon was banned because Li's character, a Chinese policeman, killed people abroad.

Li writes: If gangsters aren't appropriate and police officers aren't appropriate, then what type of character can there be that wouldn't start an argument? It leaves only the ancient Chinese stories to be produced.

 
Spanish TVE drops live bullfighting citing child viewing restrictions

From The Guardian see full article

It was once the lifeblood of Spain's public television. In the late afternoon bars with television sets would fill up, families would settle down together in their living rooms, and the country's most famous television presenter would appear on the screen to announce the day's star attraction - the bullfight.

This year, however, some 51 years after state television channel TVE made its first bullfighting broadcast, it looks set not to show a single live bullfight.

In previous years, TVE has always shown more than a dozen live bullfights. Top matadors won the broadcaster up to 24% of viewers.

The disappearance of live bullfighting from the Spanish equivalent of the BBC has enraged traditionalists and aficionados while provoking satisfaction among a growing lobby that wants the so-called "national fiesta" banned completely.

The public broadcaster continues to show bull-fighting highlights late at night, but says restrictions on what can be shown during children's viewing times make it increasingly difficult to programme a live fight.

The disappearance of bullfighting from TVE does not, however, mean it is no longer on the country's screens. The recent proliferation of TV channels means there is probably more now than ever. Rival public broadcasters belonging to regional governments stuff their schedules with it. Critics claim TVE's defence that it is applying a voluntary, industry-wide charter on children's television viewing hides a surrender to anti-bullfight campaigners.

The parliamentary committee that watches over TVE has demanded that it warns parents when bullfights are coming up and ensures that programmes for the under-13s are scheduled on its other channel.

TVE has not ruled out showing live bullfights again, but a spokesman said bidding wars among Spanish broadcasters for the biggest and best festivals put these out of their price range.

   
Find Madeleine McCann cinema adverted cleared by ASA

From The Guardian see full article

The advertising watchdog has cleared a controversial cinema advertisement about missing toddler Madeleine McCann after parents complained it was shown before a children's movie.

The Advertising Standards Authority received 23 complaints about the ad, shown in cinemas to appeal for help to in finding the four-year-old, who went missing in Portugal in May.

After it was screened before U-rated film Shrek the Third, some parents argued it was distressing to children and unsuitable to be shown in conjunction with a family film.

Nine of the complainants said that their children had been upset by the ad.

Framestore, the company that developed the ad, said the ad had been passed by the BBFC to be aired in U-certificate films. The company also argued the ad had been shown on television and on the internet and no complaints had been made.

The ASA acknowledged that the idea of a young child disappearing was likely to be inherently upsetting. However, the watchdog considered that it did not contain any distressing images or use sensationalist language.

It ruled that because the ad highlighted a well-publicised issue in this way it was not unsuitable to be shown before a U-certificate film, was not socially irresponsible and was unlikely to cause undue fear and distress.

From The Scotsman see full article

Meanwhile a radio DJ has unsurprisingly been censured for his comments regarding the disappearance of the four-year-old Madeleine McCann.

TalkSport's Mike Mendoza told listeners the youngster had been snatched by paedophiles - then linked paedophilia with homosexuality.

Ofcom upheld the complaint, saying: We ... are very concerned that the presenter chose to make such a remark. To connect homosexuality to paedophilia is highly offensive.

Early flak for Resident Evil 5

Thanks to Richard
From Game Politics see full article

Capcom’s Resident Evil 5 game has drawn the ire of a blog devoted to African women.

Black Looks calls into question the game’s setting as depicted in the trailer, first shown at this year’s E3 in Santa Monica:

The new Resident Evil video game depicts a white man in what appears to be Africa killing Black people. The Black people are supposed to be zombies and the white man’s job is to destroy them and save humanity…

This is problematic on so many levels, including the depiction of Black people as inhuman savages, the killing of Black people by a white man in military clothing, and the fact that this video game is marketed to children and young adults. Start them young… fearing, hating, and destroying Black people.

 
TV censors ban Chinese Pop Idol

Based on an article from the BBC see full article

A Chinese TV talent programme has been banned by the state's broadcasting censor for being "vulgar".

The First Heartthrob, a Pop Idol-style competition, was accused of catering to "the low-grade interests of a minority" and cancelled with immediate effect. The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (Sarft) added that the show lacked social responsibility.

About 100,000 contestants auditioned for the show, which began last year, said the Chinese news agency Xinhua.

Chinese media reports suggest that a recent episode in which a contestant reduced one of the show's female judges to tears may have prompted the move.

The First Heartthrob is one of several TV talent shows to achieve high ratings in China.

Last week, Sarft required another such programme, Happy Boy's Voice, to include only "healthy and ethically inspiring" songs, and to try to avoid broadcasting "gossip" about the participants. It also banned judges from humiliating contestants.

Sarft ordered all Chinese broadcasters to note the ban of The First Heartthrob and urged them to: voluntarily abide by political discipline and propaganda discipline

And on the 6th day God created creationist nutters

From MediawatchWatch

Turkish creationist nutter Adnan Oktar (aka Harun Yahya) has succeeded in getting all Wordpress.com blogs blocked in Turkey.

Most recently famous for flooding schools and universities with a glossy, 800-page anti-evolution book, Oktar was annoyed by several bloggers at Wordpress.com who weren’t taking him as seriously as he takes himself. His lawyers applied to the Turkish courts about “slander” and ny the decision of Fatih 2nd Civil Court of First Instance, number 2007/195, access to Wordpress.com has been blocked in Turkey.

   
Ofcom wound up by pantomime horror

From Ofcom see The West
See also Madness and Magic
See also www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYhevO1LhyE

A UK talent show that featured an illusionist who pretended to chop off his hand before cutting open an assistant with a power-saw broke broadcasting rules.

Ofcom said Dr Gore's blood-soaked performance on Britain's Got Talent on ITV was unsuitable for weekend family viewing.

Dr Gore had reached the semi-final of the ITV series to find an up-and-coming act to play before the Queen at the Royal Variety Performance.

The show's hosts, Ant and Dec, warned viewers that he wasn't for the faint-hearted. Ant said: He can make an entire audience feel sick in seconds.

Dr Gore walked on stage in black leather biker boots and a blood-stained doctor's coat. He appeared to slice off his hand with a large knife before asking the audience: Do you want to see some gore? He then took an electric rotary saw to a young helper lying on a trolley and pretended to rip out his organs.

The act ended when the three judges - Simon Cowell, Piers Morgan and Amanda Holden - said they'd seen enough.

The show went out at 7.45pm on June 16. Twenty-one people complained to Ofcom.

The show's makers said they had asked Dr Gore to tone down his act and had made sure the presenters warned the audience about what to expect. Producers said the act was more pantomime than horror.

 
Plan to abolish Swedish film censorship falters

From SR International see full article

Movies and videos shown in Sweden will continue to undergo the scrutiny of the world’s oldest film censor, the National Board of Film Censors.

Two of the parties in the center-right government, the Conservative Moderates and the Liberals, have proposed abolishing Swedish film censorship.

Liberal politician Cecilia Wikström told Swedish Radio news that censorship is an old-fashioned method of trying to prevent people from watching movies, when today it is possible to download any film content over the Internet.

The purpose of the Board of Film Censors is to decide the age limit for movies and to edit out any scenes with heavy violence. The board itself wants to remove its censorship role, and says it hasn’t made a cut in a film in several years.

However, the plan has stalled because another government partner, the Christian Democrats, say there is still a need for film censorship to protect children.

 
Don't bother trying Google.de

From Blogoscoped

TheYou probably knew Google self-censors Nazi material in Germany, but did you know they also self-censor adult stuff? YouPorn.com – a “porn 2.0” website, and a bit of a clone of Google’s YouTube – is missing as Wikipedia’s entry on the site points out.

To reproduce this, search for youporn on Google.de. You won’t find the domain youporn.com in the results, but instead, you’ll get the following message at the bottom of the page:

In response to a legal request submitted to Google, we have removed 4 result(s) from this page. If you wish, you may read more about the request at ChillingEffects.org.

The Chilling Effects notice, dated December 14, 2005 reads:

A URL that otherwise would have appeared in response to your search, was not displayed because that URL was reported as illegal by a German regulatory body.

What regulatory body this is or why YouPorn is supposed to be illegal, the notice doesn’t mention. Google.de for this particular search reports 4 censored results, but overall, around 88,600 pages are missing (outside of Google results, YouPorn is accessible in Germany, by the way). Wonder if Google would also promptly remove YouTube in Google.de when they’d get the order?

   
Free internet filters now available to Australians

From The Age see full article
See also Netalert.gov.au

The Australianl Government's NetAlert website and telephone hotline, where families can download free internet filters and obtain net safety advice, has been launched.

The website, Netalert.gov.au, went online while the hotline (1800 880 176), has started taking calls

Two brands of filter have been offered, Optenet Web Filter and Safe Eyes, and they can be either downloaded directly from the NetAlert website or sent to the user in the mail.

Senator Coonan has said the filters would help protect children from both inappropriate web-based images and from email and chat room predators, while the hotline - accessible seven days a week between 8am and 10pm - would allow families to obtain free internet safety advice.

But she warned the filters, which could be customised to have different levels of protection for each individual user of the computer, would not be a substitute for "traditional parenting skills".

