Lecture 6: Regulation of Media Content II Flashcards
Name the 6 legislative acts that regulate the dissemination of media content.
1) Films Act (FA)
2) Undesirable Publications Act (UPA)
3) Internal Security Act (ISA)
4) Official Secrets Act (OSA)
5) Defamation Act (DA)
6) Copyright Act (CA)
Fallen Usher Inspected Oily Doubtful Cookies.
Define what the Films Act (FA) entails.
The FA governs the
[VERB]
1) Possession
2) Importation
3) Making
4) Distribution
5) Exhibition
of
[NOUN]
1) Films
2) Videos
3) Video games
Define “film” in the context of the FA.
Any cinematograph film
Any video recording, including a video recording that is designed for use wholly/ principally as a game
Any other material record/ thing on which is recorded/ stored for immediate/ future retrieval
Any information that, by the use of any computer/ electronic device, is capable of being reproduced/ displayed as wholly/ partly visual moving pictures, and includes any part of a film, and any copy/ part of a copy of the whole.
Explain how the FA defines the film classification rating system. How does the FA manage uncensored films?
Advisory rating: G to PG13
Enforceable by law: NC16 to R21
FA stipulates the penalties for the possession and distribution of uncensored films.
Define the Undesirable Publications Act (UPA).
UPA prevents the importation/ distribution/ reproduction of undesirable publications (excluding films).
Importation/ distribution/ reproduction –> think of it in the context that these publications are typically FOREIGN ones, so no verbs that imply such publications are MADE HERE
Define “publication” in the context of the UPA.
- Book/ magazine/ periodical
- Sound recording (Not soundtracks in movies; more like interviews, podcasts, etc.)
- Picture/ drawing
- Photograph
How does the UPA manage undesirable publications?
It stipulates the penalties for
[VERB]
1) Making
2) Reproducing
3) Importing
4) Possessing
5) Selling
6) Exhibiting
7) Distributing
any
[ADJECTIVE]
1) Obscene and
2) Objectionable
[NOUN] publication.
What are the penalties for defying the UPA?
First offence: fine not exceeding $10,000 OR imprisonment not exceeding 3 years, OR both
Subsequent offence: imprisonment not exceeding 4 years
Under the UPA, what are the characteristics of objectionable content?
1) Depicts
(a) sex
(b) horror
(c) crime
(d) cruelty
(e) violence
(f) consumption of drugs or other intoxicating substances
in a manner that is likely to harm the public.
2) May cause feelings of
(a) enmity
(b) hatred
(c) ill-will
(d) hostility
between different racial or religious groups.
What does the Internal Security Act (ISA) entail?
ISA mainly deals with terrorism. It allows radicalised individuals/ anyone perceived to be a threat to state security to be detained without trial.
What does the Official Secrets Act (OSA) entail?
It protects confidential information (applies to both text and images). It discourages:
1) Civil servants from leaking information
2) Media from publishing said leaked information
What does the Defamation Act (DA) entail?
It protects the reputation of individuals against false accusations.
Name the two types of defamation under the DA, and explain what they entail.
1) Libel: written defamation
- Can happen in an article/ image you published in a magazine/ blog
2) Slander: spoken/ oral defamation
- Can happen in radio broadcast/ podcast/ any other form of audio recording
Why is slander defamation harder to prove than libel defamation?
Slander defamation cases require convincing witness evidence as to the precise words spoken. The party accused will often deny that they used those words.
What does the Copyright Act (CA) entail?
CA protects intellectual property.
