17th September | | |
PCC censures Daily Star for glamourising suicide
| Based on article from
guardian.co.uk
|
The Press Complaints Commission has censured the Daily Sport for a gratuitous article that glamourised suicide after the tabloid published a Top yourself tourism list. The Daily Sport published a list of the UK's top 10 suicide
hotspots using information released by the British transport police that showed 25 people had died on one stretch of railway line over three years.
Choose Life, a government-backed education project working to reduce the numbers of suicides
in Scotland, complained to the PCC that the piece had provided unnecessary detail which might encourage vulnerable people to visit the places shown and take their own lives and said the piece was highly irresponsible.
The PCC upheld
the complaint and said it breached clause 5 its code of practice, introduced in 2006 following discussions with the Samaritans to try and reduce the risk of imitative suicide. It was the watchdog's second censure of a complaint under the new rules.
Clause 5 states that care should be taken to avoid excessive details about the method used when reporting suicides.
The PCC ruled that the article was simply a gratuitous guide to how and where individuals have killed themselves. It
treated a serious subject in a light-hearted manner and may have glamorised suicide in the eyes of some readers.
|
17th September | | |
US games survey finds a broadly neutral effect on civic life
| Based on article from gamepolitics.com See also
Teens, Video Games & Civics [pdf] from pewinternet.org
See Computer games positive for kids from whyhealthy.blogspot.com
|
The Pew Internet & American Life Project has just released the results of the first-ever US, publicly available look at youth and video games.
Teens, Video Games & Civics examines how and why games are played and details the
relationship that gaming has to social and civic engagement among teens in the United States.
In gathering their data, Pew conducted phone interviews with 12-17-year olds along with a parent. The results of the 75-page report are a fascinating
glimpse into how video games fit into the lives of teens. Major conclusions include:
- Almost all teens play games
- 90% of parents say they always or sometimes know what games their children play.
- 72% say they always or sometimes check the ratings before their children are allowed to play a game.
- Parents of
teens who play games are generally neutral on the effect of games on their children, with nearly two-thirds believing that games have no impact one way or the other on their offspring.
- 62% of parents of gamers say video games have no effect on
their child one way or the other.
- 19% of parents of gamers say video games have a positive influence on their child
- 13% of parents of gamers say video games have a negative influence on their child.
- 5% of parents of gamers say
gaming has some negative influence/some positive influence, but it depends on the game.
Civic engagement was one of the main focal points of the study. Games, however, seemed to have a mostly neutral effect in this area, with much depending on the civic-mindedness of individual gamers:
|
30th August | | |
South Africa's Family Policy Institute petition for ban on all violent games
| From gamepolitics.com
|
South Africa's Independent Online reports on yet another attempt to link media violence to the real deal. It reports that Cape Town-based watchdog group the Family Policy Institute has petitioned South Africa's government to recall all music
containing violent lyrics and all video games with violent content.
FPI spokesman Errol Naidoo made the request, expressing the group's concerns over potential negative influences on young people. The move comes in the wake of the samurai sword
killing of a 16-year-old by a schoolmate who allegedly dressed himself like Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison.
Prefering not to wait for any type of inquiry, Naidoo requested the recall of the games and CDs pending the outcome of the
investigation . From the Independent Online:
He said there was no guarantee that removing violent music and games would prevent violent behaviour, but that it would provide added peace of mind for families.
|
29th August | | |
Orangina's lap dancing animals wind up the nutters
| Based on
article from
marketwatch.com See advert on
YouTube
|
Not since Joe Camel have animated characters so inflamed advocacy groups. A French television commercial (leave it to the French) touting Orangina leaves little to the imagination as anthropomorphized animals dance suggestively to the strains of a
Latin beat.
Bikini-clad deer with heaving breasts, pole-dancing flamingos, lap-dancing octopi and a macho-looking bear in a golden thong are just some of the fanciful imagery used to promote the popular drink.
Orangina is a drink which
is mainly aimed at children and young people, the director of children's charity Kidscape, Claude Knights, told the Independent. The almost sinister portrayal of animals in an animation style filled with sexual innuendo leads to very mixed and
confused messages. And it's not just children's groups that are outraged. Equal-rights groups are also unhappy with misogynistic aspects of the ad where visually female critters are seen pandering to the carnal desires of their male
counterparts. The U.K.'s Advertising Standards Authority received 147 complaints concerning the commercial. Orangina aired on British television during an episode of How to Look Good Naked.
|
29th August | |
| Subtle harassment of New Zealand book about Maori cannibalism
| From nzherald.co.nz by Paul Moon
|
The physical burning of books now seems to belong to another, much less enlightened age, but not so the censorial urges that led to the practice. I have experienced this first-hand in the past few weeks since the release of my book This Horrid
Practice, which explores traditional Maori cannibalism.
I recall a fellow academic approaching me when I started writing the book and warning me that I was putting my career in jeopardy by tackling this subject. At first, I dismissed the caution,
but when others began making similar comments, I came around to the view that I would be risking my integrity as a historian by being bullied into silence.
Then the attacks came. First, there were the emails and often anonymous phone messages,
accusing me of all sorts of sins for having researched and written about Maori cannibalism. This was followed by Rawiri Taonui, the lecturer from Canterbury University, suggesting I was demonising Maori and that my book was a return to Victorian values.
Margaret Mutu similarly condemned me and announced to the media that I did not understand the history of cannibalism, although she admitted to not having read even a single sentence of the book.
Then the Human Rights Commission dipped its
toe into this acrid pool and considered the merits of a letter of complaint made about the book. The commission's response was to suggest I enter into mediation. Like Kafka's Josef K, I found myself being considered increasingly guilty, even though I do
not know what I am meant to be guilty of. I politely refused the offer.
And here is where the book-burners come in. While the methods are far more subtle, their aim in this case to bar the sale and distribution of my book amounts to exactly the
same thing: censorship based on ideology.
|
28th August | |
| Ben Westwood book expected to be banned as extreme pornography
| From thefirstpost.co.uk
|
Ben Westwood, the photographer son of fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, is not happy with Jacqui Smith. Why? He believes that a book he has compiled, provocatively titled Fuck Fashion , is going to fall foul of the Home Secretary's
impending Criminal Justice and Immigration Act which outlaws anything which might be considered as "extreme pornography", of which there is plenty in young Ben's book.
The law comes into force in the New Year effectively making illegal
any image that portrays a man or woman's life as being in danger in a sexual sense. According to the Independent, Westwood has been informed that, as a result of the ruling, his book, which deals with 'porno-chic' and bondage, will be banned from sale
from January. Furthermore, anyone owning a copy of the tome could theoretically receive a three-year jail sentence.
Says Westwood: Jack Straw and the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith need to be bound up together and gagged. They are trying to
dismantle our basic human rights. We cannot just sit here and take this. We cannot just lie back and watch this ludicrous Act slip in the back door.
Westwood is not going down without a fight. According to his agent, Lois Hillgrove, he has
enlisted a number of the new great and the good, including the singer Gwen Stefani and the burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese, to help him do battle with the Home Office.
|
28th August | | |
The German games censorship game
| Based on article from
dw-world.de
|
Germany's efforts to regulate the classification and sale of violent video games has brought a number of the country's authorities together to work on a set of legislation.
Legislation recently passed in Germany in July, for example, makes it easier to put such games on the banned list following the introduction of a rating index.
Games on Germany's banned list cannot be sold publicly. That includes any
advertising and sales through mail order. The decision to flag a game is made by the Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons (BPjM). Since the July 1 revision of the Protection of Minors Act, the agency has been granted even more
authority. That includes the authorization to list games that propagate vigilante justice as the only solution to a problem. The criteria have also been expanded for the automatic inclusion of specific games in the list.
A network of
organizations decide on age classifications. Tthe age labeling system will be significantly broader in future. Some games are currently open to a general audience. The next levels are "6," "12," and "16." Any game assigned
an "18" is banned for youths. There are also games that cannot be rated at all. Such titles require action by the BPjM frequently land on the index.
The labeling system is organized by the so-called Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle
(USK) in Berlin, with support until now from the Association for the Promotion of Youths and Social Work. Two industrial associations assumed sponsorship from June 1: the German Association of Computer Game Developers (G.A.M.E.) and the German
Association of Interactive Entertainment Software (BIU).
The USK functions as a service provider, commissioning a circle of independent experts. These observers first play the game, present their results to a five-person committee consisting of
at least four of roughly 60 expert appraisers from the USK, including teachers and employees of the youth agencies. The committee is then completed by a permanent representative of the Supreme Youth Agencies of the states. The majority decides, but the
permanent representative always has a veto right.
|
28th August | |
|
|
Australian censors explain their role See kotaku.com.au |
27th August | | |
Apple accused of arbitrary censorship as they ban comic from iTunes Store
| From informationweek.com
|
Apple has banned a digital comic called Murderdrome, from Infurious Comics, from its iTunes Store, to the consternation of the comic's creator and fans.
Comic creator Paul Jason Holden, in a blog post, explains that Apple's SDK for the iPhone and
iPod Touch requires that content must not be offensive in Apple's reasonable opinion.
But as numerous comments on the Infurious Comics blog point out, there's no yardstick by which content creators can assess the offensiveness or
acceptability of their work. Apple appears working with a definition of offensive that borrows from Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart's working definition of obscenity: I know it when I see it.
Compounding the issue is the
apparent inconsistency of Apple's censorship. Many comments cite music and videos available through iTunes that are more offensive than Murderdrome.
The material - as pointed out by others - is clearly less contentious than television, movie
and music content offered by Apple...so I can only assume the best-case scenario is a prejudice against the form itself, a post attributed to John Westgarth says.
Apple shouldn't turn its devices into gated Disney theme parks, where certain
types just aren't welcome. Apple should stick to selling content creation and communication devices. Content creators don't need Apple to be the authoritative arbiter of artistic merit. Leave that job to the market.
|
27th August | | |
Australians get all coy about nudes in art
| From news.com.au
|
An Adelaide council has banned nude works from its annual art competition adding fuel to the recent national controversy about art and censorship.
Adelaide's Tea Tree Gully Council said the works - a painting featuring a seated nude by Margaret
Tuckey, and a sculpture of a female torso by Scot Eames - were too graphic.
The two artists said they were stunned by the council’s decision.
I unwrapped my work and they looked at it and told me it was inappropriate and they
would not hang it in the exhibition, Ms Tuckeytold the community Messenger newspaper. They said that school children would be seeing the exhibition.
Eames said he was dumbfounded to be excluded and pointed out that school
children could see nudes at the Art Gallery of South Australia. I said `you’ve got to be joking and the organiser said `if you’re both going to continue to protest, I’ll have to ask you to leave the premises,’ Eames
told The Messenger.
Tea Tree Gully Mayor Miriam Smith said she supported the decision: Staff, rightly so, rejected the pieces based on their graphic nudity She said she was not personally opposed to nude art ... when people go
(to the exhibition) ...[BUT]... they don’t expect to be confronted with extremely graphic nude pieces of art work’.
|
26th August | |
| Malaysia unbans Avril Lavigne concert
| Based on article from
bangkokpost.com
|
Malaysian authorities have reversed their decision to cancel a concert by Canadian pop-rock star Avril Lavigne, days after they ruled that her show was unsuitable for local youths.
After discussions with organizers, we have agreed to allow the
show to go on, a spokesman for the Arts, Culture and Heritage Ministry said.
Its minister Shafie Apdal had sparked criticisms of being "closed-minded" on Wednesday when he said Lavigne's show would be cancelled because it was
unsuitable for Malaysian culture and could not be held on August 29, two days ahead of independence day and nearing the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.
However, the ministry official said the decision has seen been reversed, but declined to give a
specific reason.
The minister is showing our country to be a closed-minded, childish country that objects to anything different from our own culture, said Leow, a Lavigne fan who had purchased tickets for her concert weeks earlier: It's
a relief that they've come to their senses now .
The youth wing of a hardline opposition Islamic group had earlier called for the show to be canceled, saying Lavigne's performances were too raunchy for youths. Malaysia requires all performers
to wear clothes without obscene or drug-related images and to be covered from the chest to the knees. They must also refrain from jumping, shouting, hugging and kissing on stage.
|
26th August | | |
|
Censoring provocative art is the worst advert for 2012 Olympics See article from guardian.co.uk |
24th August | | |
Swedish Olympic TV joke attracts complaints
| From thelocal.se
|
A television show focusing on the Olympic Games has been reported to the Swedish Broadcasting Commission for allegedly making offensive comments regarding Germany's Nazi history on live television.
Presenter Rickard Olsson made a joke on live TV
about Germans and Nazis when referring to the German women's football team's loss against the Brazilians in the Olympic semi-final. There is something about Hitler and Germany that somehow makes it difficult to feel sorry for them when they get
slaughtered at football. You just think, Hitler, Hitler, Hitler, Hitler, Hitler", said Olsson on his live chat show Olssons studio .
The Swedish Broadcasting Commission (SBC) has received eight official complaints about the
presenter's outburst.
The SBC is a national authority that oversees radio and television broadcasts and determines whether a broadcast complies with the provisions of the Radio and Television Act and the licenses granted by the government.
|
23rd August | | |
T-shirt seller can continue to list US war casualties
| Based on article from
rinf.com
|
A federal judge has permanently barred Arizona from using a state law to prosecute an online merchant who sells shirts that list names of thousands of troops killed in Iraq.
U.S. District Judge Neil Wake did not strike down the 2007 law
against selling products that use of military casualties’ names without families’ permission. But he ruled that using the law to prosecute Dan Frazier would violate the man’s First Amendment rights because his Bush Lied - They Died
shirts are core political speech.
It is impossible to separate the political from the commercial aspects of that display, Wake wrote: For example, the state argues that Frazier can sell his shirts without displaying the
soldiers’ names. But Frazier’s product is his message, and his customers’ message.
A spokeswoman for Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard said Goddard’s office was reviewing the ruling and did not immediately know
whether it would appeal.
