OFCOM Regulation
Due diligence to avoid offending people
In the pre production stages of this project we need to all be aware of the broadcasting rules that we may break inadvertently (or on purpose) during filming. These rules are set out by OFCOM, the independent regulator for the UK communication industry.
Their website is very helpful and extensive in its coverage. The broadcasting rules are broken down into certain sections that act as a header for certain areas that could cause offence or be harm a individual. As our documentary will be delving into the life of a Muslim man from Pakistan we need to be vigilant in not offending his religion or culture either when interviewing him or when editing the project in post.
Below is an example from the section of the OFCOM website entitled Religion.
http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/broadcasting/broadcast-codes/broadcast-code/religion/
Upon reading this it really highlights how much of a minefield our project could really be. Some of the rules are slightly ambiguous, and are obviously open to subjective interpretation such 4.4 that could be different to different people.
To overcome this we need to make sure that we plan our questions thoroughly beforehand so that they do not offend our primaries or their beliefs. This means taking a great amount of care in research into the religion of these persons and being professional in asking and presenting them.
The second section I thought was relevant to our project was the Harm and Offence section. This sections concisely outlines the rules of a subject that is so broad. These rules are a more general rule base for filmmaking and mainly aim to protect all members of the public from exposure to anything unsuitable in contemporary terms.
Continued on the link below.
http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/broadcasting/broadcast-codes/broadcast-code/harmoffence/
After reading through these rules, one that we will need to abide by is 2.2 that states we must not mislead our audience for no reason other than personal gain. Obviously this what not our intention anyway but this may be done accidentally and we need to be prepared for.
Rule 2.10 dictates that any production, drama of documentary, must not mislead the audience into believing that they are watching actual news. While this would be completely against the visual style of our documentary I think it is relevant. We will need to make sure we avoid the project turning into that, for a quality lever also.
Again a lot of these rules are dictated by subjective views, but for the most part they are clear in their intention and should be no relatively trouble to adhere to.
