Clearer Warnings For Television Violence Planned

A joint working party of the BBC, the Broadcasting Standards Commission (BSC) and the Independent Television Commission (ITC) have come together for the first time to announce new guidelines for the warning and description of violent programmes on television.

The report, Violence And The Viewer has created a Statement of Common Principle, that forms guidelines within which all broadcasters must work. Charles Denton, chairman of the working party, wants to do away with ambiguous phrases like ‘hard-hitting’ or ‘gritty’ and replace them with straight talking, with the intention of providing viewers with more information on programmes and to prevent them from being ‘ambushed’ by unexpected scenes of violence.

The group is also negotiating with the Teletext companies to create a page which gives more detailed information about the level of violence in programmes, but rejected high-technology ‘electronic gatekeeping devices’ as nothing but a ‘quick-fix’ solution. The report reinforced the importance and success of the 9 o’clock watershed, and also recommended that there be continuing research into viewers’ reactions to the portrayal of violence.

Charles Denton stated: “The Statement of Common Principle gives a framework in which all broadcasters must work; viewers can also expect better and consistent information about the contents of a programme so that they can make their own decisions about what they want to watch.”

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