Arizona’s law was enacted with little debate by the Legislature, and Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas have enacted similar laws. The ACLU is also defending Frazier in a pending lawsuit filed against him in
federal court in Tennessee by a couple whose soldier son was killed in Iraq. Robin and Michael Read of Greeneville, Tennessee, have asked that their case be expanded to cover more than 4,000 casualties and seek more than $40 billion in damages.
|
22nd August | | |
Prude objects to the word 'twat' in a children's book
| Thanks to Nick Based on
article from
dailymail.co.uk
|
A housewife has taken on one of Britain's best-selling children's authors and a leading publishing house to censor the word 'twat'.
Random House Children's Books has agreed to remove 'twat' from a popular book by Dame Jacqueline Wilson, after
complaints from Anne Dixon, who insists she is standing up for values of common decency.
She claimed she was 'horrified' when she came across the expletive in the best-selling book My Sister Jodie - a gift for her nine-year-old
great-niece.
She complained to Asda, in Stanley, County Durham, where she bought the book, and the store initially removed it from sale.
Now the publishers said they will – by altering one letter – substitute the word with
“twit” when the book is reprinted. On the publisher's website, My Sister Jodie is recommended for children aged from nine to 11.
Mrs Dixon said: I am not a prude. In fact, I am quite broad-minded, ...BUT... this is
completely inappropriate for children.
The book has an attractive cover and is clearly for children. They should not have to be subjected to trash and vulgarity. I did not expect this from a well-respected author and do not want my young
niece to have to see this obscene slang.
I got to the page where reference was made to a 'toffeenosed twit'. On the next page the word changed. I thought I was mistaken, but then I saw to my shock it had been repeated twice again.
A spokesman for Random House Children's Books said: In the context of the character, we felt it was used in a way that accurately portrayed how children like Jodie would speak to each other. The term had been included "on purpose"
because it was uttered by "a nasty character". The book is aimed at children aged ten and over, and we felt it was acceptable for that age range. However, in light of this response we have decided to amend the word when we reprint
the book. A spokesman for Asda said: "Since the book was launched in March this year, we have sold over 28,000 copies and this is the first complaint we have had. The spokesman said that Asda had reviewed the matter and would continue
stocking My Sister Jodie in all its UK outlets. Comment: (Hate) Mail From David Driven, as usual, by one person's
determination to dictate to everyone else for the sake of the children and supported, as usual, by the (Hate) Mail Random House: The book is aimed at children aged ten and over, and we felt it was
acceptable for that age range. However, in light of this response we have decided to amend the word when we reprint the book.
Asda: Since the book was launched in March this year, we have sold over 28,000 copies and
this is the first complaint we have had.
So the publishers thought it was appropriate, Asda alone have sold over 23,000 copies since March so I would guess the total sales must be at least near the half-million mark, there has
only been one complaint and so they're going to the expense of changing the book? I'd have told the twat to fuck off and get a life if this had been about one of my books....
|
22nd August | | | Censored: Imam of Dibley is banned from ITV
| Based on article from women.timesonline.co.uk
|
Have you heard the one about the Islamic comedy sketch that ITV ordered its latest star to remove? Katy Brand was the victim of humourless lawyers who instructed her to delete a harmless-sounding spoof called The Iman of Dibley.
It
was not intended to be offensive, says the comedian, whose Katy Brand’s Big Ass Show returns on ITV2. A new iman arrives in a sleepy parish and the comedy arrives from the misunderstandings that causes. But the lawyers said it might
be culturally insensitive.
It’s no laughing matter, argues Brand: The vast majority of Muslims are able to have a laugh at themselves just like everyone else. Why should they be excluded from comedy? It’s funny that ITV had no
problem with a new sketch about a pregnant Jesus’s girlfriend who has to deal with dating the Son of God.
Rowan Atkinson has expressed similar concerns about comedy censorship. But Brand is particularly peeved to lose her Iman of
Dibley : I really liked the outfit.
|
22nd August | |
| Children's books to be age rated from the autumn
| Will the books be rated by language complexity or suitability of content? I can't really see any 5+ rated books as being suitable for anyone but 5
year olds. It all seems too simplistic to be very helpful. And no doubt the kids will immediately self ban anything rated as suitable for ages less than their's. Based on
article from news.bbc.co.uk
|
From this autumn, a number of publishing houses will "age band" their children's books.
Each book will carry a specific marking indicating they are suitable for readers aged 5+, 7+, 9+, 11+ and 13+/teen.
Books will also
carry a recommendation for where they should be placed in book shops or libraries.
Research within the book industry suggests people buying books for children would welcome the guidance.
But it is a scheme which has already enraged a
number of writers, among them former children's laureate Michael Morpurgo: There's no such thing as an average seven-year-old. They could be four or 10, or like me, 65 - it's just nonsense. If you say a book is for a seven-year-old, the nine-year-old
is going to be trying to cover it up at the back of the class.
The scheme followed research by the Publishers' Association, which suggested standardising age recommendations might help boost reading.
The interesting thing about
children's books is that it's not the readers who are buying them - it is parents and grandparents and libraries and schools, said Sarah Grady, the children and education programme director for the Edinburgh International Book Festival: I think
that's what the publishers were trying to address. As a reader, you drop a book if you don't like it so children will self censor, but it's knowing what to buy them in the first place.
JK Rowling's publisher Bloomsbury and about eight other
major publishers have said they would not take part in the scheme. The rest of the industry - including Puffin, Orion and MacMillan - are in favour of age banding unless individual authors object.
And writers have been vocal in their criticism -
more than 750 authors have already signed an online petition set up by Philip Pullman, best selling author of the His Dark Materials trilogy. They include JK Rowling, Anthony Horowitz, Terry Pratchett, Alan Garner and the four writers who have held the
Children's Laureate title - Quentin Blake, Anne Fine, Jacqueline Wilson and Michael Rosen.
|
21st August | | |
Australian Jim Beam advert jokes about stalking
| From news.com.au
|
An Australian TV commercial which makes a joke of stalking could be pulled off our screens after complaints it would cause anguish for real victims of the crime.
In the Jim Beam ad The Stalker , which is shown on Fox Sports and free-to-air
TV, an attractive woman talks about stalking a man she broke up with two years earlier.
A restraining order is just a piece of paper, she says before revealing she wears a disguise when she follows him.
Another Jim Beam commercial
The Neighbours - in which two naked Swedish girls encourage people to undress as they are spied on by a neighbour - and its associated website have also been removed.
Victims of Crime Assistance League executive director Robyn
Cotterell-Jones said the ad trivialised a form of violence: Stalking is a frightening tactic and has ended in murder. There is nothing amusing or enticing to those who are its victims, who suffer its tragic consequences for the rest of their lives.
Jim Beam Global Spirits and Wine marketing director James Sykes said the tongue-in-cheek ads were designed to appeal to the Aussie sense of humour.
The Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code states that advertisements must be mature,
responsible and not promote offensive behaviour. The Advertising Standards Bureau confirmed it had received complaints about both ads and its board would decide when it met next month whether they should be taken off air.
|
21st August | |
|
|
Provocative Commercials Get Pulled...Unless They're About Catholics See article from ncregister.com |
20th August | | |
South African murdered blamed on mask wearing heavy metal band
| Based on
article from
dailymail.co.uk
|
A heavy metal band due to perform in Britain has been blamed for an horrific school killing.
Slipknot, who play the Reading and Leeds festivals this weekend and are expected to announce a UK tour, are said to have inspired a teenager to stab
a fellow pupil to death with a samurai sword.
The unnamed boy walked into his school in Krugersdorp, west of Johannesburg, South Africa, yesterday morning and fatally knifed the 16-year-old in the neck.
The boy wore a mask similar to that
sported by Slipknot’s drummer Joey Jordison while carrying out the attack He then stabbed another boy and two gardeners.
Pierre Eksteen, who is in charge of the school’s support network, said: We know the wrong kind of music and
drugs have bad effects. Young people need to be informed of the effects of bad satanic music.
|
20th August | | |
Malaysia bans Avril Lavigne concert
| Based on article from
axilltv.com
|
Malaysia has cancelled a Kuala Lumpur concert by Canadian pop star Avril Lavigne with just one week's notice, saying her act would not instill good culture in the youth, a minister said.
The timing of the concert, two days before the
country's independence day and just ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, was claimed to be a chief reason for the cancellation by Shafie Apdal, minister of unity, culture, arts and heritage.
Shafie said Lavigne's act would be unsuitable
alongside local cultural performances during the National Day celebrations.
Concert organizers insisted over the weekend that the show would go on, in spite of calls by certain groups to cancel the performance.
Earlier this month, the
youth wing of Malaysia's hardline opposition Islamic party demanded Lavigne's concert be banned.
|
20th August | | |
Singapore to lighten up on censorship...maybe
| Based on article from
seapabkk.org
|
Singaporeans are abuzz yet cautious about government pledges to ease restrictions on free speech and public assembly in the city state. Writers, filmmakers, activists, and politicians are either expressing optimism or warning against too much of
it, after the country's prime minister promised to allow more issues to be ventilated in the notoriously restrictive political environment of Singapore -- subject to certain "ideals" of factuality and nonpartisanship.
Singapore Prime
Minister Lee Hsien Loong, acknowledging the advent of new media, announced during the National Day Rally on August 17 that the government will ease the ban on political videos and outdoor public demonstrations, media reports said.
An outright
ban is no longer sensible, he said. At the same time, he noted that such relaxation of restrictions will still be guided by what he called safeguards. I think some things should still be off limits... (for instance) if you made a political
commercial so that it's purely made-up material, partisan stuff, footage distorted to create a slanted impression .
The Advisory Council on the Impact of New Media on Society, led by former "Singapore Press Holdings" editor-in-chief
Cheong Yip Seng, will present its recommendations on these issues later this month.
The Straits Times reported the prime minister as saying that political films will be dealt with in ways similar to non-political films, with censorship and film
classification standards, with a panel to decide whether or not a political film would pass.
Singaporean film makers expressed mixed feelings with this development. This is by far the most obvious relaxation of political space in Singapore in
the past 20 years. It will lessen the climate of fear, according to film maker Martyn See who had two of his films banned in recent years.
|
20th August | |
| Adam Sandler comedy banned in the Middle East
| Based on article from
variety.com The uncut region 1 DVD is available at
US Amazon for a 7th Oct 2008 release
|
Arab audiences won't be seeing Adam Sandler's comedy about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as You Don't Mess With The Zohan is being blocked by regional film censors. The film has been banned in Egypt, Lebanon and the UAE.
Sandler
plays a former Mossad agent who escapes to New York and ends up working in a Palestinian-American woman's hair salon,
It is 99% likely that the film will be banned in all Arab countries, says Bassam Eid of the film's distributor.
Zohan has already been released in Israel where it has been one of the year's biggest hits bringing in over 200,000 admissions. There wasn't any controversy over the subject matter, says distributor Amnon Matalon: Israelis like to laugh
at themselves.
Morgan Spurlock's documentary Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? has also been banned in the UAE. It will surely have a very hard time in the rest of the Middle East too.
|
20th August | | |
Kuwait set to finalise bill to censor the internet
| Based on article from
ifex.org |
After months of planning, Kuwait's Public Prosecutors Office (PPO) is set to finalize a bill that will punish "Internet offenders" in the country. It seems that constitutional freedoms no longer extend to Kuwait's large (and still
growing) population of bloggers. Prosecutor General Hamed Al-Othman said that the bill will criminalize the promotion of immoral conduct, encouraging anti-government sentiments, divulging state secrets, or insulting Islam online. Penalties for breaking
the law could involve a 1-year prison sentence (7-years if the insulted party is a minor) and monetary fines.
Speaking of what this new law means for the future of free expression in Kuwait, one blogger told APN this law means two words: shut
up. The blogger also noted that most of the Kuwait blogging community is opposing the looming law. This law is a way to control what bloggers publish online; the government wants to know 'who is this blogger?' They want us to shut up so they are
free to do anything they want. They can't handle the truth.
The blogger provided a list of tips on their website to help other bloggers stay out of trouble when the new Internet law takes effect. Among the tips is remove the times from
comments and leave only dates. As the blogger explains to APN: if I put a comment at 2:03:09 a.m., the government can call all ISP's here in Kuwait and ask for all IP's running at that time. This is more of a safety tip for the commenter than for
the blogger. A scheduled publishing system is a way to protect the blogger. For example, if at 8:00 p.m. I am at the cinema and I have a ticket and at 8:10 p.m. Blogger.com publishes my post, nobody can prove that I published the post.
Other
tips for bloggers include using symbols or codes to refer to taboo public figures rather than their real names.
|
19th August | | |
Noel Gallagher, a lively oasis in the land of nutter inspired sterility
| Thanks to Dan: One of the founder members of one of the biggest rock groups of all time drunk on Radio 1! Beyer cannot resist getting drunk on the
publicity! Based on article from the
Daily Mail
|
At 9am during the school holidays, Noel Gallagher had a guaranteed audience of youngsters.
They heard the Oasis star boast about his drug-taking habits, and add that he was still drunk from the night before.
Gallagher slurred his way
through a 15-minute interview on Chris Moyles's Radio 1 breakfast show, confessing that he had managed only two hours' sleep. He went on to claim that he had taken drugs for more than 18 years. The BBC was criticised by the usual nutters for
failing to take Gallagher off the show.
MediaWatch's John Beyer said: It's not appropriate for that time in the morning for a man to be in that state of mind or behaviour. The BBC should have been aware of his state and asked him to come back
when he was sober.
He is a role model that has a responsibility to youngsters and it doesn't set a good example - but I think the real fault lies with the BBC and the DJ who should have made the decision that he was not capable of being on air.
He is belittling the effects of drugs and that is irresponsible.
