Bruno

Was Bruno censored on Rove? Sure, it might be down to a TV glitch, but the gay fashionista’s comment about a “wife getting as much sex as [SILENT]” appears to have been a tad too controversial for Channel 10 (c’mon it was too well placed to be a glitch).

According to my lip-reading posse, the wife’s name was Katie Holmes. Ten afraid of the Cruise lawyer brigade? Surely not.

Whether you think the Chaser sketch was funny or not, offensive or not, the words of the ABC managing director Mark Scott seem really rather ominous.

We need to fully review the ABC’s approval processes for programs that deliberately challenge public attitudes.

Programs that ‘deliberately challenge public attitudes’ require greater scrutiny than programs that merely reflect the popular world view?

Now it seems entirely possible that this is mostly a PR exercise to appease the masses but supposing it isn’t, what will that mean – not just for the Chaser – but for ABC programming in general? Will programs that offer a variety of viewpoints (Insiders, The 7:30 Report, Q&A) be carefully edited to only reflect the most popular opinions at given moment? Let’s not forget that Media Watch was taken off air once for having opinions that weren’t ‘popular’ with ABC management.

Surely the true merit of the ABC (not needing to appease advertisers) is its ability to offer a variety of viewpoints, even unpopular ones.

If there is anything to be taken from the Chaser experience it is two-fold. Australians are very protective of their children. And they don’t care for dissenting vantage points. It is at this point that I stop to reflect on the title of this very website: Somebody Think Of The Children.

A friend told me last night that she liked the title of the site. Working in a government office, she told me, those words are plastered on the office wall to remind people to consider the interests and needs of children when organising events. Though most of us will recognise it as part of Stephen Conroy’s ‘Clean Feed’ rhetoric. The implication was always that if you weren’t happy to have the government censor the Internet that you didn’t care about children, that the Internet was a wretched place of depravity that only Mr. Conroy could make suitable for families and children.

In an abstract way I agree with the general sentiment. We should be thinking of the children. We should be thinking about the lost competitive advantage our kids would endure if they lost a resource as useful as the Internet in its current form. We should be thinking about the harm our children will endure if the only information they come into contact with is carefully filtered by the government. We should carefully consider the consequences of sheltering our children away from real world ideas and concepts. You could be forgiven at times for example, given their seemingly anti-sex stance, that Family First have forgotten how families are created. Immaculate conception, anyone?

Freedom of speech isn’t just about having the ability to express your opinions, it is also about having a tolerance for the opinions of others – even (especially!) opinions that differ from your own.

Following complaints over a skit in The Chaser’s War On Everything, ABC Managing Director Mark Scott has indicated that broadcast approval procedures will be re-examined.

We’re going to look at those processes … I mean we all know that The Chaser push the edges and it’s a tightrope that we walk, and I suppose there are many, many skits that they’ve put to air that have offended someone along the way – that’s part of the nature of the satirical and black comedy that they do.

The usual processes were put in place around this program, but the red flag didn’t go up [and] we could see today, that that was the wrong judgment call.

The skit – depicting critically ill children being denied wishes from the ‘Make A Realistic Wish Foundation’ whose tag line was ‘Why go to any trouble when they’re only going to die anyway?’ – has been edited out of the episode shown on ABC iView.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has suggested that the Chaser team should ‘hang their heads in shame’ for the effort [Ed Note: Kevin Rudd would probably say puppies playing in a bathtub full of soap suds is 'revolting' if it meant he got his mug on TV for another 2 minutes].

The Daily Telegraph noted a similarity between the Chaser segment and a video from The Onion in which a child bankrupts the Make-A-Wish Foundation by wishing for never-ending wishes.

Let’s have some fun, this beat is sick
I wanna take a ride on your disco stick
Don’t think too much just bust that kick
I wanna take a ride on your disco stick

Lyrics like these and sexually-charged visuals is why channel Ten’s in-house censors have rated Lady GaGa’s music video for her song Love Game M. It means the video is too hot to be shown during Video Hits G and PG safe Saturday morning timeslot.

Watch the Lady GaGa clip for Love Game:

According to the Herald Sun, ‘Ten’s censors objected to the lyrics “heavy touching”, “I’m educated in sex” and “I want it bad” as well as GaGa’s “sexual postures” in her dance moves, a near-naked outfit and her male dancer’s “fetish-like costumes”.’

Video Hits producer Ben Fletcher says they aren’t able to edit the video without destroying the intent of the original, but they’d run a clip if they were provided with one suitable for the music video show’s timeslot.

Ten’s playing by the rules, but I wonder if they’ll make the same call on future episodes of Californication? Channel Nine is no stranger to incorrect classifications.

Screen cap from the Scorched trailer. There's a secret. Or Not...

You’ve probably seen the dodgy previews for Scorched running all week on Channel 9 (or the fake websites). What you might not have known is that the NSW State Government dropped their support for the show before filming back in February. Why? News.com.au reckons it’s because the show’s plot got a little too close for comfort: no water, a dodgy premier, electricity privatisation and a desalination plant.

Might also be because they realised how shit it was going to be.

Read more on News.