The free filters, which will cost taxpayers $84.8 million, are part of the Government's $189 million crackdown on online pornography and predators. The budget also includes an additional $43 million to double the number of online police tracking down internet predators and bolster the team of "internet safety officers" who visit schools.

In addition to the downloadable PC filters, Senator Coonan has said that, subject to feasibility studies, internet service providers would be forced to filter web content at the request of their users.

   
Nutters whinge at New York billboard

From Christian Post see full article

A New York company has angered anti-abortion activists by using the contentious issue to advertise its storage business, by showing a wire coat hanger and the slogan: Your closet space is shrinking as fast as her right to choose.

It's trashy and its vulgar and it's in your face with its crudity, Kiera McCaffrey, of the Catholic League said about the Manhattan Mini Storage billboard.

The Roman Catholic group, a vocal opponent of abortion rights, has been urging people to complain to the company.

Mary Alice Carr, of NARAL Pro-Choice New York, which advocates abortion rights, said such advertisements reminded people to stay active, even in a city like New York, where the majority of residents support abortion rights.

 
BBC stereotyped as politically correct

From The Guardian see full article

The BBC has abandoned plans to screen a fictional terrorist attack by Muslim suicide bombers in the primetime drama Casualty after internal clashes over whether the highly sensitive subject matter would cause offence.

BBC drama executives were keen to push the storyline and may even have started filming, a source close to the production told The Observer. But they were overruled by the corporation's editorial guidelines department, which ordered that the episode be changed so that the Muslim characters were replaced by animal rights extremists.

The source said that senior figures in the drama department supported the idea but were blocked by editorial guideline staff, who oversee the corporation's editorial and ethical standards. The drama staff were overruled because of concerns that the story would perpetuate stereotypes of young Muslims in Britain.

The producers' frustration at BBC policy is likely to be intensified by revelations that Channel 4 is to risk controversy by broadcasting a two-part thriller, written and directed by the Bafta-winning Peter Kosminsky, which depicts a suicide bombing by a young female Muslim causing devastation in London's Canary Wharf.

A spokeswoman for Channel 4 said: 'It's a very sensitive and multi-faceted view of what it's like to be Muslim in modern Britain. It is not sensationalist.'

Cash like transactions no longer acceptable to control freaks

From The Guardian see full article

Children are using new pre-paid 'credit cards' to buy alcohol and pornography and gamble online, The Observer has learnt. Children's charities and politicians claim that the cash cards are being used by under-18s to buy age-restricted goods and services over the web.

An investigation by the children's charity NCH found that it was easy for children to obtain pre-paid cards from corner shops without having to prove their age - breaching card issuers' guidelines.

Pre-paid cards, new to the UK, were originally aimed at people such as migrant workers who don't have bank accounts, but they are now being offered to children.

Children can now access and buy the most disturbing things, from explicit DVDs to entry to gambling sites, said Labour MP Margaret Moran.

The Children's Charities' Coalition for Internet Safety - which includes the NSPCC, Barnardo's and NCH - has written to Apacs, the trade association for payments, warning that the cards: provide a new vehicle for the trade in child pornography over the internet ... in a way that essentially eliminates the possibility of the purchaser being caught.

Calls to ban animal cruelty videos from YouTube

From The Times see full article

YouTube has become a forum for animal cruelty, with viewers flocking to watch clips such as one of a tethered goat being fed to a python by laughing onlookers.

Animal welfare groups have attacked YouTube for hosting the footage, which also includes live mice and chicks being fed to piranha fish, and pets being thrown from tall buildings.

In many of the videos, spectators are heard laughing as the animals are made to suffer before, often, being fed to a larger and more valuable pet. A search on the site for “python” and “chick” turns up more than 30 videos of snakes being fed live chicks.

The RSPCA described the videos showing animals suffering as “sickening” and said the cruelty found on YouTube went far beyond simply feeding one animal to another.

We’ve seen every kind of animal abuse on YouTube, from clips of dogs fighting to one of a kitten being thrown off a fifth floor balcony for fun. It’s definitely not a joke; really it’s a sad reflection on our society, a spokesman said.

The anonymity that YouTube users enjoy impedes efforts to prosecute, according to the RSPCA spokesman, who said: To prosecute successfully we need to know not just who is responsible but also where and when the incident took place, and that’s almost impossible.

In one clip a goat is seen sniffing and scratching at the floor of its cage as a trapdoor opens and the head of a python emerges. The snake then begins to coil itself slowly around the goat.

As the python strengthens its grip and the goat fights for its life, a man’s voice is heard shouting: “Come here, bitch!” A girl laughs while another man, clearly excited by the demise of the goat, says: “It can’t breathe.” According to the video time counter, it’s all over in 2min 42sec.

The scene has been viewed more than 5,000 times and has been awarded three out of five stars by viewers, with more than 30 people listing it as a “favourite” clip.

In another sequence, set to a gentle musical soundtrack, a mouse is released from a small box. It runs around the carpet for a few moments until a hand lifts it up by the tail and drops it into a tank containing piranha fish. Within seconds the water has turned red with blood as the piranhas rip the mouse to shreds.

Many of the videos showing cruelty emanate from America, where the vast majority of YouTube subscribers live. However, some appear to be made in Britain.

 
Over a single Nigerian porn clip

Based on an article from Reuters see full article

The government of Nigeria's predominantly Muslim state of Kano has called for a one-year ban on local film-making to "sanitise" the industry after a sex video of a local actress circulated widely on mobile phones.

The eight-minute clip, recorded for private use by the actress's boyfriend on a mobile phone and showing the two of them naked, caused a public outcry among Muslims in northern Nigeria.

The state's Filmmakers Association expelled 17 of its members for suspected involvement in "immoral acts such as drunkenness and fornication", even though they were not connected to the clip. The actress in question has gone into hiding.

But the state's Directorate of Societal Orientation said the expulsions were not enough to clean up the industry. Shooting of films in the local Hausa language should be suspended for a year, the directorate's Bala Muhammad was quoted as saying.

 
Kaafila cinema release shelved in Pakistan

From India FM see full article

The whole of Pakistan is watching Kaafila, but we were denied the release, thanks to the Pakistani piracy mafia and a few insecure producers, storms Ammtoje Mann, whose film, Kaafila has been banned from release in Pakistan.

The censor board cited reasons seemed to be brought out merely to deny permission. Ammtoje explains: It came as a surprise and the reasons cited were ridiculous like the star on a general's uniform, or one of the travel agents being a Pakistani. I offered to even do the said cuts, and suddenly the list seemed to increase. A member unofficially cited, don't push it. How much will you cut?

Interestingly, the protagonist of the film Sunny Deol plays a Pakistani police officer and his character is shown in a good light.

Enlightening on the modus operandi of the Pakistani piracy mafia, Ammtoje Mann says, It is a very interesting plot, nothing short of a film one. First they let the publicity of the film happen in Pakistan. They ensure that a very good amount is spent to raise public expectations, and then they make sure we don't release the film in theatres. And then they use the publicity to increase their pirated VCD sales. Kaafila, after all the hype, is now being demanded by audiences on pirated VCDs, as they could not see the film in the theatres.

Sad at the lobbied thwarted attempts of a simultaneous Indo-Pak release to build a cultural bridge between India and Pakistan, the makers have decided not to continue the Pak release procedure.

 
BBC World Service banned from Moscow FM

Based on an article from The Telegraph see full article

The BBC World Service has been banned from broadcasting on Russian FM radio in what is seen as the latest diplomatic swipe at the UK.

The state licensing authorities ordered Bolshoye radio in Moscow to remove all BBC programming by 5pm tonight or face being taken off air.

The Foreign Office immediately called for the service to be re-instated while a defiant BBC said it would appeal the decision.

Richard Sambrook, director of BBC Global News, said the Corporation was “extremely disappointed” that listeners would not be able to hear its impartial and independent news and information programming.

Sambrook said the BBC would appeal to Russia’s Federal Service for the Supervision of Mass Media, Communication and Protection of Culture Heritage.

Bolshoye Radio’s owners, financial group Finam, said the BBC’s output was “foreign propaganda”. Spokesman Igor Ermachenkov insisted management had taken the decision to remove BBC programming without outside interference: It’s no secret the BBC was established as a broadcaster of foreign propaganda.

The BBC said 730,000 people listened to the Russian Service in Russia, with around 93,000 listening via FM. Approximately 20,000 of those were dedicated FM listeners. The Russian Service is still available on mediumwave frequencies, via satellite and online.

   
Australia passes to deny freedom to Aborigines

Based on an article from Border Mail see full article

Repressive changes for Northern Territory Aborigines have been signed off by Federal Parliament, ushering in a new wave of intervention in indigenous communities.

The laws were passed on an unusual Friday sitting of the Senate after a marathon 27 hours of debate.

They include the controversial Commonwealth takeover of indigenous township leases, removal of the Aboriginal land permits system, quarantining of welfare payments for neglectful parents and bans on alcohol and pornography.

The measures were announced in June by Prime Minister John Howard in response to the Little Children are Sacred report, which exposed chronic sexual abuse in remote communities. But as the laws were passed, a co-author of the report told an Aboriginal health conference she felt betrayed and sidelined by the Government’s refusal to address the document’s 90-plus recommendations.

Pat Anderson branded the measures: just a further form of abuse. What we have is a prime minister and his ministers who don’t have a heart. Their approach isn’t going to nurture any kind of development — nothing.

Community Services Minister Nigel Scullion hailed the passage of the laws as an historic occasion, saying they would lift a “veil of silence” around indigenous suffering.