A BBC spokesman said: Noel Gallagher was very clearly briefed in advance and monitored during the live interview this morning. We have not received any complaints. As ever
Noel was a lively and opinionated guest. Of course Radio One does not condone drug abuse and if we felt our guest was drunk we would not put him on air.
|
19th August | | |
Thai response to taxi driver murder rated K for knee jerk
| Based on editorial from
bangkokpost.com
|
Polwat Chinno killed taxi driver Kuan Pohkang with his bare fists and knives in a grisly 2am plan to steal the hard-earned money of his victim. The media descended on this story of bloody murder when the killer confessed, but pleaded that a video
game made him do it. Authorities took him at his word, issued a hasty ban on exactly 10 games and vaguely promised new restrictions further down the line. Far from showing concern, this reaction emphasised the huge gap between the real technology
revolution and what the country's leaders appear to know about it.
First of all, it is most troubling that authorities and the media latched on so quickly and conveniently to the alibi of a confessed, vicious killer.
They were far too
quick to accept the word of Mr Polwat. He is an adult who told police he planned and carried out a reprehensible killing for a small amount of money. His claim that the video game Grand Theft Auto made him commit the crime sounds more like a novel
legal defence than a credible motive. Tens of millions of people around the world play that game - tens of thousands in Bangkok.
Early evening on any given day, the top floors of the city's many shopping malls are filled with youths playing a
myriad of computer games - many of them violent.
An earlier ban on this particular violent game would not have saved the murdered driver. More to the point, there is no evidence or reason to believe the ban will save any lives in the future.
The Public Health Ministry quickly assembled a list of Top 10 Violent Games - not by research or reason, but by a quick Googling in which bureaucrats accepted the first hit, an obscure list from a local US politician trying successfully to get his
name in the newspapers and his face on the TV news in an election cycle.
Such a ban is also self-defeating, since new games come on the market regularly. In any case, a police ban is only another business hitch to the video pirates and shop
owners involved in underground distribution.
|
19th August | |
| Government edict to ensure positive Olympic coverage for the Chinese
| Based on article from
guardian.co.uk
|
Beijing's propaganda mandarins have issued a 21-point edict on Olympic coverage for Chinese media that goes some way to explaining the different perception of the games within and without China.
The directive includes a detailed list of dos and
don'ts for journalists. According to a translation of the document in the Sydney Morning Herald, journalists are instructed to follow the official line on all matters relating to international affairs. They are warned not to conduct interviews about the
US election, the Doha world trade negotiations or China's relations with Sudan, Iran and Zimbabwe.
Follow the official propaganda line on the North Korean nuclear issue; be objective when it comes to the Middle East issue and play it down as
much as possible; no fuss about the Darfur question; no fuss about UN reform; be careful with Cuba. If any emergency occurs, please report to the foreign ministry, it says.
Several issues prominently covered in the overseas media during the
past two weeks are ruled out of bounds. The day after the opening ceremony, the big news in Beijing was the murder of an American tourist related to a US volleyball coach. But domestic journalists were hamstrung by article 17, which states, In case of
an emergency involving foreign tourists, please follow the official line. If there's no official line, stay away from it. Also taboo are protests by Free Tibet, mention of East Turkestan separatist groups and, alarmingly, all food safety issues,
such as cancer-causing mineral water. The edict also says there must be no negative comments about the opening ceremony
Chinese officials have denied issuing the edict, but local journalists have confirmed its existence. Some say it was
distributed by email, others by word of mouth.
|
18th August | | |
Katy Perry kissed a girl and wound up nutter parents
| Based on
article from dailymail.co.uk
See also Christians and gays attack “I Kissed A Girl” from mediasnoops.wordpress.com |
With its irresistibly catchy, upbeat tune, Katy Perry’s I Kissed A Girl has become the undisputed song of the summer, rocketing to No1 last week.
The singer’s parents have launched a ferocious attack on their daughter, and branded
the controversial lyric of her song – about two girls kissing – shameful and disgusting. Katy’s parents, both evangelical Christian preachers, say they are deeply ashamed of the star for promoting a sin. And
her mother, Mary Hudson, declared: I hate the song. It clearly promotes homosexuality and its message is shameful and disgusting.
Katy knows how I feel. We are a very outspoken family and she knows how disappointed her father and I are.
I can’t even listen to that song. The first time I heard it I was in total shock. When it comes on the radio I bow my head and pray. Her father Keith Hudson calls himself a ‘prophet/evangelist’ and claims to be used by the
Holy Spirit to heal people. He travels America and Europe trying to ‘save people’.
|
18th August | | |
More websites blocked in Turkey
| Based on article from
ww.bianet.org |
After the internet sites youtube.com and dailymotion, the access to the site of kliptube.com is denied to the internet users in Turkey.
The latest victim is another video sharing site, kliptube.com. However, it is not possible to find out how,
when and why the access to this site is banned by going to the site itself.
Those who visit the site are greeted by the sentence that The access to this site is barred by a court decision. The internet site of gundemonline.com is
also banned without any justification. Ankara’s 11th High Criminal Court banned gundemonline.com, a site about the Kurdish problem, on August 7 without any justification.
According to one of the site authorities, Ramazan Pekg๖z, their
site has been closed by court orders four times so far. He says that nobody gives them any explanation about the situation. Since it is a very long process to remove this court order, they simply continue their existence by changing names.
|
18th August | | |
Malaysian book censors ban 2 more books about islam
| Based on article from iht.com
|
Malaysia's state censors have banned two books on Islam saying they gave a misleading view of the religion.
The Home Ministry banned the English-language Muslim Women and the Challenge of Islamic Extremism and the Malay-language Strange but True in Prayers.
An official with the ministry's publishing unit confirmed that the books had been banned but did not elaborate. The activist group Sisters in Islam, which published the book on Muslim women, criticized the ban. Norhayati Kaprawi, an
official with the group, said the book was an academic work in which female activists and scholars studied the impact of extremism on Muslim women's lives: For me, it's very ironic that the book itself is a victim of extremism. Does that mean women
cannot even discuss extremism? What do they want us to do? Lie down and shut up?
|
17th August | | |
A few film posters omit BBFC advice giving Beyer something to whinge about
| Based on article from telegraph.co.uk with a ludicrous headline: Hollywood blockbusters break rules on sex and violence
|
| Beyer calls for state censorship |
Some distributors including Universal, 20th Century Fox and Path้ are failing to include BBFC consumer advice for films or their age classification on posters and publicity material.
The BBFC has sent a warning to the studios reminding
them of their agreements. Its guidelines require that all films which carry the U, PG, 12A, 15 and 18 certificates must display their classification and warnings about sexual or violent content on all promotional material, including trailers.
But
inquiries by the BBFC and The Sunday Telegraph have found a few new releases being advertised on billboards and in magazines either without their certificate or the warnings, or both.
Posters promoting The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
do not carry the film’s 12A certificate or the BBFC’s warning that it contains moderate violence and horror.
John Beyer, the director of Mediawatch UK, said that the BBFC should do more to ensure film companies include the
certificates and guidance on material: It is the board’s responsibility placed on it by the Government to provide information for people, mainly parents with young children. I think part of the problem is that the BBFC is an industry body rather
than a public body.
Although the studios are not legally obliged to abide by the guidelines, the board “expects” them to do so. The BBFC, which is funded by the film industry, agreed to introduce the certificate in 2002 on
condition that movies carried highly visible warnings about content.
Other examples that have not carried the guidelines are Shine a Light , Martin Scorcese’s documentary about the Rolling Stones, and Lars and the Real Girl .
A spokesman for the BBFC said: Often one of the reasons why the certificate doesn’t appear is that the art departments working on the publicity haven’t featured it into their designs. On other occasions the publicity material for
films is released so far in advance that the movies haven’t even got a certification. |
17th August | | |
Australia unbans Bondage Mansion
| Based on article from
refused-classification.com The uncut region 1 DVD is available at
AnimeNation |
There has been a rapid rethink by the Review Board and Bondage Mansion is no longer banned Classification Review Board Convenor, Maureen Shelley said the anime genre and that the characters appear 18 or older means the film can be
accommodated in this legally restricted category. However, the connection between sexual activity and the themes remains a concern.
|
17th August | | |
|
There really are no excuses for Random House’s withdrawal of The Jewel of Medina See article from indexoncensorship.org |
17th August | |
|
|
Ongoing blocking of YouTube in Turkey See article from wsws.org |
16th August | |
| Defending censorship of one book whilst taking legal action against another
| Based on
article from
independent.co.uk
|
Sir Salman Rushdie has accused his publisher of censorship at the same time as trying to prevent the release of a book that criticises him. The novelist, who spent nearly a decade under a fatwa from the Iranian government after the publication
of The Satanic Verses in 1988, attacked Random House for pulping a historical novel about the Prophet Mohamed for fear of offending Muslims.
Sherry Jones's debut novel, The Jewel Of Medina , about the Prophet Mohamed and his child
bride, was due for release this month. But Random House said credible and unrelated sources had warned that the book could incite acts of violence by a small, radical segment. Rushdie's very public intervention comes at a time when
he is engaged in a legal battle to amend the content of a book that criticised him.
On Her Majesty's Service by Ron Evans, who was part of Rushdie's police protection team, makes claims – all of which are denied by the author –
that he was imprisoned by guards who got so fed up with his attitude that they locked him in a cupboard under the stairs and all went to the local pub for a pint or two. When they were suitably refreshed, they came back and let him out. Evans, who
contends that police nicknamed Sir Salman "Scruffy" because of his unkempt appearance, also makes several other allegations.
Rushdie denied there was any contradiction in his actions, saying: [Sherry Jones's book] is a work of
fiction. Ron Evans's book is not, and it contains a very large number of provable lies and complete absurdities which were defamatory not just about me but my son's mother, Elizabeth West, the Metropolitan Police and people including John Major and
Norman Tebbit.
Under pressure from Sir Salman's lawyer, Evans is believed to have amended his most contentious chapters.
|
16th August | | |
Knickers promoting High School Musical 2 withdrawn
| Based on article from
news.bbc.co.uk
|
Knickers for young girls made to promote the film High School Musical 2 are being withdrawn after a complaint that they were sexually suggestive.
Sue Relf bought the underwear for her seven-year-old granddaughter at Asda in
Broadstairs, Kent, and took them home to find the words Dive in! on them.
Disney issued a statement which said: We are very sorry to hear that a customer is unhappy with one of our High School Musical products and apologise for any
offence caused.
The knickers in question were designed using our High School Musical 2 artwork, which uses the creative theme of a swimming pool, as this is a key part of the film's storyline. Unfortunately a genuine oversight was made and the
text on this product was used outside the context of the swimming pool.
This product will not be part of any forthcoming collections.
An Asda spokesperson said: There is very limited stock available of this particular line still
remaining in Asda stores. It was completely innocent and certainly not meant to cause any offence to customers. However, we will now withdraw the product from all stores.
|
16th August | | |
Thailand to implement age ratings for video games
| Based on article from
bangkokpost.com See also A violent video game can be an all-too-easy
culprit from bangkokpost.com
|
The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) will ask the Culture Ministry to form a panel to rate computer games, following the Aug 8 murder of a taxi driver by a teenage schoolboy. Yannapol Youngyuen, head of the DSI's bureau of technology
and cyber crime, suggested distributors of computer games be asked to help screen game content, saying the planned rating panel would find it very hard to keep pace with new computer games.
'Rating by the ministry has proceeded at a very slow
pace. The ministry should study overseas ratings as a guideline and adjust them to suit Thai culture and values,' he said.
Police Colonel Yannapol also said there are many computer games which are more violent than GTA, such as those which
focus on cop killing or rape. He maintained, however, that on-line games are not the major cause of teen problems.
Yannapol also pledged to make a serious effort to suppress illegal on-line games.
Lertchai Kanpai, managing director
of Asiasoft, said currently there are 57 games active in the Thai cyberspace. Though all of them passed Microsoft's screening, some are quite violent: A bigger threat, however, is illegal game software which bypasses the violence rating.
|
16th August | | |
Staunton video store fined after being persecuted by anti-porn nutter
| Based on article from
xbiz.com See Staunton porn trial bizarre from start to finish from
readthehook.com See also article from
alternet.org by Dr Marty Klein
|
Jurors in the case of After Hours Video convicted store owner Rick Krial and the After Hours Video store on misdemeanor charges of selling an obscene item. Krial was fined $1,000 and the store was fined $1,500.
In response to a defense motion the
judge agreed that the guilty verdicts will not be entered for 60 days while post-trial motions are filed. An appeal is expected.
Krial and the store were found not guilty on a second charge of obscenity, and store employee Tinsley Embrey was
found not guilty on two misdemeanor charges of obscenity.
The misdemeanor convictions may lead to prosecutions on felony obscenity charges that were handed down along with the misdemeanor counts. Update:
Bad Evidence 18th October 2008. Based on article from xbiz.com
Basing their argument on bad evidence and bad statements introduced during the trial of After Hours Video storeowner Rick Krial, defense attorneys have filed motions asking to have the two guilty verdicts set aside.
|
16th August | |
| UN criticises UK over glorification of terror, official secrets and libel tourism
| Based on
article from independent.co.uk
|
British libel laws are stifling free speech around the world as wealthy businessmen and celebrities increasingly turn to UK courts to silence their critics abroad, the United Nations has warned.
In a report published yesterday, the UN's Committee
on Human Rights criticises the phenomenon of "libel tourism", where foreign businessmen and millionaires use the High Court in London to sue foreign publishers under claimant-friendly defamation laws.
It said that UK defamation law had
discouraged critical media reporting on serious public interest matters, affecting the ability of scholars and journalists to publish their work.
The report cites the case of Dr Rachel Ehrenfeld, an American researcher who was sued in London by a
Saudi businessman and his two sons over a book which was not published in the UK, although 23 copies were sold into the jurisdiction via the internet and one chapter was available online.
The committee also criticised the way the British Official
Secrets Act 1989 had been used to stop former Crown employees from bringing issues of public interest into the public domain and said that provisions in the Terrorism Act 2006 regarding encouragement of terrorism were vague and could have a chilling
effect on freedom of expression.
