Community Values: Lara Croft

For us, this blog is all about stimulating discussion of community values around television programming content. We note that some readers may find certain things more offensive than others, and we hope to be able to find a happy medium on topics that television stations can then use to inform their programming.

This week we had a couple of people mention the movie “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” that was shown on 73 (Mate) on Sunday 26^th October 2014 at 7pm.

There was some controversy as it contains many gory scenes and sexual innuendo for a PG move in a PG timeslot. The effect of these scenes is accentuated by an abundance of excessively tight costumes and suggestive camera close ups.

What did you think of this movie in a 7pm time slot? Would you/did you let your children watch?

As a side note for those interested: Most movies are listed on the International Movie Database (www.imdb.com) and we recommend parents concerned about the potential content of the movies look up the movie on this website. They usually have a section titled “Parent’s Guide” which lists all the scenes of the movie that may potentially be found to be offensive.

For example, for Lara Croft: Tomb Raider they list every moment with content relating to:

-       sex and nudity

-       violence and gore

-       profanity

-       alcohol/drugs/smoking

-       frightening/intense scenes

This can help parents to make informed decisions about what their children are exposed to, until changes are made at a regulatory and programming level.

If you’ve ever interacted with the Parent’s Guide on IMDB, we’d love to hear your experiences below!

Mark Holden DWTS update

After yet another bizarre and creepy performance from Mark Holden, his time on Dancing with the Stars has come to an end thanks to a lack of public support.

This week’s episode featured Holden dressed as Vladimir Putin (the controversial President of Russia).

Fortunately for viewers the show then stepped in to ensure there was no repeat of last weeks antics. His dance partner gaffa-taped Holden’s mouth shut, and host Daniel MacPherson intervened between the judges and Holden, dragging him away from the desk when he began thumping it.

In an interview with Herald Sun, Judge Todd McKenney said;

“It was awful to watch, and it was an awful feeling backstage, I’m just glad he is gone,” McKenney told Confidential.

“The whole thing was just odd.

“It was more the banter afterwards that was just bizarre and not family friendly.

“We have all played the game the past 10 years, you can skate on thin ice a little bit with humour on the show, but it’s still in the realm of family entertainment.

“He broke through the ice in my opinion.”

McKenney's view was shared by many on social media;

@DancingAU sorry but Mark Holden is a disgrace and I'm switching channels and not watching the show until he's gone
— Louise Olley (@4olleys) October 21, 2014

@DancingAU Mark Holden is bringing shame and disgrace to Australia and the whole Dancing with the Stars team. Poor Judges.
— Sabrina Eggleton (@KhloeKarLeopard) October 21, 2014

Ultimately Australia can take comfort in knowing their opinions were heard, and subsequently Holden is no longer a participant in the show. 
Voting shows such as Dancing With The Stars allow for producers to receive real-time analysis of how audiences perceive the content of their shows and the popularity of certain segements, and this directly correlates to who remains on the show and who is voted off.

Would you like a similar system in place for all shows? For example, a way for audiences to vote on who their favourite actor was on Home and Away, with the winner receiving additional scenes that week, and less scenes for the person with the least amount of votes.
Comment below with any other suggestions, or any comments about Mark Holden's DWTS career.

Finales

I remember as a young child being allowed to stay up to watch the first ever finale of Australian Idol. It was a school night and it went way past my bedtime, but I felt very grown up because I was allowed to watch.

I imagine this is not a foreign concept for many households around Australia, particularly this week as X Factor Australia ended for 2014, with the finale aired live over two nights; Sunday 19th October 8.00pm-10.20pm and Monday 20th October at 7.30pm-10pm.

We have discussed X Factor on this blog before (see blog post from 8thOctober) and noted that it markets itself at families, tweens and teens and is listed as a PG show.

These finale episodes ran quite late and thus into time slots when M rated programs and advertisements are able to be shown in many circumstances.

However, the 2010 Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice section 3.11 states that where a G or PG program continues past 8.30pm (or starts at 8.30pm) the advertisements must still be PG or G rated themselves until the program finishes or 10.30pm, which ever is earliest.

Therefore, here at Right At Night we commend Channel 7 for ending Sunday’s programming by 10.20pm to ensure no overlap with potential M-rated advertisements or material.

Do you think the Code of Practice is fair? 

If a PG program continues beyond 10.30pm, would you want the advertisements to still have to comply with the PG guidelines? 

And did you see any ads during the X Factor Finale coverage that you considered inappropriate?

Yes We Can

An article in The Daily Telegraph caught my eye today about how junk food advertising has moved from television to Facebook. This is owing to the recent advertising restrictions that prohibit the companies from marketing to children and adolescents.