Senator Scullion admitted this week the Northern Territory legislation was discriminatory, but warned the measures could not go ahead if anti-discrimination laws applied.

While supporting the package, Labor tried to make the laws subject to the Racial Discrimination Act. They also tried to guarantee “just terms” compensation for Aboriginal people whose land would be seized.

 
Chinese suppress news of bridge collapse

From Info Shop see full article

Chinese authorities have banned most state media from reporting on the deadly collapse of a bridge in southern China, with local officials punching and chasing reporters from the scene.

The harassment and the reporting ban, issued by the Central Propaganda Department, came Thursday while reporters swarmed the tourist town of Fenghuang to report on Monday's accident.

Unidentified locals roughed up a group of five newspaper and magazine reporters as they interviewed families of those killed, according to a photographer and a reporter whose colleague was among the journalists involved.

The collapse of the bridge, which was under construction, left at least 47 people dead, making it one of the worst building accidents in China in recent years.

The rough treatment given the media stands at odds with the responsible, concerned image China's Communist Party leadership has tried to convey publicly in the wake of the accident and the run-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The accident has raised troubling questions about shoddy building and possible corruption between the officials and contractors, and by trying to control reporting on the disaster, Beijing is fueling those suspicions.

Under the ban, state media were ordered not to send reporters to Fenghuang or independently gather the news but to rely solely on reports by the government's Xinhua News Agency.

From The Guardian see full article

China has ordered its media to report only positive news and has imprisoned a pro-democracy dissident amid a clampdown on dissent ahead of the most important meeting of the communist party in five years.

Media controls have been tightened, Aids activists detained and NGOs shut down as president Hu Jintao prepares for the 17th party congress, when the next generation of national leaders will be unveiled in a politburo reshuffle.

Chen Shuqing, who is a founder member of the banned China Democracy party, suffered the toughest punishment meted out so far when he was found guilty on Thursday of "inciting people to overthrow the government".

The intermediate people's court in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, sentenced him to four years in prison. Chen was an outspoken critic of the Communist party, although because of the tightly controlled traditional media his campaigning in recent years was largely restricted to the internet.

With the congress nearing - the exact date is a secret, but it is expected in October - the domestic media have been banned from conducting independent investigations of food and product safety stories. In Beijing the municipal propaganda department has issued detailed instructions to editors on how they should cover the test of traffic-easing measures, which started today. During the four-day trial more than 1m cars have been ordered off the roads. Local newspapers and TV stations can only report on the improvements to the environment and transportation. Interviews with inconvenienced commuters or images of overcrowded buses are forbidden.

   
Religious censors attack "gay Jesus" exhibition

From the National Secular Society
See also gay Jesus images

A fight involving as many as 30 people broke out at a photographic exhibition in the Swedish city of Jonkoping. The controversy surrounds the Ecco Homo exhibit, which portrays Jesus Christ as a gay man. Ecco Homo has long been a source of disagreement among Swedish Christians.

The series of 12 images was exhibited at the nation's leading cathedral in Uppsala with the permission of the archbishop and toured the country. The Local, a Swedish paper, reported that on Sunday a group of young people tried to set fire to a poster at the Jonkoping cultural centre where Ecco Homo was on display.

The paper said the city is a centre for evangelical Christians. Staff intervened and a fight broke out, according to the centre's director, Tony el Zouki: If this is some Christian group, then I really do not understand them. The message of Christianity is that people should understand and love each other.

The previous pope cancelled an audience with the Protestant Archbishop Hammar of Uppsala for supporting the exhibit – which has been touring for ten years – and allowing it to be shown in churches across Sweden.

 
Undercover Mosque raises questions about media freedom

From The Telegraph see full article

The police decision to complain to Ofcom about a controversial Channel 4 documentary raises serious questions about media freedom, the Tories said yesterday.

West Midlands Police claimed that the broadcaster spliced together extracts from speeches by Islamic preachers to distort their view for the documentary Undercover Mosque.

Paul Goodman, the shadow community cohesion minister, has written to Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, saying the decision caused "widespread concern" and warned that it could encourage extremists.

Goodman wrote: This decision raises serious questions about media freedom in Britain, and about whether public authorities tasked with upholding the rule of law are now, as a matter of policy, giving special assistance to those who seek to undermine the rule of law, and the pluralist, liberal, democratic culture which both underpins it and guarantees community cohesion.

As you know, the decision has caused widespread concern.

It's hard to avoid the conclusion that this is a politically motivated referral, driven by the mistaken belief that the best means of dealing with separatist extremists is to appease them.

If so, this referral is likely to encourage extremists, discourage moderates, damage public confidence in the CPS and West Midlands Police, compromise media freedom and undermine the Government's stated community cohesion policy."

Channel 4 has strongly denied any wrongdoing over the hour-long Dispatches programme. The programme's commissioning editor, Kevin Sutcliffe, said: We are very confident of successfully defending this unfairness complaint against the programme if Ofcom chooses to consider it. West Midlands Police have made a very general allegation of unfairness and have produced no evidence to support their claims.

   
Exclusive Brethren fund council appeal against sex shop

From the Eros see full article

Members of the Exclusive Brethren, a religious sect recently accused of secretly involving itself in national and state politics, have been caught out trying to influence local government planning decisions involving the adult industry. In an unprecedented move, sect members offered to fund Lithgow Council’s legal costs in dealing with an application for the Flirt adult shop.

Flirt’s owner, Jeff Oliver, had recently won an appeal in the Land and Environment Court against Council’s refusal to grant him a Development Application to set up in the main street of town. The Council announced that it was considering appealing the Land and Environment Court decision to the Supreme Court. An offer was then made by a couple of local businessmen, known to be from the Exclusive Brethren, to fund a barrister to help Council put the appeal together. Council responded to this by saying, Council Officers have undertaken an investigation and there would not appear to be any impediment to Council receiving a donation.

Eros Association CEO, Fiona Patten, said that Lithgow Council had severely undermined its independence in planning matters by stating that it would accept the money and that many people would consider this as tantamount to a bribe. Everyone knew that it was the Exclusive Brethren who were behind this offer and that it is a religious sect trying to buy influence and favor for its moral agenda. Unless Council has some world shattering information about the adult shop that no one else has, they should not be appealing a Land and Environment case on what is essentially moral grounds.

Eros believes that the Independent Commission Against Corruption should investigate the links between religious groups and local councils around Australia, with an emphasis on how these links may have impacted on planning and development decisions.

   
Zoo Magazine offends (again) with 'win a boob job' competition

From Border Mail see full article

The Australian Federal Government has reported Zoo Weekly to the media authority for displaying photos of women entering its contentious contest to win a $10,000 breast enlargement.

The magazine launched a promotion this week urging men to “win” their girlfriend a boob job by sending in shots of her cleavage.

The prize goes to the woman whom readers believe most “deserves” an enlargement, with the website stating: We can help turn your lady’s itty bitty titties into massive mounds of magnificence.

After widespread outcry from academics and plastic surgeons, the NSW Government on announced it would investigate the legalities of offering a surgical procedure as a prize.

Now the Federal Government has joined the chorus, with a spokeswoman for Communications Minister Helen Coonan yesterday confirming that the Australian Communications and Media Authority was involved.

The authority would investigate whether topless competition photos appearing on the Zoo website were classified R18 and should therefore be restricted to adults-only access.

Currently, people of any age can access the site. If found to be in breach, Zoo could be ordered to remove the offending contend from its website.

   
Jerry Springer: The Opera in the US

Based on an article from X Biz see full article

After landing the first nonexclusive American license to stage the hit British musical Jerry Springer -- The Opera last year, the creative team at Playhouse on the Square began to wonder if they could actually pull it off in Memphis.

Did they have the talent pool, the financial resources, and an audience jaded enough to handle an operatic score that, by some counts, contains more than 3,000 voicings of the f-word (or 96 instances in the script multiplied by the number of chorus members)?

Critics of the original 2003 London production raved about the show. Fans made it a West End hit for more than two years. It even won the Olivier Award for best musical.

Both Playhouse's executive producer Jackie Nichols and director Bob Hetherington pursued the script, wondering if, by taking it on, they'd be the first victims of the "curse."

Broadway, along with other major regional theaters, had already passed on "Springer." The content was just too hot for conservative theatergoers. Its English tour had been hampered by protests from Christian organizations.

Jerry Springer -- The Opera plays until Sept. 9 at Playhouse on the Square. The creators of the show will give an audience talk-back on Sunday after the performance.

   
Rockstar boss appeals for unity against BBFC

From MCV UK see full article

Founder and current boss of Rockstar Leeds, Gordon Hall, has warned other video games firms that they should rally behind the developer against the BBFC’s decision to ban Manhunt 2 – or face similar prohibition in the future.

Hall told the magazine Develop that the outlawing of the title was an attack on our industry and has the potential to affect other freedom of expression across the industry: I think the games industry should rally behind us, because there will come a time when we’ll all have an idea that’s a little edgy, and we need to have the freedoms to express it.

We are an adult entertainment industry – we may have started out with child-like technology making games solely for a younger audience, but it’s just not like that anymore. It might take legislature a little while to catch up, but if the industry sticks together hopefully we can change people’s attitudes quicker.