The committee said it was concerned that the Official Secrets Act had been used to frustrate former employees of the Crown from bringing into the public domain issues of genuine public interest, and can be
exercised to prevent the media from publishing such matters . It noted that disclosures of information were penalised even when they did not harm national security.
The State party should ensure that its powers to protect information
genuinely related to matters of national security are narrowly utilised and limited to instances where the release of such information would be harmful to national security, the report says.
The committee was concerned about the "broad
and vague" definition of the offence of "encouragement of terrorism" in section 1 of the Terrorism Act.
In particular, a person can commit the offence even when he or she did not intend members of the public to be directly or
indirectly encouraged by his or her statement to commit acts of terrorism, but where his or her statement was understood by some members of the public as encouragement to commit such acts, the report says.
The committee called on the
Government to consider amending the part of section 1 which deals with encouragement of terrorism so that its application does not lead to a disproportionate interference with freedom of expression.
|
16th August | | |
Edinburgh festival stewards acting as press censors
| Based on article from
thescotsman.scotsman.com |
Edinburgh Fringe organisers were accused of censorship last night after it emerged that non-accredited journalists have been prevented from doing interviews on the Royal Mile, one of Edinburgh's main thoroughfares. Colin Macnab, a freelance sound
recordist, said he had been stopped from doing his job on several occasions by members of the Fringe Office staff who believed they could control any media activity on the Royal Mile.
He said he had been stopped from working, told to move and
warned that only accredited journalists could work on the street. Macnab said he had been stopped from working with a German producer last week by one official who told him he was not on the High Street but on a Fringe venue.
He said he
was appalled that he was being treated that way on a public street. He added: This is hindering my work. My concern at the end of the day is that this is censorship. It's not on for someone other than an editor to decide what goes on TV.
Duncan Fraser, a spokesman for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, admitted that stewards did patrol the area and members of the media were asked to make sure they were accredited. He justified this with some worthless bollox about it being only done to make sure that events ran smoothly.
|
16th August | | |
Burmese press censor resigns as journals refuse to follow his censorship dictates
| Based on
article from mizzima.com
|
The Burmese Information Minister has refused to accept the resignation letter of the head of the junta's press scrutiny office.
Major Tint Swe, the Director with the Government's Office of Press Scrutiny, which censors the contents of all print
publications in Burma, submitted his resignation to the ministry on July 31, 2008.
Brigadier General Kyaw Hsan, the Minister for of Information, refused to accept his resignation letter.
One of the major reasons why the director has done
so is, that most leading weeklies have been found, since the devastation following last May's Nargis Cyclone failing intentionally to observe the instructions of the censor board.
The official said more than half a dozen journals, including the
prominent weeklies 7 Day News, News Watch, the First Music and among others, were recently ordered to sign assertion letters that they would comply with the instructions.
Maj Tint Swe said: When you write about government departments, it needs
to be correct. If you exaggerate or have misconceptions while writing, there will be a problem. We only allow news that will not have a negative effect on the state or national welfare.
|
13th August | | |
John Beyer rants about up 'n' coming MadWorld game
| Based on
article from dailymail.co.uk
See also Busybody media watchdogs say ban M-rated games on Wii from bbs.stardestroyer.net
|
Nintendo will dramatically transform Wii's image with the release of ultra violent video game MadWorld which, revolves around the themes of brutality and exhilaration, according to its creators.
Players in the hack and slash
game, which is due for a UK release in early 2009, can impale enemies on road signs, rip out hearts and execute them with weapons including chainsaws and daggers. game
The decision to release a violent game on a console which has
supposedly based its reputation on family fun has shocked anti-violence pressure groups.
The game has not yet been given an age rating.
Mediawatch-UK said MadWorld will 'spoil' the Wii. John Beyer: This game sounds very unsavoury. I
hope the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) will view this with concern and decide it should not be granted a classification. Without that it cannot be marketed in Britain. What the rest of world does is up to them. We need to ensure that modern
and civilized values take priority rather than killing and maiming people.
It seems a shame that the game's manufacturer have decided to exclusively release this game on the Wii. I believe it will spoil the family fun image of the Wii.
|
13th August | | |
Thailand rants about copycat game violence
| Based on article from
digital.asiaone.com
|
Creators of violent video games should be prosecuted if copycats take their content into real life.
It's high time game makers face the legal consequences of their creations, a top Thai government official says.
This reaction comes in
the wake of a brutal slaying of a city taxi driver by a teenager obsessed with blood-and-guts shoot-'em-up game Grand Theft Auto . When a player copycats a crime he or she sees in the game, the game maker should be prosecuted, says
Somchai Jaroen-amnuaysuk, the deputy director of the Welfare Promotion, Protection and Empowerment of Vulnerable Groups Office.
Prosecutions will automatically force game makers to act more responsibly, Somchai says.
Dr Somprot
Sarakosas, a former spokesman of the Human Security and Social Development Ministry, agrees the government should explore legal avenues against all parties responsible for such violence: At the same time, everyone, especially the Education Ministry,
should make children aware that games and real life are two different things.
National Culture Commission chief Preecha Gunteeya says the government has to do something to control violence-packed games, including imposing a rating system. We must regulate gaming cafes, too
he says.
|
13th August | | |
Ofcom review regulation of mobile phone content
| Based on article from
ofcom.org.uk
|
Ofcom have published a report: UK code of practice for the self-regulation of new forms of content on mobiles: Mobile phone use is widespread among children and 7% of 8-17 year olds access the internet via a mobile. The UK code of
practice for the self-regulation of new forms of content on mobiles provides a series of undertakings regarding young people’s access to, and the classification of, mobile commercial content. The Code was formally published in January 2004 and the
resulting Classification Framework (“the Framework”) was published in February 2005. All major UK mobile phone operators subscribe to and support the Code and the Framework which act as self-regulatory instruments.
Audio-visual
content available on mobiles arises from two sources. Some content is provided directly by the operator or a contracted third party (and referred to in the Code as ‘commercial content’). This content is under the mobile operator’s
control, enforced by contractual arrangements with the content creator/supplier. The other source of content available on mobile phones is from the internet. Internet-based content is outside the control of the mobile operator.
This Review of the
Code was achieved with the support of the Home Office and the Children's Charities' Coalition for Internet Safety (CHIS).
Overall, we find the Code to be effective in restricting young people’s access to inappropriate content and a good
example of industry self-regulation. Based on interviews with operators and stakeholders, we believe that the Code and Framework are understood and readily adopted by all concerned.
We also note that the mobile industry has made significant
investment in the development and implementation of content controls and has taken significant steps to enforce compliance, over and above the requirements set out in the Code. The mobile operators have established a process whereby an initial breach of
the Code by a commercial content provider results in a warning (yellow card), and any subsequent breach of the Code can result in a sanction (red card). Repeated failure to comply with the Code may lead to termination of future business. The yellow/red
card scheme is viewed both by the mobile operators and the content suppliers as a highly effective compliance mechanism.
We find that the availability of consumer information about how to restrict access to 18-rated material is generally poor
– only 15% of adults who use a mobile and who have a child in their household are aware of age verification systems. We therefore recommend that mobile operators redouble their efforts to ensure that the information supplied by retailers, customer
services and websites is easy to understand and accessible.
The Content Classification Framework is provided on behalf of the mobile phone industry by the Independent Mobile Classification Body (IMCB), a subsidiary limited company of the premium
rate phone regulator PhonepayPlus. The IMCB has to date received no in-remit complaints from members of the public about any content of a nature encompassed by the Code, which has been accessed via a mobile phone. However, the basis for complaining is
that consumers, in the first instance, must report their concern to their contracted mobile operator. Only where there is no satisfactory resolution to the complaint is the customer then referred to the IMCB by the mobile operator’s customer
services. The IMCB sees itself as primarily an industry-facing body and does not promote awareness of its existence or its functions to the public (other than through its website), nor does it advertise its complaints function to members of the public.
The current arrangements block access to 18-rated material to non-age-verified customers. With increasing numbers of younger children having access to mobiles capable of accessing AV content, mobile operators may need to consider if a binary
system at 18 provides sufficient protection from inappropriate content for younger users, or whether a more granular system should be considered.
|
13th August | | |
Knee jerk blog host blocks blog over tasteless quip
| Thanks to Nick Based on
article from guardian.co.uk
|
Google has unblocked Scamp, the UK's most popular advertising industry blog, following the removal of comments containing "hate speech".
Scamp, which is run by advertising executive Simon Veksner, had been blocked since Friday by
Google-owned blogging platform Blogger. Visitors to Scamp had been blocked, until today, from accessing posts and were instead shown the message that it was in violation of Blogger's terms of service.
It has emerged that Google moved to
cut access after the blog was flagged for use of hate speech" , according to an official message posted by administrators of the blogging platform.
Veksner speculated that the post that triggered the complaints was called Sauce Poll
on the subject of who in an ad agency you would prefer to date?. He said he assumed that it was an offensive comment, which has now been deleted, along the lines of how they would rather have sex with someone with Down's syndrome than an
advertising professional.
Veksner said that while the post, made on Friday, did draw a backlash from the online community he at first left it on the blog. A lot of people were offended, but I decided not to delete the comment, he told
MediaGuardian.co.uk: My policy is I do delete comments where the commenter is intending to be offensive, but I don't delete comments where the commenter's primary intention is to be witty, even if what they say ends up offending people.
|
12th August | | |
Ofcom go easy on ITV's Formula 1 commentator over pikey quip
| Based on article from
news.bbc.co.uk
|
ITV has escaped punishment after the word "pikey" - a slang term for gypsy - was used in a sports broadcast in June.
Host Martin Brundle was interviewing Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone before the Canadian Grand Prix, where part of
the track had crumbled.
There are some pikeys there at turn 10 putting tarmac down - what do you think of that, he asked.
Media regulator Ofcom said it would take no action after ITV apologised and addressed the issue with its
presenter. The broadcaster argued that "pikey" was now used more widely but conceded that it still remains a derogatory term. It added that Brundle was unaware of the potential racial or ethnic connotations and so had not meant to cause
any offence towards the travelling communities.
After the show ITV received 22 complaints from viewers over the remark while Ofcom received 14.
|
12th August | | |
Ofcom have a rant about extreme stunts
| Based on
article from mirror.co.uk
|
Ofcom has rapped ITV for showing dangerous stunts at a time when children would be watching.
The World's Got Talent , screened at 7pm, saw contestants enter spinning washing machines, eat glass and become a dartboard.
There were
warnings on screen not to try the stunts at home but Ofcom decided these were not enough to deter kids from trying out the routines.
It said the extreme stunts would more typically be expected to feature in shows after the watershed.
|
12th August | |
| Australian censors passes cut version of Fallout 3
| Based on article from
eurogamer.net The uncut version of the game is available at
UK Amazon for release on 3rd Oct 2008 |
The Australia Censorship Board has pass and edited version of Fallout 3 with an MA 15+ title.
The reward and incentive for in-game drug abuse had been toned down, according to GameSpot.
However, there is no confirmation
of exactly what changes were made.
Using naughty substances plays a large part in Fallout 3 , which proved a major sticking point in the original ruling. Update: Passed in the UK
8th September 2008 Passed 18 uncut by the BBFC
|
12th August | | |
Disability groups rail against Simple Jack character in the movie Tropic Thunder
| Thanks to Nick Based on
article from firstshowing.net
|
Starting this week, dozens of disabilities groups led by Timothy P. Shriver, chairman of the Special Olympics, are expected to boycott Tropic Thunder at its world premiere as well as its nationwide release. There was buzz about this
last week when the groups complained about the online marketing campaign for the film, which resulted in Paramount pulling a few of the websites. However, their demands, which include pulling all scenes and clips that include Ben Stiller's portrayal
of Simple Jack from the movie, DVD, trailers, promotional material and merchandising have not been met.
This is ridiculous! This coalition of a dozen or so disabilities groups have only recently begun to be offended by some of the material in
the film. A particular sore point has been the film's repeated use of the term 'retard' in referring to a character, Simple Jack, who is played by Mr. Stiller in a subplot about an actor who chases an Oscar by portraying a mindless dolt. As
Paramount describes it: the movie's humor was aimed not at the disabled but at the foolishness of actors who will go to any length in advancing their careers. Thankfully, Paramount is not changing the film at all and I commend them for
standing up to this. They did change some of their advertising already, but it's an R rated film and none of it needs to be altered.
David C. Tolleson, executive director of the National Down Syndrome Congress, saw the film at a screening and
responded openly: I came out feeling like I had been assaulted. Other groups, including the American Association of People With Disabilities, are planning to meet in Los Angeles to picket the premiere, but that's not all. Shriver
said that he had also begun to ask members of Congress for a resolution condemning what he called the movie's 'hate speech' and calling for stronger federal support of the intellectually disabled.
|
12th August | | |
Anti porn attorney gets his day in court to harrangue local video store owner
| Based on article from
newsleader.com
|
The much ballyhooed trial of Rick Krial, owner of After Hours Video on Springhill Road, begins this morning in Staunton Circuit Court, almost a year to the day Staunton Prosecutor Raymond C. Robertson vowed at a press conference to keep pornography out
of Staunton's stores.
In October, the same month After Hours Video opened for business, undercover agents from the Staunton and Waynesboro police departments, along with plainclothes officers from the Virginia State Police, acted as customers and
purchased a dozen DVDs from the Springhill Road store. Weeks later, a special Staunton grand jury convened and charged Krial and his company, LSP of Virginia, with 16 felonies and eight misdemeanor charges of obscenity.
In January, an employee at
After Hours Video, Tinsley W. Embrey, also was charged with 10 counts of obscenity, four of them misdemeanor charges.
This week's scheduled four-day trial concerns only the misdemeanor charges against Krial, his company and Embrey. The
Commonwealth can proceed with the felony charges only if it garners convictions on the misdemeanors.
