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The BBC has now published its response to Dame Janet Smith’s review of its culture and practices in relation to serious sexual misconduct by celebrities, notably Jimmy Saville and Stuart Hall (IRIS 2016-5/18). It sets out the current position and the rules and policies which are in place to prevent a repetition of the major organisational failures criticised in the report, including failings in audience controls, sharing of information and the attitude of staff in general towards sexual harassment. A new child protection policy has been introduced, supported by a code of conduct which applies to...

On 14 December 2016, the Administrative Court of Paris issued a particularly amusing decision concerning the age classification of the American animated film “Sausage Party”, which was released in France in the autumn. In the film, products on sale in a supermarket realise the senselessness of their subservience to humans. This entertaining spoof traces the story of foodstuffs with human personalities from the moment they discover the reality of their condition until they finally win their freedom, particularly in the domain of sex and religious beliefs. A number of organisations called for the...

In two decisions of 17 November 2016, the seventh chamber of the Verwaltungsgericht Hannover (Hanover Administrative Court - VG) rejected two appeals by RTL against decisions issued by the Niedersächsische Landesmedienanstalt (Lower Saxony media authority) following breaches of the Rundfunkstaatsvertrag (Inter-State Broadcasting Agreement - RStV). The advertising-related provisions of the Rundfunkstaatsvertrag set out, in a general way, the obligation to separate editorial content from advertising, lay down limits for broadcast advertising, and provide a basis for the prosecution of those who infringe...

On 1 January 2017, the new gambling law took effect. Each provider of gambling has to obtain a basic operating permit, which is issued by the Ministry of Finance. The gambling provider must therefore apply for the relevant authorization. Unauthorized gambling should not be broadcasted or advertised. Exempted from the new Gambling law is gambling in the form of consumer competitions and other prize competitions. These forms of gambling are now considered to be normal business practice. The law allows the assessment of consumer competition as business practice in general. Games in the form of calls,...

The public broadcaster Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH) has approved its first editorial guidelines. RTSH presented the editorial guidelines in a meeting on 18 November 2016, before receiving the approval of the Steering Board. Previously, the draft guidelines had been consulted internally and with stakeholders and civil society organizations focusing on media, while OSCE enabled the external assistance of EBU. The guidelines were based on the BBC rules of conduct and the Slovenian public broadcaster editorial rules. The guidelines cover not only radio and television, but also online media and...