   
New Zealand catholics lose their case against South Park

From the National Secular Society

New Zealand Catholic bishops have lost a legal challenge over a television channel's screening of the South Park cartoon series showing a menstruating Virgin Mary. A High Court judge awarded costs against the Catholic Bishops Conference – even though the bishops might see this as adding insult to deep injury.

The bishops lodged an appeal to the High Court after the Broadcasting Standards Authority rejected their complaint against the so-called Bloody Mary episode aired last year, claiming it breached standards of good taste and decency.

The judge dismissed the appeal, saying the bishops' sense of outrage was not shared by the wider community. Brent Impey, chief executive of Channel 4 owner MediaWorks, told the paper, It's a victory for freedom of speech. He said it would claim costs estimated at about 8,000 New Zealand dollars (about £3,000) from the Catholic Church.

   
US Government funds nutters to report obscenity

Based on an article from X Biz see full article

A Justice Department program to fight supposed obscenity on the Internet, funded by a $150,000-a-year earmark in a spending bill and operated by antiporn nutters, has resulted in no prosecutions for obscenity.

The Justice Department website routes citizen complaints about obscenity to ObscenityCrimes.org, a website run by antiporn group Morality in Media, which receives the grant money.

Two retired law enforcement officers check the reported sites for legally definable obscenity. A reported 67,000 complaints have been forwarded to the Justice Department and federal prosecutors through this program.

None has been prosecuted.

Any program that fields public complaints on a matter as complex as obscenity can never be expected to play a meaningful role in the decisions of what is to be prosecuted and where, 1st Amendment attorney Jeffrey Douglas told XBIZ. Lay people will simply call in about something that they are offended by. Individuals' offense could hardly be less relevant to the criteria for obscenity as defined by the Miller opinion.

It's even worse when the entity requesting such calls is an ideologically extreme entity, Morality in Media, which is attempting to alter the definition of obscenity into one in which if they can see genital penetration, somebody ought to go to prison. Expecting that the calls that they stimulate will be meaningful is ludicrous.

The fact that we're spending money on this program is, in fact, simply welfare to extreme political organizations that some ideologues in the White House want to subsidize.

The president of Morality in Media, Robert W. Peters, is disappointed with the Justice Department’s failure inaction on any of his group’s complaints.

Stephen G. Bates, a Harvard-trained lawyer and journalism professor at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, discovered the ObscenityCrimes.org program through a Freedom of Information Act inquiry. He said he was appalled when he discovered that the Justice Department was outsourcing a search for obscenity.

Incompetent street censorship in Peterborough

Based on an article from the BBC see full article

A man spotted wearing a T-shirt bearing a supposedly "offensive" slogan in a city centre has been warned he risks an £80 fine if he is caught again.

Forklift driver David Pratt was told by street wardens in Peterborough he could cause offence or incite violence.

The slogan on the garment read: Don't piss me off! I am running out of places to hide the bodies.

Peterborough City Council said using insulting or offensive language was an offence, even if it appeared in print.

Mr Pratt, an American living in Peterborough, was approached by the wardens as he waited for a bus with his wife.

It is insane. I have worn it in the city centre hundreds of times", said Mr Pratt, whose wife bought him the T-shirt in Venice Beach, California: Most people who see it just chuckle. Some people have even stopped me to tell me they like my T-shirt.

Asked whether he would wear the T-shirt again, Mr Pratt replied: "I am wearing it now. If I get a written apology I will wear it in the city centre again. He continued: It's a bummer because I like the shirt, but I am trying to get citizenship but if I get a fine I can kiss citizenship goodbye.

He added: I really don't see how the wording on my T-shirt could incite violence - it's humour, that's all it is.

In a statement, Peterborough City Council said: The incident is the subject of an official complaint to the council and is currently under investigation.

   
Repeated censorship of musicians making political statements

From ZDNet Asia see full article

Wired.com have reported that it had received an e-mail stating that Webcasts from the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in June had also been edited by AT&T.

Specifically, comments made during the John Butler Trio show when a band member remarked on the government's lack of response during Hurricane Katrina were deleted, as were comments from the group Flaming Lips about George Bush screwing up.

MTV.com also reported Monday that Pearl Jam's publicist was notified that a fan watching the Bonnaroo concert also claims that comments made by Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine had also been edited.

AT&T originally said that it only edits Blue Room Webcasts for profanity since the site is available to all age groups. But a group calling itself the Future of Music Coalition, counted 20 instances of curse words being used during the Pearl Jam Webcast that were not censored by the content monitor.

It's clear AT&T has not made a mistake. They or the companies they've hired to monitor Webcasts have engaged in a clear and consistent pattern of silencing free speech, Jenny Toomey, executive director of the Future of Music Coalition, said in a statement.

   
Council may be taken to European Court

From the Belfast Telegraph see full article

A Belfast sex shop is set to square up against the city council in court again next month.

For the long running legal bust up between Smithfield adult entertainment outlet Miss Behavin' and Belfast City Council is set for its latest chapter at the Magistrates' Court next month.

Last week, the sex shop licence saga, which has been running since May 2002, was adjourned until September 4. The reason given in court was that the defence was "not ready to proceed" with the case to face a charge of using premises as a sex establishment without a licence.

Last month, Sunday Life revealed that the owner of the Gresham Street outlet is investigating the possibility of taking the case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

It is believed that they have until October 25, 2007 to lodge an application with the European Court.

Intel bow to superior minds

From The Times see full article

Intel has pulled an advertisement which it acknowledged was 'culturally insensitive and insulting'

The ad, which was for a new generation of micro-processors, showed six black sprinters crouched in the start position in front of a white man wearing a shirt and chinos in an office.

Above the image was a slogan which read: Multiply computer performance and maximise the power of your employees.

Blogs were quick to spot the connotation of a white master surveying a group of black workers apparently bowed at his feet.

It was intended that the advertisement convey the performance capabilities of our processors through a number of visual metaphors, Don MacDonald, director of global marketing for the company, wrote: Unfortunately, this ad using African-American sprinters did not deliver our intended message, and in fact proved to be culturally insensitive and insulting.

Intel said it had pulled the ad from hundreds of publications, but was unable to stop two which had already shipped.

 
who want to impose their morality on hotel customers

Based on an article from X Biz see full article

LodgeNet have responded to criticism from antiporn nutters pressuring the company to drop adult content from its pay-per-view-offerings in hotels across the country.

With the Cincinnati-based Citizens for Community Values and local South Dakota activists engaged in a full-scale public relations offensive against the company, LodgeNet responded by asserting that the adult content it distributes is perfectly legal, and their critics merely seek to impose their moral vision upon the rest of the world.

The reason that the Justice Department has declined to prosecute companies like LodgeNet for distributing adult content, the company said in its statement, is that such content is legal, despite what the CCV might say.

CCV confuses its own taste with what the law allows, LodgeNet stated in its release. CCV and its supporters apparently believe that they have the right to threaten to use the law to deprive others of their preferred programming choices. As Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy has noted, 'self-assurance has always been the hallmark of a censor.' In this matter, CCV and its supporters are very self-assured indeed that they are in the best position to make programming choices for everyone else. However, that is not how our system works.

 
Banned in China

From AHN

Rush Hour 3 staring a national hero in China, Jackie Chan and American actor Chris Tucker, has been banned from showing in China.

According to Ireland Online, the film was banned due to the associated portrayal of the Triad gang but the Film Bureau insists the decision was purely a commercial decision.

Strict rules of censorship govern the import of films into China with only 20 foreign releases permitted into the country each year.

 
US Nutters protest at hip hop radio stations

From WFAA

Local groups joined in the nationwide fight to censor hip hop lyrics at local radio stations.

At K104, the usual hip hop gave way to gospel as churchgoers prayed in protest of rappers they say describe women in vile terms. At the same time, another crowd gathered for the same purpose at Dallas' other hip hop station, 97.9 The Beat.

Both stations said they censor offensive words.

At Radio One, we don't put out songs with b's, h's and all that other stuff in there, said Rickey Smiley, with The Beat.Music videos are also censored, but protesting parents say kids learn the real words anyway.

But at K104, instead of confrontation, protestors were met with cooperation: I would like you to forgive us for all our sins, said Skip Cheatham, K104's program director

 
Philippines censor whinges at TV

From Inquirer.net see full article

For airing a dance number that was too sexy and very suggestive on the daily noontime game show Wowowee, ABS-CBN has received another warning from the Philippines Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB)

A memorandum from MTRCB chair Marissa Laguardia said about viewer complaints: This office [agrees] with the viewers, particularly [about] the part where Valdez spread her legs.

A three-episode suspension was earlier imposed by the MTRCB on Wowowee on account of several violations, including one in its May 12 episode where the breast of Eda Nolan, a cast member of the youth show Gokada Go, was exposed while dancing. The suspension is on appeal.

Open Up! We know you have advertisers inside

Government to ban advertising for offshore gambling

The ramifications on the UK internet industry could be far reaching, how will it effect Google, or sites running syndicated advertising such as Google Adsense. How does one know where companies are based? and how does one define a UK publisher?

And worst of all, the Government will surely be tempted to extend advertising bans to all sorts of other sites.

From The Guardian see full article

The government has banned about 1,000 off-shore gambling websites, including well-known operators such as William Hill, from advertising in the UK.

The ban applies to any gambling companies operating outside the European Economic Area, affecting popular websites such as William Hill Casino, Betfred Casino and Poker, Interpoker.com and Littlewoodscasino.com.

