Regulation

Within the media you will find plenty of regulation in place too make sure that there is fair representation, which inturn stops any bias and therefore any complaints that comes with it. There are many different laws that have been passed over the years, all for different issues, and all in place to help make sure that the audience is happy.

One is the Race Relations Act which was passed in 1976 in the United Kingdom. It mixes the regulations of previous Race Relation Acts as well as some more up to date regulations. It's main purpose is to make sure that any media institution may not broadcast and/or publish anything which could be deemed racially or ethically offensive.

The Obscene Publications Act, first passed in 1959 and later redrafted in 1964, is introduced so that nothing deemed as 'Obscene' can be broadcast and/or published within the Media. This is where the 'Water-shed' comes in. In the United Kingdom, nothing offense can be played before 9pm. After 9pm you can broadcast more mature content. There is another 'watershed' for anything deemed 18+, which is after 11pm. The watershed ends at 5:30am. In different countries, the watershed times differ, for example in the United States the water-shed is 10pm to 6am.

The Representattion of the People Acts (1983) gives each of the main Politcal Parties an equal amount of time in which they may broadcast during the year. This law also helps to regulate how exactly they may use this broadcast time. This is so that one party does not have more broadcast time, therefore have more influence over the public opinion, and thus there is no bias. 

The Public Order Act of 1986 is similar to the Race relations act, in that it helps regulate material which could be deemed offensive to any ethnic or national group. It states that anything which may portray violent disorder, rioting, fear or provocation of violence, Affray or Harassment, alarm of distress. 

The Sex Discrimination Act was passed in 1986 and was created so that people of both genders are equally represented in the media as well as in the industry. It was later replaced by the Equality Act in 2010. It allows for men and women, and in 2008 transexuals, to be protected from discrimination on the grounds of sex and/or marriage. 

In 1990 The Broadcasting Act was brought in. This law states that the Independent Television Commision (ITC) must make sure that anything that they broadcast will not be deemed offensive in any way. This act is sometimes seen 'as a quintessential example of Thatcherism' by both supporters and critics.

There are many other regulatory bodies which help to keep the media 'in check', and to make sure that all audiences remain pleased when watching a program. Although you may find programs which have been purposfully designed to create controversy, the majority of programs which you see have been carefully inspected before being shown to the public, whether that be through screenings or through people with power. The Office of Communications (OFCOM) was estabilished in 2002 in the United Kingdom, and as of 2003 became the main regulatory body for broadcasting, telecommunications and postal idustries of the UK. Nowadays most of what you see on TV have gone through them first.