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On 30 June 1998, the television companies in the Association of Private Broadcasting and Telecommunication Operators (VPRT) and the Voluntary Self-Monitoring Agency for Television (FSF) together adopted guidelines on talkshows, with a view to ensuring their social acceptability, particularly where young people and children were concerned. Talkshows are an important part of several TV stations' daytime programmes. They have recently come under fire, partly because of the themes selected, and partly because of the way in which those themes are presented. Another complaint is that they go out at...

The Spanish Parliament is now discussing an amendment to the provisions of the Spanish Criminal Code regulating sex-related crimes. According to the projected version of article 189 (1) (b) of the Spanish Criminal Code, the production, sale, distribution or exhibition of pornographic material in which children have participated would be punished with one to three years' imprisonment. A new article 189 (2) of the Spanish Criminal Law would punish with six months to two years' imprisonment those who are in possession of pornographic material of that kind. http://services.obs.coe.int/en/index.htm...

The Annual Report of the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) was published on 13 August. The Report proposes a fresh approach to the control of pornography in the UK, largely in the light of the failure to stem the burgeoning black market in violently pornographic videos. The Report suggests that licensed sex shops should be freer to sell explicit videos, provided they do not include violence or any paedophile element. In general, the Report argues that the current obscenity laws do not work, foster a demand that cannot be met legally and force police and magistrates to act as "surrogate...

France is successfully combating the problems of tobacco and alcohol abuse. The Act of 10 January 1991 laid down a blanket prohibition of advertising for tobacco and alcohol on both public- and private-sector television. On radio, the rules for advertising alcoholic drinks are slightly more flexible for private radio stations than for Radio France, the national public-service radio station. For private stations, a decree of 23 September 1992 permits the advertising of alcoholic drinks of less than 1.2° strength on Wednesdays (children's day) between midnight and 7 a.m. only and on other days between...

In IRIS 1998-5: 15, we gave notice of a Government Bill, introduced into Parliament, intended to abrogate the provisions of the law No 161 of 21 April 1962 (Articles 6, 8 and 9), which still permit to subject the distribution of films in cinemas to the prior consent of a Government Commission. Furthermore, the Commission is charged with the decision of whether a film may be offered to children up to 14 or 18 years old. The text of the draft Bill is now available with its introductory report. According to the Government, the relevant provisions of the law No 161 are based on an interpretation of...