The Advertising Standards
Authority(ASA) regulates the content of adverising on TV, billboard posters, magazines and neewspapers. It tries to prevent adverising which is racisit, offensive, encourages hatred, or is homophobic. Here are three adverts which have had complaints against them made to the ASA:
This advert from the cloths company, Bennetton was supposed to suggest that its clothing appeals to all people, regardless of colour, ethnic background or age. Some people were baffled why nude children were used to advertise clothing and found the idea of the black child looking like he had horns was suggesting he was evil...
This condom advert for extra large condoms was banned for suggesting it was ok to hurt women.
This advert for Hamlet cigars ("the small cigar") used midgets to promote its small cigar product - but was making fun of people just because of their reduced height.
IPSO stands for the Independent Press
Standards Organisation. This is the regulatory body which makes sure that material published in a Newspaper is not considered obscene, offensive, racist, or likely to encourage hate. Here is a newspaper that people complained about to IPSO.
Sometimes these rules can become blurred, and the media can be accused of stirring up hatred and negative feeling against people - this is often former celebrities, especially those who have already been found guilty of a crime.
IPSO used to be known as the Press Council. Its standards of what is acceptable can change over the years. Here is a newspaper from the 1970s
This would not be not allowed because of complaints of racism Here is a newspaper from the 1980s
This article from the Sunday Sport (published by Andrew Sullivan, a porn magazines publisher)would not be not allowed because of complaints of it being offensive Not all newspapers are signed up to IPSO, and some like the Times and the Guardian, regulate themselves.
OFCOM set the rules for what can be shown on TV, Mobiles, and postal services. In terms of TV, a line called the watershed has been drawn, which is at 9pm at night - after this, children are expected not to watching TV by themselves, and more adult content can be shown - this includes adult themes, nudity, swearing. However, sometimes programmes receive complaints.
Here is a link to viewer complaints from the drama series, Jekyll and Hyde, which received over 800 complaints for its level of violence.
"Top Gear is to be investigated by Ofcom following complaints presenter Jeremy Clarkson used a racist term, it has been announced.
An episode of Top Gear, broadcast on BBC Two on March 16, showed Clarkson using the word "slope", as an Asian man walked over a bridge in Burma.
The scene led to a complaint of ''casual racism'', with Clarkson accused of referring to "people of different races in pejorative terms".
The complaint will now be investigated in full by watchdog Ofcom, which will consider whether the broadcaster breached its codes.
The show's producer has already issued a statement expressing "regret" after broadcasting the ''light-hearted'' joke by Clarkson, saying it was intended as "word play".
Programmes which receive complaints to OFCOM are either taken off the air, or shown later at night.
