United Kingdom

[GB] Central Independent Television plc Fined £2M

IRIS 1999-1:1/23

Tony Prosser

University of Bristol Law School

The Independent Television Commission has imposed a financial penalty of £2 million on Central Independent Television plc, which is owned by Carlton Communications plc. The fine was levied for "grave breaches" of two sections of the ITC's Programme Code in the 1996 documentary "The Connection". The relevant sections are 3.1 (on respect for the truth) and 3.7 (reconstructions in factual programmes and the requirement to label them as such on-screen). The fine, which is paid to the Exchequer, is the largest levied by the ITC; in 1994, Granada was fined £500 000. Implementation of the Programme Code is vulnerable, said the ITC Chairman, Sir Robin Biggam, "where key personnel in a production have little or no prior TV experience. The broadcasting industry has been subject to a process of casualisation, with many fewer people employed on staff, and more on a freelance basis."