The landmark United States Supreme Court case of Miller v. California in 1973 established a standard three-part legal definition of obscenity
that must be met: Do applied community standards find that the material appeals to the prurient interest; is it patently offensive, sexual conduct defined by state law; and does the work, taken as a whole, lack serious literal, artistic, political or
scientific value? Those are questions that must be answered by the jury.
The court case will feature a number of legal heavy hitters, Paul Cambria Jr and Louis Sirkin. Robertson will be assisted by Matthew Buzzelli, an obscenity attorney
with the United States Department of Justice.
Jury selection for the case could take up to two days. A misdemeanor trial only requires seven jurors.
|
12th August | | |
Police seize War On Terror boardgame
| Based on
article from independent.co.uk War On Terror: The Boardgame is available at
UK Amazon
|
It is rare for a board game to be seized by the police. This week that distinction befell War on Terror: The Boardgame ; a set was confiscated from climate protesters in Kent.
Following a series of raids on the climate change camp near
Kingsnorth power station, officers displayed an array of supposed weapons snatched from demonstrators: knives, chisels, bolt cutters, a throwing star – and a copy of the satirical game, which lampoons Washington's "war on terror".
For the game's creators, Andrew Sheerin and Andy Tompkins, web designers from Cambridge, the inclusion of their toy was a shock: When I saw the pictures in the papers I was absolutely baffled. I thought: surely no member of the public is going to
believe that a board game could be used as a weapon?
You won't find the game in high street stores; retailers have all declined to stock it. The high street chain Zavvi bought 5,000 sets but strangely withdrew them for sale after one day,
citing "poor sales". But since its low-key launch two years ago, War on Terror: The Boardgame has sold 12,000 copies online and through independent stockists, prominently featuring in student bedsits.
Much like games such as Risk
or Diplomacy, War on Terror revolves around players creating empires that compete and wage war against each other for resources and land. The controversial twist allows them to "train" terrorist cells that either attack your enemies or, if
you're unlucky, turn against you – like some anti-Western terror groups have done.
There is an Axis of Evil spinner intended to parody international diplomacy by randomly deciding which player is designated a terrorist state. That
person then has to wear a balaclava (included in the box set) with the word "Evil" stitched on to it.
Kent police said they had confiscated the game because the balaclava could be used to conceal someone's identity or could be used
in the course of a criminal act.
|
11th August | |
| Apple withdraws application featuring a knife
| Based on article from telegraph.co.uk
|
Apple has come under fire for allowing the sale of a supposedly tasteless knife game for its iPhone.
The Slasher application brought up the picture of a deadly looking blade on the user's handset and played the music from cult thriller
Psycho when the owner mimicked a stabbing motion.
It was selling for 59p in the entertainment section of Apple's iPhone application store.
The programme, which was made by an outside firm, has now been withdrawn, but Apple has not
explained how it came to be there in the first place.
Slasher was launched at a time when concern about knife-crime has hit an all time high following dozens of high-profile deaths on the streets of the UK.
|
11th August | | |
Parents Television Council whinges at Gossip Girl
| Based on article from
usmagazine.com See also No sex please, they're teenagers
from blogs.guardian.co.uk
|
Four new promo ads for the second season of Gossip Girl have caused quite stir.
Nuters of the Parents Television Council has slammed the shots, which show a topless Leighton Meester making out and Chace Crawford in bed with an older woman.
I think it reeks of desperation, if they have to position themselves as so edgy and so controversial that they've been called out by us, Melissa Henson, PTC director of communications, told the Associated Press.
CW marketing boss
Rick Haskins defends the campaign, saying it caters to their 18-34 female demographic: What we're trying to do is communicate with the audience in a way that they like and can appreciate. This sort of campaign resonates with someone who likes Gossip Girl
.
The second season of Gossip Girl starts in the US on September 1.
|
11th August | | |
And so does the Martin Salter Wikipedia entry
| Thanks to Julian Petley
|
I’ve just come across this nonsense on Martin Salter’s entry in Wikipedia:
Salter has promoted legislation proposing to criminalise possession of so-called "extreme pornography" [2]. His campaign came
about after the conviction at Lewes Crown Court of Graham Coutts, a self confessed addict of violent internet pornography, for the murder of Brighton schoolteacher Jane Longhurst. A petition, objecting to "the presence of extreme internet sites
promoting violence against women in the name of sexual gratification", gained 50,000 signatures. This prohibition was incorporated into the Immigration and Criminal Justice Act 2008.
The last sentence is manifestly untrue. How it
should read is: thanks to a remorseless campaign against internet pornography in general, fuelled by a great deal of disinformation and greatly facilitated by a government terrified of being painted as ‘soft’ on porn by the Tories and the
press, Salter managed to bounce onto the statute book a thoroughly ill-conceived and draconian measure which will criminalise the possession of a wide range of material, and not simply that cited in the original petition.
|
10th August | | |
Turkish draft law to register porn buyers withdrawn
| Based on article from hurriyet.com.tr
|
A deputy chairman from Turkey's ruling AKP withdrew a draft law that she prepared after her work drew fierce criticism from the opposition in the country.
According to the draft law, prepared by AKP Deputy Chairman Edibe Sozen, those purchasing
pornographic publications were obliged to provide the retailer with their citizenship number and signature, in order to be later handed to the Youth and Sport General Administration.
The draft law also foresaw the construction of places of
worships for students from all religions at schools.
I decided not to bring the draft law to the agenda of parliament, in order to put an end to the misunderstandings regarding my proposal, Sozen said.
Sozen's work drew fierce
criticism from the opposition in Turkey, as AKP's attempts were claimed to aim to divide young people and prepare the bases of a theocratic state. Update: Distanced
18th August 2008 Turkey's prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has proffered an olive branch to secular critics by publicly disowning his party's proposals to curb pornography and encourage school prayer.
In an unusually harsh rebuke in
which he described Sozen's proposals as ill- timed and fatal. He urged party discipline at a time when the AKP is under fierce scrutiny for perceived anti-secular tendencies: It [the bill] is not the party's work, but it was perceived as if it
belonged to the party. Such works should be discussed within the party first. It is an ill-timed and fatal statement. The content is bad. She [Sozen] put the party in a difficult situation. We are going through sensitive times that need caution and
ultimate care. This is valid for each one of us. We all need to refrain from any actions or statements that could create new tensions.
|
10th August | | |
Thailand to investigate violent video games
| Based on article from
nationmultimedia.com
|
The Thailand Department of Special Investigation will host a conference on violent computer games and youths on Thursday, in a bid to find measures to address the issue.
The move follows a brutal murder of a city cabbie by a schoolboy copying
Grand Theft Auto. Experts will brainstorm ways to end this kind of behaviour. No doubt some kneejerk policies will result
|
9th August | | |
Former FFC chairmen suggest that it should be stripped of its misused censorship powers
| Based on article from
broadcastingcable.com
|
A trio of former Federal Communications Commission chairmen, including the most iconic critic of TV content and a symbol of deregulation, joined to ask the Supreme Court to strip the FCC of its power to regulate indecency entirely, saying that it is on a
"Victorian crusade" that hurts broadcasters, viewers and the Constitution.
Former Democratic chairman Newton Minow may have famously dubbed TV a "vast wasteland" back in the 1960s, but he is ready to let TV programmers in this
century have more say over content if the alternative is the current FCC.
Seconding that opinion was former Republican chairman Mark Fowler, who once likened TV to a toaster with pictures and became a symbol of the deregulatory 1980s.
Also weighing in on a brief to the court Friday was James Quello, former acting chairman and longest-serving Democratic commissioner.
They argued that the commission has radically expanded the definition of indecency beyond its original conception; magnified the penalties for even minor, ephemeral images or objectionable language; and targeted respected television programs,
movies and even noncommercial documentaries.
I thnk it is an incredible statement from FCC chairmen who have been some of the architects of the indecency policy and who are now saying that this is out of control," said First
Amendment attorney John Crigler: The enhanced indecency standard was created under Mark Fowler, and here he is saying 'boy, this train is way off the tracks.'
The trio were joined by other former FCC commissioners and staffers to file an
amicus brief Friday in the FCC's challenge to a lower-court ruling that the commission's indecency finding against swearing on Fox awards shows was arbitrary and capricious and a violation of the Administrative Procedures Act. That act requires
regulators to sufficiently justify their decisions and forewarn regulated industries.
It is time for the Court to bring its views of the electronic media into alignment with contemporary technological and social reality, they said. And
that means getting the FCC entirely out of the business of regulating indecent content, they added.
|
9th August | | |
Spain cabbies call for games ban based on Thai killing
| Based on article from gamepolitics.com
|
Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia reports that an association of Spanish taxi drivers has called for a ban on Grand Theft Auto .
Josep Maria Go๑i, secretary general of the Catalan Taxi Federation, has requested that the Spanish
government pull GTA titles off the market.
Go๑i makes it clear that the Taxi Federation's request is based on the Thailand murder case. The cabbie spokesman didn't stop at GTA , however, calling for a ban on all games with a
high level of violence or which "celebrate" drug trafficking or prostitution.
GameSpot points out: There are no actual missions in GTA IV which require players to rob, stab, or kill a taxi driver...
Malaysian Ban It Based on article from gamepolitics.com The head of a Malaysian consumer rights organization has called for a ban on Grand Theft Auto and similarly violent video games.
The move comes following the murder of a Bangkok cabbie last Saturday. Thai government officials were quick to link that killing to what they said was the 19-year-old suspect's Grand Theft Auto play.
In an op-ed for the Star Online, Mohamed
Idris, president of the Consumers Association of Penang, writes: It was recently reported that the Thai authorities have banned a computer video game known as Grand Theft Auto... Violent video games and television programmes have previously been
linked to expressions of violence and aggression in young viewers. It is time for the authorities to act.
If this particular video game is available in Malaysia, CAP calls on the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs to immediately halt
its sales and ban this game. The Ministry should also warn the public and any stocks that have already been sold should be recalled.
|
9th August | |
|
|
Killjoy politicians call on the BBFC to give Batman film a 15 certificate See article from spiked-online.com |
8th August | |
| Are the BBFC out of step with the rest of the world?
| Based on article from
news.bbc.co.uk
|
The Daily Mail have continued their campaign against the 12A cinema certificate for The Dark Knight. A recent article claimed that the BBFC was out of step with the rest of the world who restricted the Batman film to 15+ year olds.
Predictably they published examples that supported their case. Just to even it up a bit, here are the world ratings as listed by IMDb : Ireland:15A, USA:PG-13, Denmark:15,
Canada:13+ (Quebec), Norway:15, Philippines:PG-13, South Korea:15, Malaysia:U, Portugal:M/12, Mexico:B, Sweden:15, Canada:14A (British Columbia/Ontario), Hong Kong:IIB, Argentina:13, Finland:K-13, UK:12A, Brazil:12, Canada:PG (Alberta/Manitoba),
Netherlands:16, Iceland:12, India:UA, France:U, Singapore:PG, New Zealand:M, South Africa:13V, Peru:14, Australia:M Peterborough Spoilsport Based on
article from peterboroughtoday.co.uk
Peterborough's MP has called on the city council to reclassify the rating given to the most sensational movie to hit cinema screens this year, Batman, The Dark Knight .
Stewart Jackson has written to the council's chief executive Gillian
Beasley, expressing concerns over the 12A rating given to the film, which has attracted nutter controversy because of its violent content and dark themes.
In his letter, Jackson reminded her that the council can use its discretion under current
legislation to reclassify the rating given by the BBFC. He said: I am not a spoilsport and I have seen this film ...BUT... I sincerely believe that it is not suitable for children. The violence is gratuitous and the dark themes inappropriate
for children's viewing.
I believe that the BBFC have made an error of judgement and I have written to the city council to amend the recommended classification.
A spokesman for the city council said that while the council is
responsible for licensing cinemas, ensuring that the films being shown there have been certified and they are adhering to age restrictions, they would not attempt to reclassify a film, which had been classified by the BBFC, the experts in this field.
|
8th August | |
| US woman found guilty of obscenity in textual stories
| Based on article from
xbiz.com see also Art or Obscenity? Unusual Case Draws Controversy
|
Red Rose website owner Karen Fletcher was sentenced today after pleading guilty to six counts of distributing textual obscenity online.
Fletcher's plea concludes her three year fight against federal charges stemming from fictional stories
which appeared on her website, and was entered before U.S. District Judge Joy Flowers Conti, who sentenced Fletcher to six months of house arrest; 5 years of probation; and a $1,000 fine.
XBIZ has reported on the Red Rose case since the the
closure of Fletcher's website in October of 2005. It shuttered over stories that, among other topics, allegedly depicted the rape and torture of children and infants.
I never thought I'd be in trouble for the written word, Fletcher told
XBIZ at the time of her site's closure. I had no pictures of a sexual nature on my site, adult or otherwise. [It seems] the only legal sex stories are those that involve a man and a woman consenting to missionary position sex in a dark room.
Although many observers doubted that an obscenity conviction based solely on text-only content could be made in today's society, Fletcher's emotional state, including suffering from agoraphobia — a fear of public places — reportedly
prevented her from carrying on the fight for her free speech rights.
Fletcher helped prevent minors from accessing the Red Rose site by charging a $10 monthly membership fee, and while allowing the posting of stories by members, prevented any
images from being posted.
|
8th August | | |
The Daily Mail and morality
| Thanks to Alan
|
If any Melon Farmer thinks it worthwhile to respond to this rag's potherings about "morality", perhaps by responding to items on its website, could I suggest that the message includes a reference to a rather gross piece of sexual infidelity to
which Dacre's minions have never referred - the example set by their late proprietor, the previous Lord Rothermere, who for many years maintained a wife in London and a mistress in Paris.
|
8th August | | |
BBC pursue Stephen Green for full legal fees owing
| Based on article from
secularism.org.uk
|
Stephen Green, the founder of the fundamentalist Christian Voice group, has offered the BBC about a third of its costs after he failed in an attempt to prosecute the Director-General Mark Thompson for blasphemy after he broadcast Jerry Springer
– the Opera on BBC2. The BBC wants the full costs of ฃ55,000.