Channel Nine does accept Ramsay’s use of the word ‘cunt’ probably does mean the episode was incorrectly classified, but stands firm all other language was appropriate for an M rating (Nine aired the ep in the MA time slot).

One complaint tells me that the classification guidelines no longer match viewer expectations.

ACMA investigation report here (PDF).

5. Little people can be porn stars

If porn scandals are ratings winners, imagine the magnitude of a porn scandal involving a midget? Too bad for the media though — their porn scandal turned out to be a few self shot nude pics of Rima, the below average height contestant from this years series. Way to tame to whip up any heat.

4. Offensive cops

In 2003 an ex Victorian police officer in the house is alleged to have been previously arrested for offensive behaviour and exposing himself. He was not convicted and served a good behaviour bond.

3. Boobs ahoy

Breast implants are a mandatory feature of Big Brother and the 2006 series was no exception. It didn’t take long for people to question if 19 year old Krystal’s implants sent the right message to teenage girls. Would there be an old fashioned Boob Rush? Should I buy shares in silicone? The big questions were asked.

2. John Howard is turkey basted

The unheard of Turkey Slap becomes a household name. It sweeps the nation, boardgames are in the works, and a film deal to cash in on the craze is sealed.? Okay, maybe not, but it did go right to the top — The PM weighed in:

‘Here’s a great opportunity for Channel 10 to do a bit of self-regulation and get this stupid program off the air.’

Fielding and Beazley shared their thoughts as well. QLD police chose not to investigate.

1. New name, same game: Uncut outrage

It’s a moral loon feeding frenzy. The Australian Family Association labels it ‘Big Brothel,’ MP Trish Draper says it’s an outrage, and after receiving complaints, the ABA agrees that Big Brother Uncut needs be cleaned up.

In 2006, Channel Ten changes the name of Uncut to Adults Only and as per ACMA requirements, they compile each episode well before going to air so classification changes can be made if required. Two classifiers are devoted to the task and showing live footage is no longer possible.

Before 2006 is out, Ten crumbles to pressure: Big Brother Adults Only gets the chop. The airwaves remain sin free and softcore porn is never seen on television again.

The ACMA has ruled Channel Ten breached the TV Code when it aired a sexy episode of Californication in October 2007. Threesomes, oral sex, rear-entry penetration, and female ejaculation proved too much for two viewers, who complained to 10 and later the ACMA.

ACMA found that sexual activity depicted in a scene in the program was not discreetly implied or discreetly simulated (as required under the code), due to the length of the scene, the amount of detail it contained and its conceptual strength. While Network Ten advised that the program had been edited to meet the Australian classification guidelines, ACMA decided that the editing was insufficient and as a result the program was not suitable for television. The MA category comprises the strongest material that is permitted for broadcast on commercial television (apart from the Adult Violence (AV) category).?

ACMA PR and report.

Two complaints is clearly not representative of community standards. Time for a review of classification guidelines, guys?

But here’s where it get’s stupid:

Angela Conway from the Australian Family Association says casting agencies need to take more responsibility.

WTF. An adult model is not allowed to appear on TV, Angela? She’s not allowed to get married? I’m not quite sure where Angela’s going with that comment.

I watched the video and saw the pictures on AbbyWinters a few weeks back and they are tastefully done. Many would even consider them art — which is a lot more than I can say for the trash that News.com.au chruns out.

The inquiry also recommended that stations review their ratings, what they consider coarse language, and their complaint handling process, as well as consider displaying classification markings for the duration of the program.

But readers of News.com.au appear split. Many question whether the onus of protecting children from watching naughty shows should be on the manufacturer of televisions and digital set top boxes. I don’t think so, it’s ultimately the parents responsibility, but I do believe a parental lockout system is a reasonable recommendation:

1. A lockout system gives parents the power to choose what’s appropriate for their child and
2. It still allows adults to watch adult programs (unlike mandatory ISP filtering where a blanket ban is placed on everyone in the family).

Whatever your view, let’s be thankful some of the recommendations made in the public submissions weren’t taken on board:

‘The Code should be strengthened so that a licensee shall not broadcast a program or program promotion that offends the religious sensitivities of any or all persons holding particular religious beliefs in the Australian community.‘ – Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne (read submission PDF)

‘…programs with frequent very coarse language are not broadcast at any time.‘ – Festival of Light (read submission PDF)

‘Enough is enough! This show crosses the boundaries for gutter language at the time it is aired on TV. I would ask the Senate Committee that it be moved to a later time slot or, preferably, thrown in the bin altogether. It seems the censorship standards of TV are falling once again.‘ – Mr Craig Scott (read submission PDF)

Always falling those censorship standards, eh Craig. Not everyone has lost the plot though:

‘As a 70 year old Grandfather I realise that all that Ramsay is doing is using words that can be found used in any Primary and High School in Australia. It’s the means of communication of kids to their peers.

Eddie Bent

p.s Who and by what authority were Fuck ( meaning to strike 16th Century) and Cunt (Latin -Wedge Roman -slit } deemed to be obscene ? Until a couple of centuries ago the innocuous “bloody was Blaphemy , meaning Bood of Christ and we all know what Bugger means.‘? – Mr Eddie Bent (read submission PDF)

My sorta granddad.

Read the entire report here (PDF) or my post back when it all began.