review of the BBCs royal Charter : 1st report of session 2005-06, Vol. 2: Evidence

Further issues for BBC charter Review : 2nd report of session 2005-06, Vol. 2: Evidence

Media & Entertainment Law presents a contemporary analysis of the law relating to the media and entertainment industries both in terms of its practical application and its theoretical framework, providing a broad and comprehensive coverage of these fast changing branches of the law. Fully restructured to complement how media law is taught today in the digital age, this third edition explores recent updates in the law including the outcomes of the Google Spain case and the ‘right to be forgotten’, the use of drones in breach of privacy laws, internet libel and the boundaries of media freedom and press regulation following the Leveson inquiry. Media & Entertainment Law uses the most up-to-date authorities to explore privacy and confidentiality subjects, such as the Prince Charles 'black spider' letters, the Maximilian Schrems and the celebrity superinjunction PJS v Newsgroup Newspapers cases. The book also covers defamation, contempt of court and freedom of information, plus Scots law. New to this edition: A brand new chapter is dedicated to exploring technology and the media, including contemporary issues such as the dark web, the surveillance state, internet censorship and the law and social media, including bloggers, vloggers and tweeters. The chapters on regulatory authorities have been expanded to provide greater clarification and explanation of broadcasting, press and advertising regulation, including the protection of journalistic sources and comparisons with EU Law. The chapter on intellectual property and entertainment law has been streamlined to match media law courses more effectively. This text provides students with detailed coverage of the key principles, cases and legislation as well as a critical analysis of this vibrant subject.

Describes the barriers to progress and highlights the positive impact of the CDAGM in relation to institutions such as the BBC, ITV, Newsquest, Westminster Media Forum, DCMS and Parliamentary Select Committees. This book is suitable for those concerned with democracy, fairness and social inclusion.

The Chairman of the BBC is an important position but the recent appointment was not subject to parliamentary oversight and has neither been debated in Parliament nor considered by any Select Committee. As the new Royal Charter has also considerably altered the responsibilities of the job, the Committee carried out a short inquiry on the subject. The aim was twofold: to make sure that the selection process was protected from political interference and had the confidence of the licence fee payer; and to clarify how role had been affected by the new governance arrangements. They recommend that in future a selection panel of at least five members, of whom the majority should be non-political, should appoint the Chairman and that the appointments should be vetted by Parliament. The Committee also recommend that there should be greater clarity about the role of the Chairman. It should be clear whose job it is to represent the BBC itself and what it means to represent the licence fee payer and why "the Chairman of the BBC" is only an honorary title.

In this report into the governance and regulation of the BBC, the Communications Committee finds too many different processes for varying types of complaint, making it very difficult for viewers, listeners and users of BBC content to know where to go to complain. The BBC needs to provide a clear overview of how the complaints process works and publish this in one place on its website and there needs to be a clearing house to direct people through the complaints process. The confusion is in part because the BBC Trust and Ofcom have 'overlapping jurisdiction' in several areas of content regulation, with the exception of issues of impartiality and accuracy and commercial references, which the BBC Trust regulates. In particular, the Committee wants the BBC and Ofcom to consider granting Ofcom the right to regulate the BBC on matters of impartiality and accuracy. In addition, creativity must not be allowed to be stifled by an overly bureaucratic 'compliance culture'. Best practice for programme making needs to be established to ease concerns that it isn't always clear to viewers what is reality, reconstructed and constructed footage. Greater clarity is needed on the governance role of the Non-Executives on the on the BBC Executive Board, who should be recruited from a wider range of backgrounds than they are presently. Terms of access for the NAO to the BBC must be agreed, ensuring that the NAO does not comment on any matters of broadcast content or journalistic integrity.

The significant changes that have swept the television industry over the last two decades, most notably a shift to deregulation in broadcast media, prompt a discussion on how to ensure that meaningful content is available to the viewer. Television and Public Policy analyzes the current state of television systems in a selected group of countries by exploring the political, economic, and technological factors that have shaped the sector in such a short span of time. Consequently, by positioning the television sector within issues of media policy and the regulatory framework, the book questions what these trends mean for television, and the historical, political, and cultural role in our societies. Television and Public Policy distinguishes itself in several ways: *It is a global project in its comparative scope and subject area. Contributors represent countries including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, India, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. *It is contemporary and filled with information largely absent in current literature. *It offers original analysis of the contemporary television sector. This book speaks to a broad range of academics, postgraduate, and undergraduate students, and can serve as a key resource for courses ranging from media studies, to development studies, international relations, and law.

This important book examines the challenges posed to public service obligations by European Union media law and policy. An in-depth analysis of the extent to which six countries (France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom) regulate broadcasting for the public interest reveals a range of vulnerability to national political pressures or, alternatively, to the ideology of market sovereignty. The author examines the country of origin principle and the European quota rule of the Television without Frontiers Directive, revealing the influence of European law on the definition and enforcement of programme requirements, and shows how the case law of the European Court of Justice encourages deregulation at the national level without offering adequate safeguards at the supranational level in exchange. She asks the question whether the alleged ‘European audiovisual model’ actually persists—that is, whether broadcasting is still committed to protecting such values as cultural diversity, the safety of minors, the susceptibility of consumers to advertising, media pluralism, and the fight against racial and religious hatred. The book concludes with an evaluation of the impact of the EU state aid regime on the licence fee based financing of public broadcasting.

The Committee's report on the BBC's Charter review focuses on four inter-related issues: i) the scope and remit of the BBC in the context of the growth of digital TV and on-going technological developments in audiovisual communications; ii) its funding mechanism; iii) its governance and regulation; and iv) whether a Charter provides the most appropriate means of establishing the Corporation in a rapidly-changing communications environment. Key aspects considered include the role, definition and scope of public service broadcasting, the growth of multichannel television, the on-going roll-out of broadband networks, and the Government's plans to switch off the analogue television signal. The report makes 38 conclusions and recommendations, including i) the BBC should be placed on a statutory basis by Act of Parliament at the earliest opportunity, with allowance for pre-legislative scrutiny by a joint Committee of both Houses; with a five year Charter to cover the interim period, between the date the current Charter expires at the end of 2006 and the passing of the recommended legislation; and ii) fundamental changes in the governance system of the BBC, with responsibility for corporate governance separated from maintenance and regulation of its independence.