Green says that Thompson and Mark Thoday, the producer of Jerry Springer – the Opera who was also named in the attempted prosecution, should be
“magnanimous” and waive the fees. Green did not make clear how magnanimous he would have been had Messrs Thompson and Thoday been sent to jail, as he wanted them to be.
Now the BBC says that unless it gets the full costs from Green,
the licence-payer will end up footing the bill. In a statement, the BBC said: Mr Green tried to launch a criminal prosecution… he knew when he embarked on the litigation that he would be required to pay the costs if he were to be unsuccessful.
The BBC believes it has a duty to recover legal costs from Mr Green. If it does not do so, the licence-fee payer will effectively be funding Mr Green’s activities.
Green said that he has been served with a statutory demand that was the
first step in bankruptcy, with a charge on his house. He said that he did not have the full amount that was being demanded and that if his house in Carmarthen were to be sold then he would be homeless.
Green said that he did not regret his
action, even though the blasphemy law has now been abolished, and that maybe his action helped speed that process. He says that he will now concentrate on “street-witness” (i.e. bellowing through a megaphone at hapless shoppers).
|
8th August | | |
Previously cut violence restored to Soldier Blue
| The region 2 DVD is available at
UK Amazon for release on 8th Sep 2008 The uncut region 1 DVD is available at
US Amazon
|
S oldier Blue is a 1970 US film by Ralph Nelson (Optimum Releasing) The 2008 Optimum DVD was cut with the following BBFC statement: Four cuts were required to remove the presence of cruel, dangerous
and illegal horse falls Previous cuts to the violence have been restored:
- Cuts are to a scene showing the rape of an Indian woman, during the massacre of the village
- Cuts to a shot of a naked Indian woman strung up by her wrists with blood on her breasts
|
8th August | |
| Internet companies agree on code of conduct for censored countries
| Based on article
from news.cnet.com
|
Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft say they are close to an agreement on a code of conduct for doing business in China and other countries that censor the Internet.
Senator Dick Durbin on released separate letters from the companies,
stating they have reached agreement on the core components of the principles of the code, as Google put it.
Those components, the letters say, include principles for promoting freedom of expression and privacy, implementation guidelines,
and an accountability framework. The specifics of the code are now being reviewed by the individual organizations involved. Google said the companies are working toward a set of clear and rigorous principles, such that restrictive governments would be
unable to ignore or reject these best practices on freedom of expression and the protection of individual privacy.
This code of conduct would be one important step toward our shared goals of promoting freedom of expression and protecting
the privacy of Internet users around the world, Durbin said in a press release.
|
8th August | | |
Belarus president signs repressive media restrictions law
| Based on article from
cpj.org
|
The Committee to Protect Journalists is troubled to learn that President Alexander Lukashenko has signed a restrictive new media law, which will allow authorities to further restrict press freedom in Belarus.
The Belarusian parliament rushed the
bill through in three consecutive readings and passed it to the Constitutional Court for review. According to the local press, the court rubberstamped the bill in July and Lukashenko signed it into law on Monday.
Among other provisions, the law
equates the Internet with regular media, making sites subject to the same restrictions; bans local media from accepting foreign donations; allows local and state authorities to shutter independent publications for minor violations; and requires
accreditation for all foreign journalists working in the country.
Not content with controlling traditional media, with this legislation, Belarus is now seeking to restrict online publications, said CPJ Deputy Director Robert Mahoney: We
urge President Lukashenko to reconsider this repressive new law and, in the meantime, use his influence to ensure that its most restrictive provisions not be used to stifle critical journalists.
Aside from Internet control, the new media law
also requires Belarusian and international journalists to seek individual accreditation from multiple state agencies, creating further hurdles. It also obliges Belarusian media to seek re-registration from state authorities—a process that could be
fatal for outlets critical of state officials.
Additionally, under the new law, the Ministry of Information receives broad authority to suspend media outlets; the ministry and state prosecutors are given the authority to shut down outlets
permanently. These state agencies can suspend or close the outlets if they find their content to be inaccurate, defamatory, not corresponding to reality, or threatening the interests of the state or the public. The bill leaves the
interpretation of these terms in the hands of state authorities.
|
8th August | | |
Sudan blocks YouTube, Turkey blocks Dailymotion
| Based on article from
advocacy.globalvoicesonline.org
|
YouTube has been blocked for most internet users in Sudan for reasons that are still unknown. It seems that ths ite is blocked on all ISPs except Canar In line with what’s looking increasingly like a trend, Sudanese flocked to Facebook to
voice their concerns in a group dedicated to the matter. The group is called Unblock Youtube In Sudan Now and at the time of writing it has 476
members.
The reasons behind this block are still vague but the best guess may be blogger ZoulcolmX who shares his
opinion : They don’t want someone with the opposition to [interfere with] the official story about how every Sudanese citizen supports Omar. They don’t want us
to see the documentaries that have been posted lately about the “ghost houses” created to torture individuals who didn’t support the “salvation revolution”, and with the elections coming, they don’t want any
anti-kizan* campaign, which is something not allowed on local newspapers, and the national TV is on their side 24/7, but YouTube, Facebook, and blogs give a free space for the truth, and this is what THEY fear the most.
…
* Kizan is a nickname for the National Islamic Front and the ruling party the National Congress members. See full article from
Reporters without Borders
Reporters Without Borders condemns the stubborn insistence of the Turkish authorities in censoring video-sharing websites. After blocking access to YouTube for the past three months, the authorities began blocking the Paris-based Dailymotion two days ago
as well.
The two most popular video-sharing sites in Turkey are now inaccessible, the press freedom organisation said: This is a serious violation of free speech and freedom of information. We call on the authorities to restore access
to these websites and remove only the videos that are the subject of judicial orders.
Transport minister Binali Yildirim said YouTube was still blocked because those responsible for the site refused to cooperate with the Internet regulatory
authority, Internet Iletisim Baskanligi, an offshoot of the Telecommunications Council that was founded in November 2007.
|
7th August | | |
US nutters whinge about lack of marital sex references
| Based on
article from arstechnica.com
|
The US nutters of the Parents Television Council have published a report titled Happily Never After . Sex in the context of marriage is either nonexistent on prime-time broadcast television, or is depicted as a burdensome rather than as
an expression of love and commitment, the report concludes. By contrast, extramarital or adulterous sexual relationships are depicted with greater frequency and overwhelmingly, as a positive experience. Today more than ever teens are
exposed to a host of once-taboo sexual behaviors including threesomes, partner swapping, pedophilia, necrophilia, bestiality, and sex with prostitutes, to say nothing of the now-common depictions of strippers, references to masturbation, pornography, sex
toys, and kinky or fetishistic behaviors.
Here's some more socially destabilizing stuff that the PTC found:
- References to cheating on a spouse outnumbered references to married sex by 2:1 across all the broadcast networks
- It's really bad during The Family Hour. The study doesn't say when exactly that hour is time-wise, but it's the sixty minutes
when kids watch the most. During that time slot, nonmarried nookie apparently stomps the married kind by 3.9:1
- Visual depictions of some third-party taping or watching while sex happens outnumbered visual references to married sex by 2.7:1
|
7th August | | |
Turkey draft law to register porn buyers
| Based on article from hurriyet.com.tr
|
Turkey's ruling AKP plans to register all purchases of pornographic material with a new draft law.
According to the draft law, those purchasing pornographic publications would be obliged to provide the retailer with their citizenship number and
signature, the report added.
Those names would be later handed to the Youth Sports General Management, according to the regulation, Milliyet said.
AKP Deputy Edibe Sozen, who prepared the draft law in one year based on laws in Germany,
has sent her work to State Minister Murat Basesgioglu, it added.
The draft law also foresees the construction of places of worships for students from all religions at schools,
The new draft law is expected to raise eyebrows in Turkey as
the country awaits the ruling party to take steps to soothe concerns over secularism after the court ruled that it undertakes activities that harm secularism but stayed short of closing the party.
|
7th August | | |
Calvin Klein perfume advert banned from US TV
| Based on article
from nydailynews.com
|
A Calvin Klein perfume ad featuring actress Eva Mendes has been banned by US networks for its racy content.
The star caresses herself, rolls around in a rumpled bed and - oops! - flashes a nipple in the 30-second TV spot for Secret Obsession.
The ban is not entirely a surprise for the U.S. market, Tom Murry, president and chief operating officer of Calvin Klein, Inc., said in a statement to the Daily News.
The attention surrounding the ad just reinforces our belief in
the campaign, which has really struck a chord with consumers and in true Calvin Klein fashion, sparks controversy, said Catherine Walsh, vice president of American Fragrances, Coty Prestige, which produces the perfume.
An edited version of
the ad will run stateside on cable TV. The original will run abroad.
|
7th August | |
| Ezra Levant cleared over publication of Mohammed cartoons
| Based on article from
canada.com
|
After a yearlong investigation, the Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission has rejected a complaint by the Edmonton Council of Muslim Canadians against former Western Standard publisher Ezra Levant over his re-publication of the Danish Muhammad
cartoons.
The allegation the Feb. 14, 2006, issue of the now-defunct magazine was likely to expose Muslims to hatred helped to spark a national debate about human-rights law and free speech, and its rejection comes after similar complaints of
Islamophobia against Maclean's magazine also failed.
In a report on his investigation, which recommended the complaint not be referred to a panel hearing, the human rights and citizenship commission's Pardeep S. Gundara wrote the cartoons are stereotypical, negative and offensive,
and they do reinforce stereotypes, but they were related to relevant and timely news and were not simply gratuitously included. Yasmeen Nizam, a civil litigation lawyer in Edmonton and a director of the council of Muslim
Canadians, said the Council is certainly disappointed with the decision. We thought the cartoons did (expose Muslims to hatred), regardless of the context, because if you look at the broader context in a post-9-11 world, Muslims are at a higher
risk of being discriminated against.
I basically told them to f-off without using the swear word, Levant said of his response to the complaint, given during an interview with a human-rights commission officer that he taped and
broadcast on YouTube.
He does not consider this a victory, though.
This censor approved what I wrote. His decision is not that I have freedom of speech. His decision is that I have his approval. I'm not interested in his approval. The
only test of free speech is if I can write what he disapproves of with impunity.
That's what freedom of speech is, to piss off some second-rate bureaucrat like Pardeep Gundara and know that you have the right to do so, because you're in Canada,
not Saudi Arabia.
|
7th August | | |
Thailand recommends a list of violent games
| Based on
article from electricpig.co.uk
|
As if pulling Grand Theft Auto IV from Thai shelves wasn’t overreacting, the Thai Ministry of Health has drawn up a shortlist of the ten most dangerous games.
1. GTA 2. Man Hunt 3. Scarface 4. 50 Cent - Bullet Proof
5. 300 6. The Godfather 7. Killer 7 8. Resident Evil 4 9. God of War 10. Hitman Game Politics has cheekily pointed out that this is is exactly the same as that produced by Detroit Prosecutor Kym Worthy also used to
blame all the world's ills on video games.
|
7th August | | |
Italian prime minister censors classical art backdrop
| Based on
article from
dailymail.co.uk
|
Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has had an Italian masterpiece altered - because of an exposed breast.
The 71-year-old worried that cameras would focus on the naked woman's chest in the painting hanging behind him during his press
briefings.
The copy of Time Unveiling Truth by Giambattisto Tiepolo now has a white veil painted over the offending bosom.
Insiders also said that the feelings of female members of his cabinet - including equal opportunities
minister Mara Carfagna, a former topless model - had been considered. An artistic Berlusconi aide painted a veil over the naked woman's breast on a copy of Time Unveiling Truth which forms a backdrop to his press conferences in the Italian
capital
A copy of the 254-year-old masterpiece Tiepolo was chosen as the backdrop of the PM's media briefing room in Rome shortly after Berlusconi swept back to power in April.
Yesterday leading Italian art critic Vittorio Sgarbi told
Corriere Della Sera: What have they done? This is madness, absolute madness.
I hope that whoever came up with this absurd, mad, pathetic, comic and futile idea did so without the knowledge of the Prime Minister.
Yesterday a
spokesman for the Prime Minister said: The decision was taken to cover up the exposed breast for fear of offending the sensibilities of people watching press conferences. Comment:
Italian Beauties From Alan, 7th August 2008
Strange that Berlusconi should suddenly lose enthusiasm for tits, considering at least one of his ministerial appointments. Signora Carfagna follows in an interesting Italian political tradition, with Michela Vittoria Brambilla always willing to flash a bit of thigh, Alessandra Mussolini gettin 'em out in Playboy (fortunately resembles her auntie Sophia Loren more than her grandad!), and Ilona "La Cicciolina" Staller combining the jobs of politician and porn star.
I find that the amazing Sabina Guzzanti has given some real stick to his appointment of Mara Carfagna as minister for equal opps. She's reported (accurately - I've watched the video!) as having said this:
A me non me
ne frega niente della vita sessuale di Berlusconi. Ma tu non puoi mettere alle Pari opportunitเ una che sta l์ perch้ t'ha succhiato l'uccello, non la puoi mettere da nessuna parte ma in particolare non la puoi mettere alle Pari
opportunitเ perch้ ่ uno sfregio.
Source - La Repubblca
A libel writ
is likely to follow, since the quote means, As for me, I don't give a toss about Berlusconi's sex life. But you can't send someone to the (ministry of) equal opportunities because she's sucked your dick. You can't give her any job, but particularly
not equal opportunities because it's an insult.
She always has a few sharp words to say about the Pope, among others, charitably hoping that when he gets to hell he'll be buggered by gay devils.
|
7th August | |
| Video game censorship in Germany
| Based on
article from ibls.com
|
Despite their popularity, violent video games are widely criticized in Germany and the country has some of the strictest video-game censorship laws in the Western world. For example, German laws prohibit the sale of Counter-Strike and titles with bloody graphics.
