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