From September, when the Gambling Act comes into force, any online firm based in gaming company havens such as Costa Rica, the Netherlands Antilles and Belize will not be able to market in the UK and the Department of Culture Media will crackdown on illegal advertising.

Because most of the companies have no operations in the UK to legally pursue, websites, broadcasters and advertising companies that create campaigns for such companies will face fines or imprisonment.

I make no apology for banning adverts for websites operating from places that don't meet our strict standards, said the culture minister, James Purnell.

Countries that want to be exempted from the ban - which applies to all forms of media including TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, taxis, buses, the tube and websites that publish in the UK - have to pass a strict test of regulatory standards to then join a "white list".

Alderney and the Isle of Man are the only jurisdictions to have so far made the "white list" after sufficiently demonstrating a rigorous licensing regime designed to stop children gambling, protect vulnerable people, keep games fair and keep out crime.

   
UK becoming a country not worth fighting for

From The Guardian see full article

Sweeping new guidelines barring military personnel from speaking about their service publicly have been quietly introduced by the Ministry of Defence.

Soldiers, sailors and airforce personnel will not be able to blog, take part in surveys, speak in public, post on bulletin boards, play in multi-player computer games or send text messages or photographs without the permission of a superior if the information they use concerns matters of defence.

They also cannot release video, still images or audio - material which has previously led to investigations into the abuse of Iraqis. Instead, the guidelines state that all such communication must help to maintain and, where possible, enhance the reputation of defence.

The regulations, issued by the Directorate of Communication Planning, come in the wake of the row over the MoD allowing two of the HMS Cornwall sailors held captive in Iran to be paid for their stories. Receiving money for interviews, conferences and books which draw on official defence experience has now been banned.

The MoD document, circulated last week, covers all public speaking, writing or other communications, including via the internet and other sharing technologies, on issues arising from an individual's official business or experience, whether on-duty, off-duty or in spare time.

The rules have provoked consternation among the ranks, with human rights lawyers saying yesterday that they could be in contravention of Article 10 of the Human Rights Act, which allows for freedom of expression. The rules apply not only to full-time forces but to members of the Territorial Army and cadets whilst on duty, as well as MoD civil servants.

An unofficial soldiers' website, arrse.co.uk, was full of angry debate about the issue yesterday. One poster said: Why does it not occur to MoD that if it did things properly, and treated its people well, they wouldn't feel the need to bring things into the public arena quite so often, and they wouldn't need to spend so much time covering-up?

Geoffrey Robertson, QC, a leading human rights lawyer, said that the guidelines were likely to contravene the Human Rights Act. He said they reminded him of the "catch-all" section of the old official secrets act, which made it a criminal offence to disclose information without lawful authority. The discredited section, which was repealed in 1989, stopped soldiers from revealing the brand of tea served in the MoD canteen, he said.

Calls to ban anorexia videos from YouTube

It seems that the establishment simply does not trust people to communicate amongst themselves.

From The Times see full article

Charities involved with eating disorders have called for tighter controls on the internet after it emerged that popular social networking sites such as MySpace and YouTube were being used to promote anorexia.

Pro-anorexia websites, on which girls exchange extreme dieting tips and view “thinspiration” videos featuring alarmingly thin women, have existed for some years. But they have always been difficult to find and the people posting on them have remained anonymous. Now pictures and footage of underweight teenagers are emerging on more mainstream sites, reaching a potential audience of tens of millions.

On Facebook, some groups extol the virtues of anorexia as a lifestyle choice. MySpace’s groups include one that has more than 1,000 members. Its rules state: No people trying to recover. It ruins our motivation.

Thousands of people have viewed film clips of emaciated looking teens and twentysomething women on YouTube which, along with the other networking sites, has rules against posting harmful content. The two to ten-minute videos often feature the more slender celebrities such as Victoria Beckham and Kate Moss, neither of whom is anorexic. They also show images of underweight women in their underwear.

Eating disorder charities have called on social websites to look closely at their online material. Susan Ringwood, chief executive of the charity Beat, said: Pro-anorexic sites weren’t easy to find and most responsible internet providers would cut them out. But on the networking sites there isn’t the same control over them at the moment. Some of the more hardcore stuff does seem to be getting on to these sites. We are concerned that this is a trend.

However, support groups claim that making and discussing videos are the only forms of help available to some young women who are afraid to talk openly about their concerns.

Deanne Jade, principal of the National Centre for Eating Disorders, said: I have no firm view that YouTube should ban them, they only pop up again in a different guise. There is no proof that they cause anorexia and although many are firmly helping helping people to stay anorexic, they also support people who decide to get well.

MySpace said: Rather than censor these groups, we are working to create partnerships with organisations that provide resources and advice to people suffering from such problems. We will target those groups with messages of support.

   
Anti porn bill is extreme, discriminatory and dishonest

Based on an article from AVN see full article

The bill presented to the Australian Parliament Tuesday would brand anybody caught with five or more pornographic items in the aboriginal communities of the Northern Territory a "trafficker," punishable by up to two years in prison.

Introduced to the Parliament by Indigenous Affairs Minister Mal Brough, the draft laws would prohibit the delivery of pornographic materials into the area, and charge anybody possessing the forbidden five or more items with trafficking, regardless of whether they have any intent to profit from them.

Meanwhile, possession of less than five pornographic items could still earn perpetrators a fine of between $5500 and $11,000 under the new bill.

This ban applies no matter where material is being sent from, Brough said. We have to stop material at its source, by preventing mail order companies sending material into a community, as well as residents or visitors sending or taking material into a community.

   
New Zealand cucumber and tomatoes advert banned

From Stuff see full article

A New Zealand billboard advertisement picturing two tomatoes at the base of a cucumber next to the words "thank God for serious steak", has been ruled too offensive.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) agreed with a complaint that the billboard picture, on Christchurch's Durham St, had an obvious sexual link.

The complainant, H Hellewell, said she appreciated clean and humorous billboard advertising, ...BUT... the billboard promoting the MU Steak House and Bar was completely inappropriate and offensive.

The agency that created the ad, Urlwin, McDonald and Clients Ltd, said it was not intended to shock or offend, but to relate to the steak house's target meat eaters in a humorous and effective way.

The majority of the ASA's complaints board agreed the billboard had not been prepared with a due sense of social responsibility to consumers and society.

A minority of the board believed it did not breach social responsibility standards, but the majority view meant the complaint was upheld. 

   
Ofcom challenge the very essence of babe channels

This decision challenges the very essence of free to air Babe channels. If they are not allowed to show on-going advertisements then their days must surely be numbered

From Ofcom see full judgement

Bang Babes
Turn on TV, 6/7 May 2007, 23:47 - 00:51
Turn on TV2, 6/7 May 2007, 00:04 - 01:04

Introduction

Both channels broadcast interactive chat-based programme where viewers are invited to contact on-screen presenters via premium rate services. Both of the programmes complained about featured female presenters (referred to as ‘babes’), dressed in underwear, inviting viewers to call them. The complainant objected that the programmes promoted services that were not linked to the editorial content.

We requested and viewed a sample of the channels’ output and noted the following:

• On the service Turn on TV 2 there was an almost continuous on-screen promotion of a club that offered to send pictures and videos to members’ mobile phones. Membership of the club was offered via a premium rate text service.
• The club was also promoted on Turn on TV. Additionally, Turn on TV promoted a service that offered viewers an option of buying, via a premium rate text service, pictures of the ‘babes’.

Decision

Turn on TV2

The Code requires broadcasters to ensure that the programming and advertising elements of a service are kept separate (Rule 10.2) and prohibits the promotion of products and services within programmes (Rule 10.3). It makes clear that premium rate services will normally be regarded as products and services and must not therefore appear in programmes, except where they either meet the definition of programme-related material or contribute to the editorial content of the programme. In this case, the service promoted (i.e. the club sending pictures and videos to mobile phones via a premium rate text service) neither contributed to the programme’s editorial content nor met the definition of programme-related material. Therefore, as accepted by the broadcaster, the advertising of the service within the programme was in breach of the Code.

Turn on TV

The advertising of the same service on Turn on TV was also in breach of the Code. The promotion of the text club on Turn on TV was in two forms:

1. a text box broadcast intermittently that was ‘overlaid’ on the programme; and
2. scrolling text that appeared underneath the main telephone number used for contacting the on-screen ‘babes’.

In the case of the ‘overlaid’ text box, regardless of the duration of the message, viewers were likely to see this message not as advertising but as an integral part of the programme. As such, there was not sufficient separation between what was an advertising message and the programme content.

In the case of the scrolling text, this accompanied the main channel telephone number and its associated information (e.g. call costs). Again, it was therefore likely to be understood by viewers as forming part of the programme information rather than a separate piece of advertising.

   
Pearl Jam censored singing: George Bush, leave this world alone

From The Wall Street Journal

When rock band Pearl Jam sung the lyrics George Bush, leave this world alone at a music festival over the weekend, fans following along online didn't hear the message chanted from a Chicago stage.

AT&T Inc., which broadcast the performance on its Blue Room Web site edited the lyrics from its live Webcast of the Sunday performance at Lollapalooza, leaving the musicians to cry censorship.

AT&T blames a contract agency that it hires to use a two-minute delay to edit out profanity between songs and "questionable actions" such as on-stage nudity for its all-ages Web site. AT&T said an employee of the agency mistakenly removed the lyrics that included, George Bush find yourself another home, that were sung to the tune of Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall.