The Protection of Young Persons Act (PYPA) The Act was enacted in 2002 and was Amended in 2003, 2004, and 2008. The Act defines children as individuals under 14 years old and adolescents as those
between 14 and 18 years old. The Act requires business operations to publish legal notices with movie codes and ratings; they are also required to request identification from those with parental power accompanying minors. Children and adolescents
are not permitted in public movie performances unless those performances are cleared for them by the Supreme state authority. PYPA, section 12 establishes that video games or any other games cannot be publicly accessible to children or adolescents
unless they are cleared and labeled for their appropriate age group by the supreme state authority.
PYPA 2008- Amendments Relevant to the Video Game Industry? In 2008, an amendment to PYPA entered into
force. Under the amended Section 15 of the Protection of Young Persons Act, a video game that contains exceptionally realistic, cruel, and lurid images of violence as an end in itself is automatically indexed and subject to severe restrictions on
distribution and advertising. Further, these games may not be sold to underage persons. This kind of violent media is automatically indexed -- that is, it does not have to be assessed and rated by the supreme state authority that is generally responsible
for indexing, known in German as the Bundesprfstelle.
PYPA Section 18 –List of Media Harmful to Young People- states: Data media and telemedia which might have a severely damaging impact on the development and education of
Children and Adolescents to responsible personalities in society shall be registered by the Review Board and included in a List of Publications Harmful to Young Persons. Included are media and other publications with immoral and brutalizing content or
those instigating violence, crime and racism. The 2008 Amendment added some requirements to this section regarding violent video games. German authorities are to index media that contain acts of violence like murder and mass killings as ends in
themselves as well as media in which self-administered justice is presented as a successful and proven means for serving justice. This kind of media, according to the amendments, has to be assessed, rated, and placed on a list of media that is generally
considered to be dangerous for young people.
Other Measures The County Court in Munich decided to confiscate all versions of Manhunt in July 2004 because it violated a penal provision prohibiting
the depiction and glorification of violence. Other games, including the violent video game Dead Rising , were placed in the Index and confiscated by a Hamburg County Court decision of June 2007.
|
6th August | | |
Thai government react to blame game
| Based on article from
asiansweetheart.blogspot.com
|
I have been seeing a lot of coverage on the killing of a taxi driver by a Thai teen who says he was inspired by the new release of the violent video game called Grand Theft Auto . The English language news stories left out much of the detail
about the victim and the accused murderer. The Thai news had interviews of the families and other people involved.
The story is very sad for many reasons. On the victim's side, they are a poor family and the man was the only person making any
income, and not much because driving a taxi does not pay very well. He became the chosen victim because he was older and smaller than the first taxi driver the killer approached.
The killer's family is also poor but the teen had always been known
as polite and very nice, even getting the dek dee (good child) award at school. The mother was a house maid and the father a security guard. The kid was alone a lot and the parents never really knew what he was doing all that time he was playing violent
video games.
The 18 year old confessed to the killing, which means he won't face the death penalty as some western media incorrectly reported. He gave a detailed account of how he planned for the robbery and chose the victim, although he said the
killing was not originally part of the plan but he did it when the victim fought back.
The distributor of the game in Thailand has stopped all sales and is requesting that internet shops return the game for replacement with a different game.
I saw on TV this morning that GTA has been declared illegal. Police will search internet cafes and if any are found to be making the game available they will be fined 20,000 to 100,000 Baht.
|
6th August | | |
Supporting the R Rated hype for Zack and Miri Make a Porno
| Based on article from
hollywoodreporter.com |
Filmmaker Kevin Smith has won an appeal to gain an R rating for his comedy Zack and Miri Make a Porno , which previously had received an NC-17 adults-only designation.
Elizabeth Kaltman, spokeswoman for the MPAA, said the rating was
revised after the group's appeals board viewed the movie.
The NC-17 rating would have prohibited anyone younger than 17 from seeing the movie. With an R rating, those under 17 can see it in the company of an adult.
Zack and Miri ,
due out Oct. 31 stars Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks as best friends and roommates who try to make a homemade porn flick to dig themselves out of debt.
|
6th August | | |
Chris Tookey reviews for the Daily Mail
| Thanks to Dan. See article from mediasnoops.wordpress.com See also
www.christookey.com
|
Plans We’ve just stumbled upon this but it appears the Daily Mail’s permanently morally outraged film critic Christopher it’s disgusting that the BBFC could allow such society destroying filth Tookey has his own website.
It’s called Tookey’s Film Guide . There you can search through his film reviews. But best of all you can find his gems of moral indignation at films which he
reckons will corrupt as all and which the wet Guardian reading librels of the BBFC should be put up against a wall and shot for allowing us to see.
Some priceless gems on morally corrupting society destroying filth from Tookey
include…
On David Cronenberg’s Crash :
Though I am not normally in favour of banning movies, I couldn’t see how the British Board of Film Classification could - with even an appearance of
consistency - award Crash an 18 certificate.
On Irreversible :
In more civilized times, this kind of sad, sickening exhibitionism would never have been granted a certificate.
On Baise-Moi
:
The BBFC interprets the absence of a public outcry against their previous decisions to open the pornographic floodgates, as evidence that the public goes along with its views. Really, it reflects the fact that most
people wisely chose to stay away from films like Intimacy, Romance and The Idiots, and the few that suffered through them had better things to do with their time than try to lodge futile complaints.
Even the majority of critics who hated these
movies kept quiet, either preferring to starve them of the oxygen of publicity, or unwilling to risk incurring the wrath of the liberal establishment.
Misreading this lack of reaction, the BBFC has taken it into its collective head that the
British public wants the guidelines governing 18 certificate movies to be relaxed still further. Yet even the Board’s own literature reveals that a majority of the British population (54%) disagrees with the statement that “people over 18
have a right to see graphic portrayals of real sex in films and video”.
The BBFC gets away with its policy of permissiveness by stealth only because most of us don’t kick up a fuss. Too many of us associate film classification with
authoritarianism, philistinism and repression, rather than with the preservation of a few minimum standards of moral and social responsibility. And the government, of course, couldn’t care less.
On Quentin Tarintino’s Hostel
:
Many people seem baffled as to why we are raising a generation of desensitized yobs, who see nothing wrong with torture and mutilation, and indeed use these things to foster a bizarre, and evil, sense of community.
Barely a week goes by without some new, real-life horror – most recently, the revolting, mindless attack by six youths who abducted, raped and stabbed to death Maryann Leneghan.
Allison Pearson posed one question in the Mail on Wednesday
Who are these people? But it seems to me that an even more important question is Why do these people think they can act this way?”
This film is not worthy of an 18 certificate, for it is not suitable for audiences of 48 and over,
let alone those aged 18, but it will be seen by millions of people – including children on whom it will make an indelible impression.
I asked at the start why violent yobs think they can act this way. It is also relevant to inquire who is
encouraging their culture of sadism.
Well, let me name names. One is this film’s writer-director, Eli Roth. Another is Takeshi Miike, who contributes a cameo performance to Hostel. A third is Roth’s mentor, Quentin Tarantino, who also
appears briefly in the film, and enabled it to be made and released by being its Executive Producer.
Serious questions should be asked of Mr Roth, but I would like to know what Sony Pictures are doing releasing such a picture. Is making money
their only motivation? Have they no shame? No sense of social responsibility? No values?
I would also like to know who, apart from our pusillanimous and negligent censors, thinks this kind of evil, pernicious trash truly warrants an 18
certificate.
All a good laugh!
|
6th August | | |
|
The Daily Mail has a rant at the BBFC See article from dailymail.co.uk |
6th August | | |
|
Lad mags irresponsible? Come off it See article from guardian.co.uk |
6th August | | |
|
Radio DJ Spencer Leigh has made a CD of banned tracks See article from entertainment.timesonline.co.uk
|
5th August | | |
Thai distributor pulls Grand Theft Auto game
| See full article from the
Guardian
|
Distributors of Grand Theft Auto yesterday suspended sales in Thailand after a teenager allegedly killed a taxi driver in a bloody frenzy, re-enacting scenes from the blockbuster video game.
Police who caught the 18-year-old at the
scene said he confessed to having planned the attack to find out if robbery was as easy as depicted in the violent game.
Phalawat Chinno, who played the game obsessively for hours every day, bought two knives and chose his 54-year-old victim
carefully as he believed he would be too old to fight back, police said.
The secondary school student said the killing was a robbery that went wrong. New Era Interactive Media, the Thai distributors of Grand Theft Auto, which recently launched
its fourth edition, has asked shops to withdraw copies from sale and video arcades to suspend the game.
We are sending out requests ... to outlets and shops to pull the games off their shelves and we will replace them with other games, said Sakchai Chotikachinda, the marketing director of New Era.
|
5th August | | |
Parliamentary committee finds diplomatic gags to be wrong and unworkable
| Based on article from theherald.co.uk
|
A Government-imposed gag on retired diplomats giving media interviews without prior approval is "oppressive" and must be scrapped, a Commons committee says today.
Tougher restrictions were written into diplomatic service contracts in
2006, sparking complaints from former mandarins that their free speech was being eroded.
The Public Administration Select Committee said rules were excessively wide-ranging and oppressive and would substantially diminish informed
discussion of major world events.
Their only saving grace is that they seem to be unworkable, they concluded, accusing ministers of failing to act on promises to revise them.
Were the rules to be applied literally, they would
prevent live TV or radio commentary from former diplomats for the rest of their lives.
In practice, the Foreign Office continues to rely on the good sense of its former staff. It should say so. There is no sense in maintaining a rule that is both
wrong in principle and manifestly unworkable in practice.
The government was also accused of restricting free speech by refusing to allow former civil servants to appeal against any decision to block publication of their memoirs.
The committee said that welcome moves to toughen the vetting process, in the wake of several highly- controversial books, had been undermined by the lack of an independent arbiter.
|
5th August | | |
XBIZ videos of its Legal Obscenities seminar
| Based on article from
xbiz.com See videos from Legal Obscenities seminar
|
The Legal Obscenities seminar that took place at XBIZ Summer Forum ’08 is now available for viewing on the event website. The hour and a half seminar features an outstanding lineup of industry attorneys and Evil Angel’s John Stagliano,
who was recently charged in federal court with obscenity.
The video of the seminar will provide the opportunity to stay educated on a subject of huge importance not only for those charged with obscenity crimes but also for the industry as a
whole. The attorneys who participated represent a peerless brain trust of legal experience and insight into the specifics of obscenity law and legal strategy, and remarks by John Stagliano of Evil Angel provided a poignant human dimension to the
occasion.
|
5th August | |
|
|
Islamic states are using the UN to enact international 'anti-defamation' rules See article from macleans.ca
|
4th August | | |
Tory plonker rants about lad's mags
| Based on article from telegraph.co.uk
|
In a keynote speech Michael Gove, the shadow schools secretary, condemns the so-called "lads magazines" for encouraging men to view women as mere sex objects.
Our strategies for dealing with teenage pregnancy need to be focused more
on young men and their responsibilities, he will say.
That's why I believe we need to ask tough questions about the instant-hit hedonism celebrated by the modern men's magazines targeted at younger males.
Titles such as Nuts
and Zoo paint a picture of women as permanently, lasciviously, uncomplicatedly available.
We should ask those who make profits out of revelling in, or encouraging, selfish irresponsibility among young men what they think they're
doing.
The relationship between these titles and their readers is a relationship in which the rest of us have an interest.
The images they use and project reinforce a very narrow conception of beauty and a shallow approach towards
women. They celebrate thrill-seeking and instant gratification without ever allowing any thought of responsibility towards others, or commitment, to intrude.
The contrast with the work done by women's magazines, and their publishers, to address
their readers in a mature and responsible fashion, is striking. Comment from Dan Yeah fatherlessness and relationship breakdown is caused by young men reading lads mags. What a brainwave!
|
4th August | | |
Thai student kills cabbie in robbery and blames Grand Theft Auto
| Based on article from
bangkokpost.com
|
A Thai student has stabbed a taxi driver to death supposedly acting out a robbery he copied from the online game Grand Theft Auto .
Neighbours called police in Bankok about 2.30am after being woken by a constantly blowing car horn and
saw people struggling inside a pink taxi.
Police arrived and saw Polwat Chinno, 19, trying to steer the taxi backwards, but the street was a dead end. The teen locked himself in the car but they finally persuaded him to get out.
There was
blood all over the vehicle. The body of the taxi driver, Kuan Pohkang was on the back seat. He had been stabbed about 10 times. Two sharp knives were found nearby.
Police said Polwat confessed to being addicted to the online game GTA and said
killing seemed easy in the game. He imitated a scene where a criminal kills a driver for his car to escape police.
I needed money to play the game every day. My parents give me only 100 baht a day, which is not enough. I am also fed up with
them fighting. They are civil servants and do not make good money, he said.
Today [Saturday] my mother gave me 500 baht, so in the evening I went to the Lotus superstore and bought knives. He flagged down a taxi and when it arrived at
the destination, he pulled out a knife and held it against the driver's neck. He said he did not mean to kill him but the driver reached for a metal bar under a console and tried to hit him. He stabbed the driver several times, killing him, then dragged
the body onto the back seat and sat behind the wheel.
He could not drive, but thought it would not be hard. He was still struggling with the car when police arrived.
|
4th August | |
| Rumours of another Australian games ban
| Based on article from
kotaku.com.au The game is available at
UK Amazon for release on 3rd Oct 2008 |
The Australian Censorship Board has acknowledged that it is has a new edited version of Fallout 3 from Bethesda, and is in the process of judging its appropriateness for Australian children.
Last month, Fallout 3 was refused
classification by the OFLC for its depiction of real-world drugs. An edited version will assure the game gets into the hands of the average consumer, however, those seeking sane pricing and a "pure" experience will still look to the
miracles of importing. Meanwhile it looks like the uncut version of Fallout 3 will be submitted to the New Zealand censor
|
4th August | | |
Sri Lanka bans adult internet content
| Based on article from
radioaustralia.net.au
|
Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajakapse has ordered an immediate ban on pornographic websites, to stop children being exposed to adult content.
