Mini Assignment 2

Professional Codes of Practice

ASA
The Advertising Standard Authority is the UK's independent regulator of advertising across all media, including TV, internet, sales promotions and direct marketing. Their role is to ensure ads are legal, decent, honest and truthful by applying the Advertising Codes. The ASA is self-regulatory which allows them to maintain the high standards laid down in the Advertising Codes, which are designed to protect consumers and create a level playing field for advertisers.

Two examples of specific codes that the ASA put into practice include the CAP - The Committees of Advertising Practice are the industry bodies responsible for the UK’s advertising Codes. And the BCAP - the British Code of Advertising practice which is a code of practice that applies specifically to non-broadcast advertisements.

NUJ
The National Union of Journalist’s is the voice for journalists and journalism. They are an active, campaigning organisation seeking to improve the pay and conditions of their members and working to protect and promote media freedom, professionalism and ethical standards in all media.

Two examples of specific codes that the NUJ put into practice include: 1) a journalist at all times upholds and defends the principle of media freedom, the right of freedom of expression and the right of the public to be informed, 2) a journalist Strives to ensure that information disseminated is honestly conveyed, accurate and fair.


PCC
The Press Complaints commission is a regulatory body for British printed newspapers and magazines, consisting of representatives of the major publishers. The PCC is funded by the annual levy it charges newspapers and magazines. It has no legal powers - all newspapers and magazines voluntarily contribute to the costs of, and adhere to the rulings of, the Commission, making the industry self-regulating. Two examples of specific codes that the PCC put into practice include:

Privacy

1) Everyone is entitled to respect for his or her private and family life, home, health and correspondence, including digital communications.

2) Editors will be expected to justify intrusions into any individual's private life without consent. Account will be taken of the complainant's own public disclosures of information.

3) It is unacceptable to photograph individuals in private places without their consent.

In terms of privacy some incidents can have an effect on privacy an example of which are super injuctions these are legal issues concerning privacy (what should and shouldn't be kept from the public) An example of a super injuction was the superinjunction raised in September 2009 by Carter-Ruck solicitors on behalf of oil trader Trafigura, prohibiting the reporting of an internal Trafigura report into the 2006 Côte d'Ivoire toxic waste dump scandal. These issues usually are picked up by the Media and are then broadcast to the public (e.g. the Twitter super injuction issue that is in the news at the moment), other privacy issues involving celebrities taking out super injunctions include the footballer Ryan Giggs, how has recently been revealed as the mystery footballer who had an affair and then took out a super injuction to stop people form talking about it. The issue of super injuctions is now under serious revisle this is because an MP ( Lib Dem MP John Hemming) used his Parliamentary privilege to name Ryan Giggs as the man at the centre of the super injunction row, this has now put the idea of super injuctions under threat becuase of the contreversy behind them.


Harassment


1) Journalists must not engage in intimidation, harassment or persistent pursuit.

2) They must not persist in questioning, telephoning, pursuing or photographing individuals once asked to desist; nor remain on their property when asked to leave and must not follow them. If requested, they must identify themselves and whom they represent.

3) Editors must ensure these principles are observed by those working for them and take care not to use non-compliant material from other sources.


Workplace codes
• Make sure your work is of a professional standard at all times.
• Don’t be late for work.
• Make sure that your work is completed on deadlines.



Legal and Ethical Restrictions

Criminal Law & Civil Law

Criminal law is enforced by the government and includes rules with the potential for severe impositions as punishment for failure to comply. Criminal punishment, depending on the offense and jurisdiction, may;include execution, loss of liberty, government supervision (parole or probation), or fines. Civil law is different to criminal law because it can be enforced by private parties this includes dealing with disputes between individuals and/or organizations, in which compensation may be awarded to the victim. For instance, if a car crash victim claims damages against the driver for loss or injury sustained in an accident, this will be a civil law case.

Health and Safety

• Whilst doing a photo-shoot be aware of hot materials as these can be a potential fire hazard.
• Be aware of backdrops as these can be a hazard if you trip over them.
• Don’t run during the photo-shoot as you may trip over objects laying in the way.
• Be aware of any spillages and clean them up if you see them as these can be a potential hazard.
• Make sure everyone on the shoot knows the health and safety rules so that they also know what they should and shouldn’t do.

Copyright
Copyright is a set of exclusive rights granted to the author or creator of an original work, including the right to copy, distribute and adapt the work. Copyright does not protect ideas, only their expression or fixation. Initially copyright law only applied to the copying of books. Over time other uses such as translations and derivative works were made subject to copyright and copyright now covers a wide range of works, including maps, dramatic works, paintings, photographs, sound recordings, motion pictures and computer programs. Copyright protects the author or creator from companies or people from copying their idea, and the copyright can prosecute the rival person or company.

Libel Law

Defamation
Defamation is the communication of a statement that makes a claim, expressly stated or implied to be factual, that may give an individual, business, product, group, government, or nation a negative image.


Libel
Libel is a false or malicious statement published in mainstream media (i.e. on the internet, in a magazine, etc.)


Slander
Slander is the same as libel and is a false or malicious statement published in mainstream media (i.e. on the internet, in a magazine, etc.)
Data protection


The Data Protection Act is a United Kingdom Act of Parliament which defines UK law on the processing of data on identifiable living people. It is the main piece of legislation that governs the protection of personal data in the UK. Although the Act itself does not mention privacy, it was enacted to bring UK law into line with the European Directive of 1995 which required Member States to protect people's fundamental rights and freedoms and in particular their right to privacy with respect to the processing of personal data. In practice it provides a way for individuals to control information about themselves.

Ethics

• Teenagers have been treated unfairly in the media because they are thought of as being anti-social which is stereotypical because this is what teenagers are portrayed as being in films and TV shows.

• Celebrities have been treated unfairly in the media because their lives are constantly under media coverage and stories about them aren’t usually true.

An example of where celebrities have been treated unfairly is the "Twitter super injuction issue" where celebritie's names have been leaked to the public and so their carrer could be under threat because of the information about them.


• Religious groups have been treated unfairly by the media because they are constantly under surveillance and they are being found to have done something wrong, for example the abuse of children by priests.