It was a mistake, says Michael Coe, an AT&T spokesman. It should not have been edited out.

A spokeswoman for the band referred comments to the fan Web site. AT&T's actions strike at the heart of the public's concerns over the power that corporations have when it comes to determining what the public sees and hears through communications media, the band said on the Web site.

   
ASA censors PS3 advert

From Kokatu

One thing that's not cool to show is a little bald European man sitting in a bathtub, especially when said European is a mercenary, holding a gun and saying he listens to Giacomo Puccini.

The Advertising Standards Authority have banned an internet ad featuring Kovac, one of Sony's "This is Living" PS3 ad campaign characters.

The ad reads: You on my side? Listen up, I've killed for less. The music plays Puccini in my head.

This displays over a shot of Kovac pointing a handgun at the bathroom roof, which the ASA has branded unacceptable: We considered that there was an underlying tone of violence in the ad and we were concerned that the images of Kovac holding the knife and the gun, in conjunction with the text, 'You on my side? Listen up I've killed for less..." could be seen to glamorise violence or anti-social behaviour.

 
Ice Cube concert will go ahead in New Zealand

From Y! Music

A move to cancel Ice Cube's upcoming concert in New Zealand has been blocked by event organisers.

Auckland mayoral candidate Len Brown launched a scathing attack on the hip-hop veteran - real name O'Shea Jackson - insisting he will incite a rise in "gangster-style" violence in the area.

He also put pressure on the venue owners at the TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre to cancel the concert which is scheduled to take place on 22 August.

But TelstraClear CEO Richard Jeffery insists the star does not have a criminal record and he doubts his music will encourage gang problems.

Jeffery added he objected to censorship and said the concert will go ahead as planned. 

 
Saudi author accused of apostasy

From The Memri Blog see full article

Several websites have accused a Saudi author calling himself "Sheikh Al-Waraqin" of apostasy, following the release of his book The Family of Allah.

The book, which discusses social issues in Saudi Arabia, criticizes the country's Islamic stream and religious police.

In response to the accusations, the author said that his critics had misinterpreted the book’s title.

 
New sport being played in the Beijing Olympics

From IFEX see full article

Chinese police temporarily detained about a dozen journalists yesterday after they covered a Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) press conference demanding greater press freedom in China ahead of next year's Olympics.

Four members of RSF flew in from Europe to hold their first-ever press conference in China, outside the headquarters of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games.

According to press reports, uniformed and plainclothes police moved in after the conference and refused to allow journalists to leave. Some cameramen were asked to turn over their tapes, but refused. The group was released after almost two hours.

In 2001, when China successfully bid for the 2008 Olympics, it said reporters would have complete freedom to report. But RSF and other IFEX members the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Human Rights Watch say that hasn't happened.

The official slogan, 'One world, one dream,' sounds more and more hollow, RSF says. Beijing has not kept its promises to improve the human rights situation and yet continues cynically to refer to the Olympic spirit.

Wearing t-shirts showing the Olympic rings made up of handcuffs, RSF staff called for the release of the 100 journalists, cyber-dissidents and free speech activists now in Chinese jails, an end to Internet censorship - at least 12 websites were closed or blocked in July alone - and the ability for foreign correspondents to move about China freely.

From Reuters see full article

President Alexander Lukashenko said the Internet was full of sites hostile to Belarus and a law was needed to end such anarchy.

It is time to stop the anarchy on the Internet. We cannot allow this great technological achievement of man to be turned into an information garbage heap.

Lukashenko, criticized by the West for his iron grip over the former Soviet republic, said: It is a massive loudspeaker, not even of the opposition, but a loudspeaker of voices hostile towards us, hostile states. He did not name the states.

Closes
2nd Feb 2008

Allow R18s on TV and to be sold from ordinary shops

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to improve child protection by legalising R18 sex films on satellite TV and limited sales in ordinary shops, thus undermining totally unregulated backstreet sales which include material that would never be granted an R18 certificate and is sold to under-18s.

or see http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/R18-Control

Submitted by Melon Farming contributor, Beau Nidl

In reality explicit sex DVDs are widely available without proper controls. It is illegal to show R18 explicit sex films on Sky, cable or terrestrial TV. It is also illegal to sell R18 in ordinary shops or by mail order. For 90% of people it is impractical to visit a licensed sex shop in person. There is a thriving underground market - local newspapers openly advertise discreet motorcycle delivery via untraceable mobile phones. Unregulated retailers have every incentive to maximise profit and no incentive to observe R18 boundaries or to check the ages. They are already breaking the law and have no licence to loose. Some include rape, torture porn and worse in their stock. Some include religious hate material. If R18 material was widely available, the unregulated market would shrink drastically, and unregulated sellers would go out of business. Allow sales in legit video stores, which check age, limited to 10% by stock level and by £ sold. This will improve protection for under-18s.

From the Sign On San Diego see full article

Iran's leading reformist newspaper was shut down Monday for the second time in a year after publishing an interview with a poet who called for greater gender equality, authorities said.

The daily Shargh, or East, was founded in 2003 and first shut in September 2006 for publishing a cartoon deemed to have made fun of Iranian government hard-liners. It was allowed to reopen in June.

It published an interview Saturday with opposition poet Saghi Qahraman, who said that gender roles should be less restrictive and men should play a bigger role in household activities like taking care of children.

This interview with an anti-revolutionary figure, who is famous for promoting anti-morality materials, is the main reason behind the closure of the paper, said Ali Reza Malekian, a Culture Ministry official, according to the official IRNA news agency.

But the paper's editor, Ahmad Gholami, said the interview was a pretext for silencing one of the few remaining voices pushing for democratic reforms in Iran.

Cage Wars event fends off the flak

Based on an article from The Herald see full article

Organisers of the controversial Cage Wars say they will return to Scotland after their successful first event in the country on Saturday.

More than 4000 people attended the event, where bouts - a cross between boxing, wrestling and martial arts - are held in large octagonal cages.

There has been widespread criticism of the contests, in which competitors can punch, kick, wrestle, knee and elbow their opponents until submission, with brutal force not uncommon - only head butting, eye gouging and fish-hooking are not permitted.

A licence was granted to Cage Wars organisers to host the event in Braehead Arena, near Glasgow, by Renfrewshire Council, who said the event met the "public entertainment" criterion.

The decision was met with dismay by Glasgow list MSP Sandra White who last month said: This is going back to the days of gladiators. I don't find it acceptable in this day and age and certainly don't see it as entertainment.

The violence of the fights was also condemned by police and religious leaders.

Det Ch Supt John Carnochan, head of the Violence Reduction Unit based at Strathclyde Police, said he had concerns about the event: While I do not claim to have a clear understanding of what is involved in cage fighting, I do know there is a fine line between what some people would describe as sport and others would describe as violence. The idea that people are prepared to pay to see this kind of activity is concerning. More concerning is why any parent would take their child to witness such a thing.

Morag Mylne, the convener of the Church of Scotland's Church and Society Council, said: From what I know about cage fighting, it does appear to be a fairly grotesque and unsporting spectacle.

Tickets cost up to £45, and children were admitted in the company of adults.

The sport has been growing in popularity and in America supports an industry with a turnover of $5bn (£2.5bn). Top competitors may be paid $1m (£500,000) per fight. Promoters claim the sport has an audience of 300 million viewers in 130 countries and has a better safety record than boxing and rugby.

 
French classifiers look to classify film festival films

The French classifier only placed age restrictions on 3.5% of film releases. And their ratings are then taken very seriously by French people.

From Variety see full article
See also Commission de Classification

The French Commission for Film Classification wants to extend its powers to include rating festival films.

The commission has asked the Culture Ministry to deny festivals the exemption that allows them to dodge the age restrictions placed on films on general release.

The commission does not have the authority to cut films but can ask the Culture Ministry not to issue a permit for theatrical release.

In its annual report, the body reported that of 1,087 films viewed in the past year, 1,031 were deemed suitable for all audiences. 39 films were forbidden to under those 12 and 16 to those under 16. Only one film, Saw III, was restricted to those 18 and older.

Last week, the commission whipped up a storm by ruling that Romanian abortion drama 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, is suitable for all audiences.

The film will be released Aug. 29 with a warning for “sensitive viewers” and the suggestion that children be accompanied by an adult.

 
Search engine optimisers to be fined in South Korea

From p2pnet see full article

South Korea’s ministry of information and communication has its eye on the likes of Naver, Daum and Yahoo and some of their users.

Under a new law, anyone who posts pornographic material on portals such as the three named could be fined W100 million (more than $108,000) and, Portals that manipulate the ranking of popular search words will be slapped with a maximum fine of W30 million.

The revised law: compels Internet portals to put up the manpower and mechanisms to prevent uploading of pornographic material. Portals have dodged accountability for obscene postings by citing a shortage of manpower.

 
Nutters see The Ten as antagonism towards Christianity

Based on an article from Christian Today see full article

A new movie features the Ten Commandments from the Bible in a very unflattering way.

The Ten, is a compilation of ten different stories, each depicting one of the ancient commandments given to Moses by God.

Christians have expressed their concern about the film and how it degrades and insults God and His laws.

The film has a number of stars in it including Paul Rudd, Adam Brody, Gretchen Mol, Winona Ryder, Oliver Platt and Jessica Alba. Each of them either stars or plays minor roles in each of the short scripts. Each uses the Bible to create a foundation for caricature.

