Albania

[AL] Regulator Decides to Ban Broadcasting of Controversial Ad and Music Video Clip

IRIS 2012-3:1/7

Ilda Londo

Albanian Media Institute

The National Council of Radio and Television (NCRT) made two decisions regarding the broadcasting of an advertising spot and a music video clip.

On 31 January 2012, the NCRT advised against the broadcasting of the video clip “High” by Babastars, broadcast by local music TV stations. The video shows a field full of plants of a narcotic nature and the text of the song favours consuming this substance and casts a favourable light upon this habit, according to the NCRT.

The NCRT examined the content of the video as a result of numerous complaints lodged by citizens to the Council. According to the Directorate of Programmes in the NCRT, this video violates the moral and ethical norms of broadcasting and the rights, education as well as moral and mental health of children.

In this context, the NCRT called upon electronic media to be more careful in selecting the content they broadcast.

Several days later, on 2 February 2012, the newly elected Council of Ethics connected to the NCRT, examined the content of an advertising spot of a mobile phone company, prompted by a complaint of the Commission for Consumer Protection.

The advertising spot shows a person that is ready to drop another person from a building’s terrace and then is reminded of childhood memories they have in common. According to the Council of Ethics, this spot violates the content provisions in the broadcasting law that forbid advertising “that promotes behaviour that endangers normal health and psychic development of children.”

As a result, the NCRT has asked all stations to immediately stop broadcasting this advertising spot.


References



This article has been published in IRIS Legal Observations of the European Audiovisual Observatory.