Regulatory bodies

Regulatory bodies

Regulatory bodies are various organisations that are set up by the government. The role of regulatory bodies are to monitor, guide, and control various industry sectors for protecting customers.

BBFC
British Board of Film Classification
The BBFC is a film classification that was formed in 1912 but was not called this at the time. At the time it was founded it was called British Board of Film Censors. This non-governmental organisation is responsible for the classification and censorship of film inside of the UK.
Censorship is a type of mute filter within TV shows and movies. that mutes swearing, for example in a movie some people swear with words such as "shit" and "fuck" but with this filter over the swear is just a bleep, so people know the person is swearing but it makes it more friendly and less offensive.
The classification is also known as an age certificate. An age certificate is something that certifies which age this is suitable for and intended for.

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The BBFC brings a huge impact to the media industry, giving censorship and classification which gives a variety of audience ranges.

OFCOM
Office of Communications
Ofcom is the "government-approved" authority of broadcasting. This means that they control what is and isn't published in the media industry, radio, shows etc. Ofcom have quite the big role in the media industry because they have to be really careful at what does and doesn't get. The reason for Ofcom being in such a role is because it has to represent the citizens and their views on the industry, it protects them from content that may offend or harm the audience.

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PCC
The press complaints commission
The PCC is actually a voluntary regulatory body for newspapers, however this regulatory body was closed due to the criticism for its lack of action in the News of the World phone hacking affair. I can not say much about this regulatory body as it is closed and has been replaced by the IPSO.

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ASA
Advertising standards authority
The ASA are an organisation that regulates the advertising part of the media industry. They investigate and take action from complaints made about the adverts. The ASA have a specific code that makes publishing of an advert not contain bad content or false advertising, this code is what makes adverts available and suitable to the media industry.

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IPSO
Independent Press Standards Organisation
The IPSO has the same role as the PCC and that is to handle complaints that are given about shows, radio etc. and then take action. The IPSO basically handles all the complaints that are given and then take actions. They regulate newspapers, radio broadcasts, tv shows, and many more publications. They are the main reason nothing rude has been published in newspapers and magazines, they make sure that the public and community stays sane and not have rude things like sex and other inappropriate things.

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