More Power For ITC?

The culture secretary, Tessa Jowell, will today suggest that the ITC adopt a “new rapid response” approach to complaints after the commission failed to react to outrage caused by Channel 4’s Brass Eye.

The ITC received hundreds of complaints from viewers objecting to Thursday night’s episode of Brass Eye, a satirical documentary on paedophilia, and have come under criticism for failing to take action to stop the programme being repeated on Saturday.

Jowell, who will be speaking to the ITC today, is expected to suggest that the commission take on extra powers to allow it to react more quickly to prevent the kind of widespread public outrage caused by the programme.

A spokesperson for the Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) today said: “The Culture Secretary is not saying that the government should have the power to influence programme content. She will be exploring whether there are extra powers available to the ITC which will allow them to step in more quickly and act more effectively on the public behalf to prevent programmes from causing such offence.”

Channel 4 strongly defended its decision to broadcast the programme saying: “It is part of the channel’s remit to ask hard questions about the way society and the media deal with its most difficult problems. The channel stands by its decision to commission and broadcast this programme, which, through savage satire, sought to make a serious point.”

It added: “The programme was scheduled and repeated late at night and was clearly labelled as likely to disturb some viewers. The finished programme and the process of making it were carefully supervised in accordance with the ITC’s Programme Code. We have noted the comments of Government ministers and will give a full account of our decision-making and our reasoning behind it to the ITC.”

Channel 4: 020 7396 4444 www.channel4.com ITC: 020 7306 7743 www.itc.org.uk

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