T2 | Wk 7 - Media Regulation - Classification in NZ

  Classification / Regulation

 

Links for Research

 

https://www.classificationoffice.govt.nz/find-ratings/new-zealands-classification-labels/

 

https://www.classificationoffice.govt.nz

 

https://www.dia.govt.nz/Censorship-Film-and-Video-Classification

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Film_and_Literature_Classification

 

 

Questions for Discussion

 

1.     Who classifies media content in NZ?

 

2.     What issues do the classification board have to consider?

 

3.     What legislation are the board bound by?

 

 

 

4.     What is the process? 

 

5.     What classifications do we have in NZ? 

 

6.     Case Studies:

 

Using ’13 Reasons Why’, ‘The Passion’, ‘A Clockwork Orange’ and ‘Deadpool’ as case studies, discuss the controversies surrounding classifications in different countries and what NZ rated these in the end. 

 

 

T2 | Wk 6 - Friday - Media regulation and social media - issue

 Activity 1

Summarise some of the points raised here in regards to the argument aorund offensive vs. harmful content and also the argument that social media companies are publications and not editorials.

What laws already exist to regulate social media? 

How much responsibility do you believe governments should have in regulating the public's content online? 

How many people do FB and Youtube have monitoring and regulating content on their platforms? 

Look at the Chch Massacre video scenario - add this into your notes to comment on in your essay as a point FOR the need for social media regulation. What has happened since then to bring reform to social media regulation? 

Activity 2    

Make some notes on the argument FOR and AGAINST online media regulation 

HERE IS OUR LAST CASE STUDY. SOCIAL MEDIA REGULATION, BUT IN THIS CASE THERE IS NO REGULATORY BODY! EXCEPT THE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS THEMSELVES!

The problem stems from one significant difference between social media and our previous case studies. Social media companies are global organisations. So, whilst it’s relatively easy to regulate adverts and news within the borders of a country, global regulation is highly problematic.

The other essential issue which prevents social media companies from being regulated is, are they a publisher or are they a platform?

It is impossible to regulate these American companies who have the protection offered by Section 230 of the American Communications and Decency Act 1996, which states platforms cannot be prosecuted for content posted by their users.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE IMPACT OF THIS? FAKE NEWS? HATE SPEECH? RACISM? A DIVIDED SOCIETY AND WEAKENED DEMOCRACIES?

Here is an opinion piece from Jennifer Cobbe in The Guardian, in which she explains how Facebook and other players in the, “surveillance economy”  have challenged the democracy we take for granted. It suggests:

“We need to confront their surveillance business models, their increasingly central position in digital society, and the power they now hold as a result.”

“As a result, some platforms’ algorithms systematically recommend disinformation, conspiracy theories white supremacism, and neo-Nazism.”

“At a minimum, behavioural advertising should be banned; other, less damaging forms of advertising are available. The algorithms platforms use to recommend content should be heavily regulated.”

A COUNTER ARGUMENT

As with news regulation, this is not a cut and dried argument. After all should we be allowing our governments to decide what ‘Truth’ should be available to us online?

The video below offers a counter argument to those demanding online regulation and quotes 17th century poet John Milton:

“Truth and understand are not such wares as to be monopolized and traded by tickets or statute, better to let truth and falsehood grapple”

He is suggesting we should not muzzle what we believe to be false or fake news, but allow argument and debate to flourish and in that process truth and greater understanding will come out.

T2 | Wk 6 - Friday | Media regulation - 4 types

  

Make some notes on the regulation of streaming sites

T2 | Wk 6 | Thursday - Media Regulation - concept - Censorship

     Hi guys,

We are going for a bit of a bigger picture view of censorship today for some study notes. Some of these things will be useful in your MEDIA REGULATION section as well as for POWER IN THE MEDIA. 

I want you to watch this clip and start making some notes on a blog post on the following;

1. Examples of censorship happening with Disney plus. What and why? 

2. Examples of censorship in other countries (include in this, notes from our China censorship studies in last year's study notes)

3. Points for / against censorship as presented in this clip - should art be censored? 

- if something is wrong but it is part of history, should it be cut out as to not offend people today? Where is that line in society? Who is making these decisions. 

4. What are some issues around censorship in our modern world and how we are consuming media? 

 

T2 | Wk 6 - Wed / Thurs Media Regulation Case Study research Task

 

2. Case Study Research

Task 1

Choose 1 of the following case studies to research and present back to the class on (make sure no one in the class is doing the same thing as you);

Traditional Media

• establishment of The Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA)
• The New Zealand Media Council
• emergence of platform moderation
• privacy laws
• Online Safety legislation
• Office of Film and Literature Classification

Digital/Social Media

• TikTok and youth safety
• Meta content moderation
• YouTube demonetisation
• X and misinformation

Streaming/Entertainment

• Netflix and age ratings
• Disney representation controversies

News + Misinformation

• COVID misinformation moderation
• Election misinformation
• AI-generated fake media/deepfakes

Task 2

Create a presentation outlining the following;

• key issue
• who regulates?
• why controversy emerged
• arguments FOR regulation
• arguments AGAINST regulation
• impact on audiences

Task 3

Create a resource / handout for your classmates with the essential information that can be used to study and use this case study in the exam 

T2 | Wk 6 | Wed | 13 Reasons Why Case Study

   This task is now for your essay you'll write on Media Regulation. 

Case Study

Create a Blog post that is labelled - Media Regulation: Case Study, "13 Reasons Why"

Write a review on what happened with this TV series using the links below as a starting base for your case study research;

- Details about the movie (who created it/ distributed it/ directed it/ when did it come out / what platforms was it available on?)

- Where was it released? What countries?

- What was the controversy about?

- What rating did the NZ classifications board give it? Why?

- What was the rating in other countries?

- comment on the challenge of regulating online content 

 https://www.classificationoffice.govt.nz/news/latest-news/chief-censor-applies-rp18-classification-to-13-reasons-why-season-2/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/28/13-reasons-why-new-zealand-bans-under-18s-from-watching-suicide-drama-without-adult

https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv-radio/91956245/13-reasons-why-censors-make-new-rp18-rating-for-controversial-netflix-show

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/358000/serious-conversation-needed-with-netflix-chief-censor

Media Regulation Timeline Activity

You are going to create a graphic representation timeline of major media regulation developments to present back to the class.

This needs to be within a NZ context. 

At the end of the lesson, you will present back to the class what you've found and what you've included - and why you think it's significant. 

Include:

• press regulation (laws introduced in NZ of note)
• film classification
• broadcasting codes
• internet regulation
• AI moderation developments

Also include:

• establishment of The Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA)
• The New Zealand Media Council
• emergence of platform moderation
• privacy laws
• Online Safety legislation
• Office of Film and Literature Classification

Questions to answer 

• Has regulation become stronger or weaker?
• Why is regulating digital media harder?