Service providers have been told to filter sites showing pornographic material.
The head of the
Telecommunications Regulatory Commission says anyone who wants unrestricted internet access will have to pay extra and get a special password.
|
4th August | |
|
|
CCTV's gatekeepers discuss Chinese TV drama censorship See article from danwei.org |
3rd August | | |
Keith Vaz wades in to harangue the BBFC
| Based on article from
entertainment.timesonline.co.uk
|
Cartoon violent scenes in the latest Batman film, The Dark Knight , have prompted objections about its classification with a 12A certificate.
The BBFC has received 70 complaints about the certification.
Parents have complained
of having to shield their children’s eyes from scenes such as a man’s eye being jabbed with a pencil and the Joker describing how he enjoys killing people with a knife because they take longer to die.
Nutter Labour MP Keith Vaz, who
is chairman of the Commons home affairs committee, said he would be summoning the BBFC to its hearings on knife crime in October: The BBFC should realise there are scenes of gratuitous violence in The Dark Knight to which I would certainly not take my
11-year-old daughter. It should be a 15 classification.
Nutters have warned that the BBFC is becoming both too liberal and too willing to cave in to commercial pressure from Hollywood studios to maximise audience numbers. The board has
admitted that its decision on The Dark Knight was “borderline 15” – meaning that its examiners nearly gave it a 15. The 12A means children of 12 can go unaccompanied.
Parents are allowed to take children younger than 12
with them to the Batman film, although they are advised not to.
The BBFC has confirmed that Warner Bros asked for The Dark Knight to be classified as 12A and admitted that the board comes under pressure to keep classifications low so that
as many people as possible can see films.
The real problem is that in previous Batman films, Jack Nicholson’s Joker was jokier, said John Whittingdale, Tory chairman of the Commons culture, media and sport committee: This
‘Joker’ is truly evil. Yet most parents and children would not know this beforehand. Also, nobody goes to the BBFC’s website for parental advice.”
The board says its director, David Cooke, did not see the film before
it was classified, although he has watched it recently. It is understood he supported the 12A classification.
In Scandinavia & Ireland the film is a 15 and in America it is PG-13. Update:
Nutter MPs 5th August 2008 Iain Duncan Smith, the former leader of the Conservative party, has joined the nutter onslaught after seeing it with his 15-year-old daughter.
Describing it as
"relentlessly violent" in a letter to a newspaper, he wrote: I was astonished that the board could have seen fit to allow anyone under the age of 15 to watch the film.
Unlike past Batman films, where the villains were somewhat
surreal and comical figures, Heath Ledger's Joker is a brilliantly acted but very credible psychopathic killer, who extols the use of knives to kill and disfigure his victims during a reign of urban terrorism laced with torture.
|
3rd August | | |
Yet another step towards Orwellian Britain
| New Labour seem hell bent on imprisoning more or less anybody who doesn't comply with their narrow minded New Morality. And so now with the police and
authorities hassling ever more people, it isn't surprising that the government feel that their image needs a bit of a propaganda boost. Based on article from telegraph.co.uk
|
Beat: Life on the Street is a documentary funded by the Government following the lives of PCSO's. The Government-funded propaganda portrayed PCSOs as dedicated, helpful and an effective adjunct to the police
The Government has spent almost
ฃ2 million to fund programmes that are all but indistinguishable from regular shows, The Sunday Telegraph has established.
But unlike normal documentaries, the programmes are commissioned by ministers with the purpose of showing their
policies or activities in a sympathetic light.
The media watchdog Ofcom has disclosed that it had opened an investigation into one of the programmes, Beat: Life on the Street to see whether it breached its broadcasting code.
Media
freedom campaigners, broadcasters and opposition politicians expressed alarm over the Government-funded documentaries.
The Channel 4 newsreader Jon Snow said: I find it extraordinary. So the Government is funding commercial television
productions highlighting government policy? Presumably they don’t criticise government policy.
The Government has funded at least eight television series or individual programmes in the past five years. Subjects range from an Army
expedition to climb Everest to advice for small businessmen on how to improve their company’s fortunes.
However, the show about PCSOs and a newly commissioned programme about Customs and Immigration officers are particularly controversial
because they deal with sensitive political issues and policies.
Beat: Life on the Street , which was supported with ฃ800,000 of funding from the Ministry of Propaganda. One Whitehall source admitted of the documentary: It allows
the Government to have more air time and get its message across to people. Ministers are so pleased with the way the series, which drew in audiences of three million people on ITV and changed the public’s perception of the officers, that they
commissioned a third series, to be broadcast next year.
But The Sunday Telegraph established that the programmes appeared to break Ofcom’s broadcasting code by not making it clear that they were funded by the Ministry of Propaganda.
In a further apparent breach of Ofcom rules, this time on independence, Ministry of Propaganda officials were directly involved in the making of the series. They were allowed to view a second edit of individual programmes and were able to suggest changes
to some of the “terminology” and “language” used in the narration.
David Ruffley, the shadow police minister, said: People want the Government to put police on our streets, not propaganda on our television sets.
|
3rd August | | |
Gordon Ramsay goes puffin hunting to wind up the nutters
| Based on article
from independent.ie
|
Gordon Ramsay has wound up the nutters with his puffin-hunting scene in a recent F-Word TV programme.
He travelled to Iceland to engage in some 'sky fishing', involving catching the cute little birds with an oversized butterfly
net.
When Ramsay eventually managed to catch a puffin, after three hours, a hunter snapped the bird's neck.
Other scenes included the Michelin chef eating the dead bird's heart -- raw. He also rustled up a barbecued puffin with cucumber
salad, describing the taste as a bit like liver.
The UK media watchdog Ofcom is investigating the episode, after several complaints from viewers.
Puffins are protected in the UK and Ireland but in Iceland licences are granted to
cull them. Ramsay claimed he had a licence to kill up to 1,000 puffins.
|
3rd August | | |
Australia bans Hentai videos Bondage Mansion and Holy Virgins
| Based on article from
refused-classification.com The uncut region 1 DVD is available at
AnimeNation |
The Australian censorship Review Board met to consider the ratings of four DVD's from Siren's Hentai collection. The result is two titles are banned, and two retained their R18+ ratings What the Review Board decisions confirm is that as long
as none of the characters are portrayed as being below eighteen then it is okay to show hardcore sex in these animated features.
The two banned titles are Bondage Mansion and Holy Virgins . Both were rated R18+ earlier in the year,
and were released on June 19th.
T&A Teacher retained its R18+ along with Classes in Seduction .
So what happens to all the copies of Bondage Mansion and Holy Virgins that are already out there? Technically
they should be pulled from stores, though in practice this is often not the case. In this case we suspect collectors will quickly snap up any stray copies of these two DVD nasties. Update:
Hentai Removed on the back of the 2008 Papal visit to Sydney 10th May 2009. See article from
refused-classification.com The Pope flies to Sydney, and a million pilgrims duly follow. Killing time between wholesome Catholic activities, said pilgrims stop
off in a VERY popular music/DVD shop to peruse the latest in family entertainment. While shopping, they find copies of HOLY VIRGINS on the shelf in the Anime section. Complaints (x100) to the store manager - and eventually the Government - ensue.
The result? Surprise, surprise - the Pope and the pilgrims may be long gone, but you can't find the Hentai Collection in most stores anymore, even though these titles have been given an R rating by the Government-run Classification Board.
|
2nd August | | |
Australian book publisher feels somewhat chilled over Henson affair
| See full article from News.com.au
|
Fallout from the Bill Henson controversy has prompted book publisher Thames & Hudson to seek a classification from the federal Government for a proposed monograph on the artist.
It is understood that on July 23 the Classification Board
received a submission from the publisher in relation to a reprint of the 2003 book Lux et Nox , produced by Swiss publisher Scala.
The 5000 copies of the original 192-page edition sold within 12 months. For the past 18 months, Thames &
Hudson has been planning a reprint.
It is believed the publisher and the artist were close to finalising the project when police raided a Sydney gallery in May and confiscated several Henson works.
Two weeks ago, the board ruled the July
issue of Art Monthly Australia warranted unrestricted classification, but advised that readers would need a mature perspective.
Despite that outcome, Thames & Hudson remained uneasy about its forthcoming publication. A spokesman for the
publisher declined to comment yesterday. Industry sources say the intense debate prompted the publisher to tread carefully.
Henson's spokesman declined to comment, but it is understood that the artist and publisher agreed to submit the book to
the Classification Board. The submission of a book that has already been published has prompted concern in some quarters of a new era of censorship.
|
1st August | | |
Even more censorship from a government committing electoral censorship
| Based on article from telegraph.co.uk
|
Websites which encourage teenagers to commit suicide will be blocked under Government plans.
The measures are supposedly aimed at preventing a repeat of the dozens of copycat suicides linked to internet usage and social networking sites.
Internet service providers (ISP) are being urged to veto websites which promote suicide among young people, some of which even give advice on suicide methods.
The ISPs are being told to provide automatic links to support organisations like ChildLine and The Samaritans, which would be triggered by users searching for information on suicide.
The Ministry of Justice is examining whether more
legislation is needed to control assisted suicide websites.
Under laws introduced in 1961 aiding or encouraging suicide is illegal - but only if the offender meets the victim face to face.
|
1st August | | |
Some websites restored in China
| Based on article from
ap.google.com See also Internet
filtering during Beijing Olympic Games from opennet.net
|
Olympic organizers unblocked some Internet sites at the main press center and media venues Friday while others remained off limits for journalists covering the Beijing games.
The move falls short of the free and unfettered access the
organizers and Chinese officials had promised for months. However, it was an improvement from earlier in the week when sites for the likes of Amnesty International or Tiananmen Square could not be opened.
Senior International Olympic Committee
officials met late into the night Thursday with their Chinese counterparts and said they reached an agreement to unblock sites, although the IOC statement said the details were still being formulated.
We trust them to keep their promise, the International Olympic Committee said.
Kevan Gosper, the press commission head of the IOC, said the IOC and Chinese officials were working toward unblocking sites that we believe were unreasonably blocked. Gosper acknowledged full Web access was not possible due to China's
authoritarian government and the tight social controls exerted by the Communist Party.
Amnesty International's site was open on Friday, but links to the banned spiritual movement Falun Gong remained closed. Some Web sites dealing with Tibet were
open, but others tied to the restive region in the west of China were blocked. The BBC's Chinese-language site was open at times, but frequently unavailable.
The censored Internet is among the issues tarnishing China's attempt to us the Olympics
to promote an image of a modern, open state. The run-up to the games, which begin in a week, had also been dominated by concerns about Beijing's choking air pollution, attempts to censor foreign TV broadcasters, and a security crackdown that had
discouraged foreign tourists. Update: CPJ blocked 17th August, based on
article from cpj.org The Committee to Protect Journalists' Web site, www.cpj.org,
is blocked in the Main Press Center and at least one other Olympic press venue, according to a number of foreign journalists there. CPJ calls on the Chinese authorities to provide the free Internet access they promised foreign reporters when they were
awarded the Games.
We call on China and the International Olympic Committee to immediately remedy this situation and ensure unfettered access to the Internet, including CPJ’s Web site, said Joel Simon, CPJ’s executive director:
China’s press freedom record is an integral part of the Olympic story, and yet journalists working in the official press centers are being denied information essential to their reporting.
At least four journalists told CPJ this week
that its site was blocked within the Main Press Center, using direct, official connections; one source was able to access it. My colleague inside the Main Press Center says the only [Web site] they can get is Amnesty. Can’t get cpj.org, one
journalist told CPJ. Update: Songs for Tibet 25th August, based on
article from idolator.com The Sydney Morning Herald is
reporting that Chinese officials have closed access to Apple's iTunes Store after getting wind of Olympic athletes downloading Songs For Tibet , which features songs by the likes of Rush, Underworld, and Moby. The ban came shortly after the
Art Of Peace Foundation, which backed the project, sent out a press release saying that "over 40" athletes participating in the 2008 Olympic Games had used download cards they were given to download the album, thus "speaking" their
mind about the geopolitical situation when the Games' rules forced them to remain silent on the issue. Update: No Songs for Tibet 26th August, based on
article from idolator.com Apple's iTunes online music store is
back up and running again in China after it was apparently blocked last week by local authorities.
However, the Web page for downloading a pro-Tibet album, which is suspected of prompting the crackdown, remains unavailable on the service.
|
1st August | |
| Margaret Hodge announces another consultation on BBFC vs PEGI
| Based on article from
news.bbc.co.uk
|
Culture Minister Margaret Hodge has announced a consultation on whether the ratings for games should replicate the system for movies.
Dr Tanya Byron recommended that the rating system for games be reformed to make it easier for parents to work
out if a video game was appropriate for their children. Dr Byron suggested a hybrid scheme putting BBFC ratings on the front of boxes and PEGI ratings on the rear.
Announcing its response to the Byron Review recommendations, culture minister
Margaret Hodge, said: The current system of classification comes from a time when video games were in their infancy.
She added: The games market has simply outgrown the classification system, so today we are consulting on options that
will make games classification useful and relevant again.
Over the next few months the government is seeking responses to find out the favoured method of changing ratings and giving them legal backing.
The four options are:
- A hybrid BBFC/Pegi system
- Pegi ratings only
- BBFC ratings only
- No change except for the introduction of a scheme to ensure shops and suppliers comply.
But a report published by MPs on the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee has backed the BBFC to be the body to oversee games ratings.
For its part the Entertainment & Leisure Software Publishers Association (Elspa) said it would
prefer that the industry-backed Pegi scheme became the only rating system.
What we are asking for is the government to empower Pegi with legal backing, said Michael Rawlinson, managing director of Elspa.
|
|
|