Some aspects of the broadcast content regulation policy of the British media regulator Office of Communications

The article deals with the policy of the British Office of Communications (Ofcom) in the field of regulation of broadcast content. The content of the official website of the organization is analyzed: regulatory documents, annual reports, materials addressed to a wide audience and aimed at explaining the principles and methods of work of the regulator. An overview of the opinions of researchers and journalists on the activities of Ofcom in the field of promoting the interests of the audience and protecting certain groups of citizens from offensive and harmful information is given. Ofcom has a well-developed program of studying the audience. Based on the actual data, the media regulator amends the Broadcasting Code, develops recommendations on different groups of offensive and undesirable language, details the rules for treating talk show participants, monitors the content and direction of religious programs. Studying the behavior of the younger generation on the Internet also gives Ofcom reason to take additional measures to ensure the information safety of children. The priority of Ofcom's activity is the development of media literacy of the audience. Such a policy is aimed at increasing the consciousness, responsibility of citizens. The article illustrates the set of measures that Ofcom is implementing as part of this strategy. Media literacy is defined as “the ability to use, understand and create media and communications in a variety of contexts.” In the modern world, not only information security is important, but also the availability of skills that allow one to enter into online communication and maintain it. The regulator's mission is to enable users to participate in public life, maintain respectful relationships with others, access information, and critically form and express opinions. Four priority areas have been identified: to involve a wide range of experts, to create a platform for dialogue and discussion of the problem among different groups of the public, to evaluate the effectiveness in the field of media literacy, to study the requests and wishes of the audience. Promoting media literacy aims to increase the audience's ability to evaluate, filter information and take part in online life by creating their own content. At the same time, audience studies show that media literacy should only be part of a regulatory strategy, not a substitute for it. In today's information space, adults see more and more dangers for both children and themselves, and agree to make detailed demands on broadcasters and providers in the area of limiting false and offensive information.

Keywords

Authors

References