Channel 4 could be better off in private hands says culture secretary

John Whittingdale speaks out in favour of privatisation of commercially funded, state-owned broadcaster.
The Guardian 27/4/2016
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Revenge pornography victims as young as 11

Children as young as 11 are among more than 1,000 alleged victims of revenge porn who reported offences in the first year of the new law coming into effect, it has been revealed.
BBC News Online 27/4/2016
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Whittingdale ‘not minded’ to implement Leveson in full

Culture secretary tells MPs he has to ‘tread carefully’ on press regulation but insists controversial costs provision is still under consideration.
The Guardian 26/4/2016
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Porn is a public health hazard - one that’s crippling our teenagers

Ninety per cent of eight to 16-year-olds have viewed pornography, many while on the internet doing their homework. Research from the International Institute for Trauma & Addiction Professionals has found that the average age of first exposure to pornographic images is 11, and the largest consumers of internet porn are the 12 to 17 age group. 

Last week, Utah became the first US state to designate pornography a public health hazard, declaring it an ‘epidemic that normalises violence against women and children’.
The Telegraph 25/4/2016
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Chris Evans’ Radio 2 show to be investigated over Jeremy Irons swearing

Chris Evans’ Radio 2 breakfast show is to be investigated by media regulator Ofcom after Jeremy Irons swore live on air. Irons said “f**ked” during an anecdote about fellow thespian John Hurt while being interviewed on the programme, which is listened to by nearly 10 million listeners a week, including a large proportion of children.
The Guardian 25/4/2016
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‘This white paper threatens the BBC’s independence. It must be opposed’

The government has announced that it will be publishing its white paper on the future of the BBC next month. It’s a white paper that needs to be scrutinised very carefully: for what it will say about the future size and scope of the BBC, and above all for how it proposes to protect the editorial independence of the corporation.
mediaGuardian 25/4/2016
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Teach children about the dangers of sexting, experts suggest

Children as young as five should be taught about the dangers of ‘sexting’ and be encouraged to discuss ‘about respect for their bodies’, it has been suggested.
The Telegraph 20/4/2016
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Utah declares porn a public health hazard

The US state of Utah has become the first to declare pornography a public health risk in a move its governor says is to “protect our families and our young people”.
BBC News Online 20/4/2016
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BBC: ‘Source of mumbling problem is incredibly hard to isolate’

The BBC’s head of television, Charlotte Moore, has said that she will tackle the sound problems that have caused complaints to the BBC, most recently in drama series Happy Valley. Viewers have complained about not being able to follow conversations between characters.
The Guardian 19/4/2016
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YouTube Kids, BBC iPlayer Kids and more: the best TV apps for children

Video-on-demand apps competing with Sky Kids, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, DisneyLife, Hopster and PlayKids: how do they compare?
The Guardian 18/4/2016
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‘Online abuse: we need Good Samaritans on the web’

Carrie Rentschler says that people need to be more proactive online to prevent bullying and violence. ‘However, tech alone will not solve these problems. According to Jacque Wernimont at the Center for Solutions to Online Violence, “There is no technological fix to online violence. The problems are social and so are the solutions.”’
The Guardian: Comment is Free 18/4/2016
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Mobile phone industry ‘must be better regulated’

The mobile phone industry needs better regulation to stop people getting in debt, Citizens Advice Cymru has said. It also wants action to stop mobile phone companies using what appeared to be “bullying tactics” to pursue debts.
BBC News 19/4/2016
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BBC’s iPlayer Kids app puts children ‘front and centre’

Speaking at the launch in London of the new app, which features content just for children, BBC director general Tony Hall said that content aimed at younger audiences was “so important to the BBC and what the BBC offers to this country”.
The Guardian 13/4/2016
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Senior Tory calls on government to overhaul internet abuse laws

Former culture secretary Maria Miller has called for the government to change the law on internet abuse, claiming that the internet has brought about a series of problems that now need to be addressed. “We need better laws and we need better enforcement. Government needs to stop allowing internet providers from hiding behind arguments about the protection of free speech,” she said.
The Guardian 13/4/2016
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Corporation under fire over interview with barrister who supplied drugs that killed his boyfriend

The BBC also faced censure for discussing sexual habits and drug use on the morning radio show, when many families would have been eating breakfast together. Yesterday, a spokesman for Mediawatch-UK, which campaigns for a safer media, criticised the BBC. ‘We know that drug use is bad because it’s illegal – it’s hard to know what kind of message the BBC is trying to put across over the breakfast table,’ he said.

‘Listeners could have been forgiven for getting confused as they heard a man who has pleaded guilty to supplying drugs that killed his teenage boyfriend that were originally supplied by a BBC producer describing his illegal drug use as a “nice experience” and saying how upset he was at being treated as a criminal. There’s certainly a judgment issue to be looked at here – it’s one thing raising awareness of the effects of drug use, quite another to be giving a platform at breakfast time to a drug dealer who could shortly be facing prison.’
MailOnline 8/4/2016
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Social media sites named and shamed by NSPCC amid calls for online regulation

If your child is active on a social networking site you’ve never heard of, the chances are they’re only a few clicks away from violent, sexual or traumatising content. The websites and apps young people use to communicate and share are also where they encounter masturbating adults, misogynistic jokes, cyber-bullying and pro-anorexia and suicide “support groups”, according to a survey carried out by the NSPCC.
Mirror Online 6/4/2016
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TV content ratings system has failed children according to US study

Parents are not able to make informed decisions about what to allow their children to watch because of flaws in the current TV content ratings system, according to a study conducted by an advocacy group. The Parents TV Council, a non-partisan education organization whose mission is to “protect children and families from graphic sex, violence and profanity in the media, because of their proven long-term harmful effects”, has conducted a study on the commercial broadcast networks ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox to mark the 20th anniversary of the system.

The results deem the system inadequate for protecting children from graphic sex, violence and profanity on television.
mediaGuardian 4/4/2016
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Google bans Taliban app for hate speech

Google has removed an app developed by the Taliban from the Google Play Store for Android smartphones and tablets, designed to spread the militant group’s propaganda. It violated Google’s rules on hate speech, which say: “We don’t allow apps that advocate against groups of people based on their race or ethnic origin, religion, disability, gender, age, nationality, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity”.
Telegraph 4/4/2016
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