A main example of one of the acts tells the story of a virgin librarian who takes a trip to Mexico and experiences a sexual awakening with a local named Jesus H. Christ.

Other shorts include a prisoner coveting his inmate’s “wife,” a woman who steals a ventriloquist doll after she falls in love with it, and a police detective who covets his neighbour’s Cat Scan machine.

Some Christian leaders feel that the film is part of a larger trend of increasing antagonism toward Christianity and religion in America.

This is going to be a very negative attack on faith and values, said Dr. Ted Baehr, chairman of the Christian Film and Television Commission: It's very sad society has descended into this attack mode. In the old film code, you couldn't defame anyone's religion.

   
A dishonest new name for the Australian censor

From Refused Classification

The old Office of Film & Literature Classification is being reborn as a government censor hiding behind the name: The Classification Board. Their website has now been renamed to www.classification.gov.au

The Attorney General has also announced that Paul Hunt has been replaced as Deputy Director of the Classification Board by Olya Booyar.

Most recently, Ms Booyar has served as Corporate and Community Relations Executive at SBS. Ms Booyar was educated in Ukraine, Canada and Germany and is a member of a number of Boards, including the National Association for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, the International Association for Women in Radio and Television, and the SBS Youth Orchestra.

   
Much discussed Bush Blair memo still secret

From Index on Censorship see full article
See also O'Connor - Keogh official secrets trial on Wikipedia

Index on Censorship has won a limited victory in its joint appeal with the BBC, the Times, the Guardian and other media organisations, against the gagging orders on reporting the Leo O'Connor and David Keogh official secrets trial.

Leo O'Connor and David Keogh were jailed in May for breaching the Official Secrets Act. David Keogh, a civil servant, had leaked a memo of a conversation between George Bush and Tony Blair.

During the trial, discussion of the contents of the memo were held in camera. After Keogh and O'Connor were sentenced, the judge, Mr Justice Aikens, ruled under the Contempt of Court Act that the press could not discuss the trial and the alleged contents of the memo in the same article - despite the fact that the memo had already been widely discussed in the press.

Index, along with the UK's leading broadcasters, newspapers and media organisations, appealed against the gagging orders.

The Court of Appeal has upheld the ruling - albeit under a different section of the law - which bans the press from reporting the statement made by David Keogh in open court. It also ruled that the press cannot suggest that allegations about the contents of the memo, which appeared in the Daily Mirror in 2005, represented the evidence given in camera. Mr Justice Aikens has said that the reports are inaccurate. So although the Kafkaesque restrictions have been modified, censorship on how the press reports the case still remains in place.

 
Russian targets porn

From interfax see full article

By the mid autumn Russian Ministry for Culture and Mass Communications plans to draft a bill restricting erotic and porn content availability, Deputy Minister Pavel Pozhigaylo said.

According the bill, no erotic and porn content may be manufactured in buildings used by a child-related, educational, healthcare or similar institution; no porn may include images on minors, state symbols, or public places.

All content of this sort may be offered only in specialized shops. It is also planned to restrict availability of porn content in info networks including the Internet. According to the bill, all circulation or erotic and porn content and organizing of erotic shows will have to be licensed.

The Federation Council of Russia’s Speaker Sergey Mironov proposed a moral oversight for TV: There should be public councils at each TV channel in order to block seamy-side and cynic things.

According to him, not a single channel of the Russian TV: works for our country. Just compare what the presidents says and what the TV shows... Every ad urges to ‘ask for more’ and propagates consuming ideology. Really, sometimes it seams that this country needs a censorship to be healthy.

 
Fears of new Chinese regulation of forums

From Epoch Times see full article

According to a recent article circulating in China, new measures are being devised to "take care" of the Bulletin Board System (BBS), "problem."

The leaked article, titled BBS in China is Facing a Bloody Slaughter, states that the information came from a teleconference attended by officials of the BBS Special Project at Guangdong Communications Administration.

Since July 24 the article has spread quickly and widely over the internet. With such detailed content most internet surfers believe the information to be reliable.

The article said that new BBS restrictions will be implemented nationwide in China, and will start in Guangdong Province, as it has the most websites and surfers in China. All unregistered internet forums will be shut down after October 1.

The article also revealed some of the specific requirements include an independent server, and only one BBS site per server. Also, the owner of the BBS site will be required to provide personal and contact information so that he can be reached 24/7, and all participants will have to use their real names. BBS websites will have to ask users to register in advance, and to provide such personal information as name, telephone number, and ID number.

In the posting system, BBS websites will have to display the number of business licenses, or the registration number in a prominent position on the forum, chat room, and response pages. When surfers post a message, the website has to show the regulation page first.

BBS systems will be required to examine all articles before posting them. All information must be automatically filtered wither by software or by people, and should not be published without first being examined and censored. In addition, BBS websites will have to keep a strict record of all articles posted, including content, publishing time, and IP addresses of the people who post messages.

   
A censorship monster is born

From Slashdot see full article

The Senate Commerce Committee has stepped in and approved a legislation asking the Federal Communications Commission to 'oversee the development of a super V-chip that could screen content on everything from cell phones to the Internet.'

Since the content viewed by children is no longer restricted to TV or radio Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., the sponsor of the Child Safe Viewing Act, feels that the new law is necessary.

The Child Safe Viewing Act of 2007 (S.602) was passed by the Senate Commerce Committee and requires the FCC to do a study of internet filtering technologies.

The research will include the "existence and availability" of filtering technologies for audio and video content transmitted over "wired, wireless, and internet" platforms, as well as other devices.

A statement from the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) said it did not oppose a purely fact-finding study, but maintained that a neutral, non-regulatory body such as the National Academy of Sciences would be better suited to the project.

More importantly, CDT is concerned that this legislation may represent a step toward expanding the FCC's censorship authority to include internet content, the CDT statement said.

   
More bans in Singapore's Gay Pride

From Gay 365 see full article

Censors have refused to allow an LGBT book reading event and an LGBT human rights forum at gay pride celebrations in the conservative city - the second such bans in a week.

The Media Development Authority balked at a book by author Ng Yi-Sheng about a young man's fictional sexual adventures with older men including military officers and government officials.

The authority said that the book went beyond good taste and decency and disparaged public officers. The board said it would allow the book reading to go on but only with a guarantee Ng's book was not included.

Pride organizers cancelled the event.

In addition, police ordered the cancellation of a human rights forum that was to have featured Douglas Sanders, a professor emeritus in law at the University of British Columbia, Canada, and Thailand's Chulalongkorn University.

The forum, titled Sexual Orientation in International Law: The Case of Asia, was deemed contrary to public interest.

Our laws are an expression and reflection of the values of our society; the discourse over a domestic issue such as the laws that govern homosexuality in Singapore must be reserved for Singaporeans ... foreigners should refrain from interfering, the Home Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

Beyer Recommends... Malcolm and Barbara: A Love Story

 
Alzheimer's death faked, Beyer gets his say

Thanks to Dan
From Mediawatch-UK

ITV eventually admitted that Malcolm Pointon had passed away days after the cameras had left his bedside.

The new furore over television “fakery” came about after Pointon’s brother Graham posted a message on Times Online, disclosing that ITV had misrepresented the final scenes.

The incident came to light days after Michael Grade, ITV Executive Chairman, promised “zero tolerance” over any cases of misleading viewers.

It seems that Mediawatch-UK were somehow blamed for the 'wrecking' of the worthy Alzheimer's project and John Beyer took the opportunity to write t the press:

I simply do not agree that this praiseworthy project has been “wrecked”. As a result of the controversy the programme has attracted a great deal of advanced publicity and Mrs Pointon has had many opportunities to set out very well the case for greater resources to be given to Alzheimer’s patients and sufferers. We have no quarrel with that whatsoever.

On the wider issue, we do believe that our intervention has given rise to a healthy debate about the role of television in our society and whether or not it is right for this medium to broadcast into the public domain the solemn moment of death and the private grief that accompanies it. It has had the additional benefit of focusing on the internal processes by which programmes get to the screen and the ‘spin’ that is attached to attract viewers.

Indian police ban halt screenings of Kashmir documentary

From DNA see full article

In what is set to snowball into a major national controversy over the freedom of expression, the Mumbai police may soon find itself on the backfoot for twice “arbitrarily” stopping the screening of a documentary on Kashmir by award-winning filmmaker Sanjay Kak.

The police stopped the screening of Kak’s documentary Jashne-e-Azadi (How we celebrate freedom) last week and again on Monday on grounds that the documentary — portraying what Kashmir’s struggle for azadi really implied — as out-and-out inflammatory and radical in drift and content. However, the Campaign Against Censorship has already “taken up” Kak’s case, as one which smacks of “local thana censorship” above anything else.

A large section of writers, painters, film makers and other intellectuals too have come together — mostly in Mumbai and Delhi — to protest against police highhandedness. Murmurs of protest, condemning the police action, were heard across some Mumbai colleges.

Surprisingly, the two Mumbai police stations perceived to be “in the eye of the storm” — since they were instrumental in stopping the screening — refused to explain if their officers had the proper “mandate” from their superiors to interfere, the way, they did on the two occasions.

Venezuelan TV channel ban stayed

From CPJ see full article

Venezuela’s Supreme Tribunal of Justice issued a stay Wednesday allowing RCTV International and dozens of regional stations to remain on cable temporarily, a ruling that came just hours before a deadline set by the government that could have removed their signals from paid subscription television.

