Media Regulation
Media Regulation considers issues of morality and decency, accuracy of content and media ownership.
Media Regulation essay plan
Intro – Living in a ‘post-truth’ era (post-truth meaning an era where facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief)
o Core concept 1- What is Media Regulation?
- Regulation = control of media content, ownership or distribution
- Formal regulation (laws, government agencies)
- Informal regulation (industry codes, social pressure)
- Self-regulation
- Co-regulation
- State regulation
Key Questions
- Who regulates media?
- Why regulate media?
- Does regulation protect citizens or restrict freedom?
o Core concept 2 - Freedom of Expression vs Harm
One of the most important essay debates.
Arguments for regulation
- Prevent misinformation
- Protect children
- Reduce hate speech
- Prevent exploitation
Arguments against regulation
- Free speech
- Creative freedom
- Government overreach
- Censorship concerns
o Censorship as part of regulation – Disney & Song of the South / Dumbo
- Should censorship occur / does it stop conversations about things like racism and the past that we need to teach younger generations / who holds the power to say what we ‘should’ and ‘shouldn’t’ consumer?
o Case study for censorship – Mosque shooting in Chch, footage taken off social media and manifesto banned. Was this a good thing? Would have been harmful to society
Livestreamed on social media
Content spread globally
Questions about platform responsibility
Led to calls for stronger regulation
o New Zealand Context and Examples
NZ’s regulatory body / chief censor and how our classification system works
o History of NZ’s regulation (big law changes that impacted film/ TV/ media regulation)
o Case studies for film classified in NZ – 13 Reasons Why (personal opinion on it)
o Case study for videogame classified in NZ – Manhunt
o Key Concept 3 - Regulation and Children
- Audience consumption – families not knowing what kids are consuming
(families not watching TV together because they have internet & technology, able to talk through things/ self-regulate or censor inappropriate content, do we now need moral gate-keepers?)
- Fragmentation / technological convergence / web 2.0
- Age restrictions
- Violent content
- Pornography access
- Influencer marketing
- Online safety
New Zealand Examples
- Netsafe campaigns
- Cyberbullying legislation
- Digital citizenship education
o Core Concept 4 - Platform Regulation
- You understand that social media companies now function like media organisations.
- Challenge of consumers now being producers (Shirky – ‘prosumers’) – harder to regulate online content (e.g. platforms needing to become editors of content i.e. Facebook banning Trump or Mosque shooter’s live video being taken down. (Govt. to regulate internet article)
Platforms
Issues:
- Misinformation
- Hate speech
- Algorithmic amplification
- Content moderation
- Platform accountability
Essay Angle
"Are social media companies publishers or merely platforms?"
o Case Study - Youtube (example of UGC) / Social Media – challenge to traditional regulation models
- How do they regulate content
- Is it effective
- Theory - Jenkins - Participatory culture
Audiences create media rather than simply consume it
o Core Concept 5 - Misinformation and Fake News
Key Concepts
- Disinformation
- Misinformation
- Deepfakes
- Echo chambers
Examples
- COVID-19 misinformation
- Election misinformation
- Vaccine misinformation
New Zealand Example
The 2022 Wellington Parliament protests generated significant discussion about misinformation ecosystems and online radicalisation.
o Core Concept 6 - Global Streaming Regulation
Companies
Issues
- Local content quotas
- Taxation
- National identity
- Competition with local broadcasters