The constitutional chamber of the Supreme Tribunal agreed to hear an appeal by the Cable Television Chamber, which requested Venezuela’s highest tribunal clarify which stations will fall under the category of national broadcasters.

The chamber established that there are no regulations for defining which are the national audiovisual production services, a statement from the Supreme Tribunal said. The court’s decision suspended a request from the National Telecommunications Commission (CONATEL) to remove dozens of regional stations from cable and satellite providers’ programming if the stations did not register as national broadcasters by August 1.

   
Rock Star appeal the BBFC ban

From iTWire see full article

Rockstar Games has confirmed the filing of an official appeal against the BBFC ban of their game Manhunt 2

Two months ago the BBFC rejected the game giving Rockstar six weeks to consider an appeal or reapplication based on cuts made to the game. Sounds like Rockstar want to get Manhunt 2 onto UK store shelves as it is though.

If Rockstar is, or possibly even if not, successful there may be a similar appeal in the US in an attempt to overrule the AO rating given in that market.

2nd August

Dead Rising game being seized in Germany

From XBoxer

Capcom's mall-based masterpiece has given me hours of enjoyment. I am an adult and I know killing survivors is wrong nor would I go out to slaughter people in the real world but the sandbox playground of destruction within Dead Rising begs for it!

So I was totally shocked to find reports that Dead Rising is being sized from retailers in Germany this week and that sales of the game even to adults will be forbidden in Germany!

Dead Rising was refused a rating by the USK when it was initially released but this did not mean that it could not be sold or marketed in the region, so this new hard line against the title would seem to point to a new and incredibly harsh stance against violent video games.

What I fail to understand is that actually within Dead Rising, unlike games like GTA and Manhunt, the player is actually there to help people. You play a hero. So why would this game be totally and forcefully withdrawn from sale? Has censorship gone mad?

   
Grossly indecent repression in Singapore

From Gay NZ see full article

Singapore's weeklong LGBT Pride celebrations have begun, but police have closed a photo exhibition of gays and lesbians, citing laws around 'gross indecency'.

A video message from Out actor Sir Ian McKellen opened the week, calling the event a platform to make gay voices heard in the tightly-controlled city state.

But, as the pride celebration was getting underway police closed a photography exhibit of gays and lesbians before it was to officially open.

Singapore's censorship board ordered the exhibition closed because it showed photos of gay men and women kissing. The board said that the show violated Singapore law because it promoted "a homosexual lifestyle".

The exhibition, entitled Kissing, was a selection of 80 posed shots of same-sex kissing between fully clothed models.

Under the current law 'gross indecency' between two men can lead to two years in jail.

Venezuelan TV channel banned again

Based on an article from IFEX see full article

On 1 August 2007, a spurious, last-minute legal pretext was used to force RCTV, now called RCTV Internacional, to suspend broadcasting for the second time in just over two months, RSF said. The grounds cited by the government were that the privately-owned station was not a "national audiovisual producer."

This time, the censorship of RCTV is complete, the press freedom organisation said. The Venezuelan government wanted the station to disappear, in Venezuela, at least. First it excluded RCTV from the terrestrial broadcast frequencies. Now it is preventing it from broadcasting by cable and satellite. This second phase of the RCTV affair raises several questions.

Firstly, if the Radio and TV Social Responsibility Law of 2004 and the regulations of the National Commission for Telecommunications (Conatel) really do require cable and satellite stations - even internationally-structured ones such as RCTV Internacional - to be registered as "national audiovisual producers," as is the case for terrestrial broadcasters, why was this requirement not previously enforced with all the others?

Secondly, why did the Venezuelan Chamber of Subscription Television remember that the 45 other pay-TV channels should also have to register as "national audiovisual producers" only after it had already given RCTV Internacional five days to do so? And why were the others given 10 days?

Thirdly, why did the communication and information minister wait until RCTV Internacional resumed cable broadcasting on 16 July to announce that the cable and satellite stations would now also have to submit to the system of "cadenas," in which national broadcasters are required to simultaneously retransmit the president's speeches and other government messages when they are broadcast by the state media?

Finally, why did the telecommunications minister not respond to the request for a deadline extension for RCTV Internacional that was made on 30 July by Mario Seíjas, the president of the Venezuelan Chamber of Subscription Television?

 
Fun on Edinburgh Fringe with Jihad: The Musical

Jihad: The Musical plays August 1st-26th (10:15pm - 11:45pm) at C venues, C-1 Space Adam House, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, Scotland

From the BBC see full article

A satirical musical about Islamic terrorism is causing protest ahead of its premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Jihad: The Musical, due to play at the C venue throughout August, is billed as a "madcap gallop through the wacky world of international terrorism".

But a petition on the Prime Minister's website calls for the "tasteless" show to be scrapped.

Composer Ben Scheuer defended the production, telling BBC Radio 4 it was controversial because it is relevant.

The musical features a song called I Want To Be Like Osama and a number where women wearing burkas and carrying machine guns sing: I only see your eyes.

Perspective

In fact, just 10 people have signed the petition stating:

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to condemn the tasteless portrayal of terrorism and its victims in Jihad The Musical.

The idea of making light of muslim extremism is extremely offensive, most especially for its victims. The Edinburgh Fringe Festival promotes such 'artistic license' without due consideration for those parties who may be offended by this 'musical.'

UN wants to exclude bloggers

From Inner City Press see full article

The United Nations says it wants to engage with bloggers, but only if it can control them. Those it cannot control, it wants to exclude, meeting minutes obtained by Inner City Press reveal.

At least three UN agencies have in the interim adopted policies of not answering questions from bloggers, no matter how widely they're read. From the top of the UN's headquarters building, it's a world of paranoia, a desire to turn back the clock of a type that usually proves fruitless.

In late June in Madrid, the spokespeople for 37 UN agencies met and, according to internal minutes leaked to Inner City Press, agreed that it is important for the United Nations family to engage with all forms of new media, but that some, such as blogs, present particular challenges for accreditation.

The UN limits access to its buildings and press conferences to those reporters it accredits. In April of this year, the New York Times reported that Inner City Press is, for now, the only accredited blogger at the UN. There have been several threats to revoke accreditation, based on inconvenient questions about the UN's role in the torching of villages in Uganda and the Congo, its standardless engagement with corporations and its use of funds to promote or spin its work.

According to the later-obtained internal minutes, at the UN Communications Group meeting a strategy emerged: UNCG members stressed the importance in accreditation decisions on the need, among other evaluation tools, to ascertain that there is an established editorial process in the media organization concerned that ensures copy goes through an editing process and which provides recourse to the UN to respond to factual inaccuracies, misrepresentations, etc. Consideration could be given to include alongside published accreditation criteria a statement that the respective organization would hold accredited media accountable to a journalistic code of conduct.

The proposal, then, is to exclude any reporter who is not subject a traditionally hierarchical editing process -- that is, to exclude blogs and most participatory media.

Police shut down stunt website

Based on an article from ic Liverpool see full article

Lancashire police have shut down a website called Live Now Die Later run by 18-year-old Michael Davies, which hosted scenes of youngsters performing violent and dangerous stunts, amid fears they could influence other children to film copycat stunts.

Last night Lancashire Police revealed it had had a further five videos which it says Davies posted, removed from the video sharing website YouTube.

But last night similar videos bearing the Live Now Die Later (LNDL) label were still available on the website, including footage filmed on mobile phones of teenagers setting each other on fire and jumping off garage roofs into conifer trees.

Others show children throwing themselves down stairs, stapling their skin, slapping each other across the face, and apparently forcing a homeless man to drink alcohol. In one, a teenager appears to break his arm after jumping from a high wall, in another a youngster poses with a defibrillator which he mimics delivering an electric shock, beside a hospital bed.

The Home Office states it can be illegal to upload violent footage on to the internet, but to date no-one has been prosecuted for such an offence.

Police said currently no criminal charges were to be brought against Davies, YouTube must now comply with their request to remove the footage which they say is not only having a negative influence on society but is also breaching the company’s own code of conduct.

Inspector Andrea Bradbury, of Lancashire Police, was responsible for the closure of the LNDL website, which was blamed for a number of incidents in the North West, including one where 11-year-old Joe Armstrong suffered horrendous burns after being set on fire during a filmed stunt. Insp Bradbury has liaised with Lancashire police’s Computer Crime Unit and has written to the legal compliance team at Google,owners of YouTube, about the clips.

She said: Footage like this just encourages children to get involved in violent and inappropriate behaviour. It doesn’t show young people in a good light and is having such a negative influence on society.

   
Complaints against ads featuring domestic drama

From Brand Republic see full article

MFI has amended one of its controversial new adverts following complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority.

The company has taken the ad featuring a mother who accosts her teenage daughter for being out late, and put it in Spanish with subtitles. It opens with a board saying the furniture retailer has amended it because it was not to everyone's tastes.

The ads have now attracted more than 191 complaints from viewers who have taken offence at the overriding aggressive tone of the ads, and the ASA says formal investigations are under way. The complainants have voiced concerns that the ads set a bad example, encourage antisocial behaviour and glorify a 'bullying and disrespectful attitude'.

The ads show families acting out 'typical' at-home situations in MFI stores. Families and couples are seen arguing among themselves, and in one ad, a mother accosts her teenage daughter for being out late, demanding to know whether she has been drinking. The daughter shouts back and storms out of the room, pushing into an MFI sales adviser.