While this is still an ongoing problem, it can serve as a case study to demonstrate that it is possible to create change in the television programming guidelines if the call for change is loud enough.

So remember that your voice and opinion counts. Whether it be a program, news piece or advertisement, speak up when you see something on television inappropriate for it’s time slot, and help us to instigate change!

DWTS and the problem with live tv

Channel 7 has faced more controversy this week after Mark Holden's bizarre Dancing with the Stars performance at 7.30pm on Tuesday night. The entertainer-turned-judge-turned-barrister shocked audiences with a circus inspired routine and his post performance attitude.

It opened up the age-old debate around live television programming, and whether the benefits outweigh the potential for disaster. Many networks have opted for 7 second delays on their live programs to give themselves a chance to bleep out accidental swear words, but this doesn’t account for incidents such as Mark’s, where so much of his segment was scary and inappropriate for a family friendly show.

The controversy continued into the following day, with questions raised over how the incident was reported on various media platforms. (Remember that the ACMA code of conduct still applies to news and current affair programs such as Sunrise). Many social media comments were made noting that it is one thing to show the content initially, but to reshow it the following day after there has been ample time to edit the inappropriate content out is unacceptable.

Did you consider his conduct inappropriate? What would you recommend to producers of live TV shows to avoid similar situations happening again? And would you have re-aired the content the following day?

#MileyOnSunrise: Producers don't listen?

“Miley Cyrus” seems to have become synonymous with controversy over the past few years, after her exploits including pole dancing at concerts, provocative outfits, public drug use, naked video clips and the infamous “Blurred Lines” duet with Robin Thicke at the MTV music awards.  

The 21-year-old is currently touring in Australia and appeared on Sunrise (Channel 7, Weekdays 6am-9am) on Monday October 13th. According to the producers, when they announced she scheduled to appear, they received a lot of negative feedback. This did not seem to deter them though, as she featured heavily throughout the show.

This demonstrates how many television stations fail to consider their audiences and the values they hold. Many community members consider her songs and style inappropriate for a traditionally family-friendly morning show, and surely if your viewers are passionate enough about an issue to go to the effort of contacting you about it, it requires consideration. Maybe producers were ultimately wooed by the rating potential of her appearance…

Having said that, in the Sydney Morning Herald review, they reported that "Her high-cut leotard was almost demure ... her language polite, her answers considered". 
Perhaps then society has different values to that which the media perceives us to have? Let us know what you think about Miley’s appearance, and whether you think Sunrise should have listed to the outrage from their viewers?

P.S. We retweeted and reposted some of the best response to MileyOnSunrise - check them out at https://twitter.com/RightAtNight and https://www.facebook.com/rightatnightcampaign

PG Family shows: role models and sexualisation

.@DanniiMinogue and @Redfoo let loose after @ReiganDerry's controversial performance! Now THAT was #awkies! https://t.co/7d87JV8RAt
— The X Factor Aus (@thexfactor_au) October 5, 2014

This week on X Factor (Channel 7, Sunday and Monday nights) an issue arose between the judges about the oversexualisation of artists.

Reigan Derry was the act at the centre of the controversy owing to her desire to separate herself from her past girl group Scarlett Belle where she was not comfortable with the way she was presented.

Dannii Minogue commented, “In the close-ups of this outfit, if you don’t want to be oversexualised … I’m getting mixed messages.”

“I don’t know if you guys are working together as a team,” said Minogue of Reigan and Red Foo’s partnership.

“As a mentor I would listen to what you said in that audition. If you don’t want to be oversexualised … stick to it.”

Red Foo defended Reigan’s outfit, saying, “It’s not oversexualised”.

“Look at what you’re wearing!” he said to Dannii.

“You want to talk about oversexualised, look what you’re wearing. This is see through. Let’s get real.”

While the altercation was specific to one particular contestant and the lack of communication between the mentee and mentor, it also opened up a discussion about the presentation of the artists and show.

The contestants should have a say in how they are dressed, but the producers also need to be mindful of the target market and audience of the show.

This show (and others such as Australia’s Got Talent and The Voice) market themselves at tweens and families, and are usually broadcast in the 6.30pm or 7.30pm timeslot on mainstream TV.

While this means they are rated PG (‘Parental Guidance recommended for young viewers’) it does not stop the content from often bordering on inappropriate, whether it be through the the outfits, song lyrics, dance moves or comments made.

The X Factor judges L to R: Ronan Keating, Natalie Bassingthwaite, Dannii Minogue, Red Foo

The show does all it can to create hype around their contestants and judges, and subsequently they become role models for the younger viewers. They religiously rewatch each performance, pore over magazine articles featuring the acts and aspire to replicate them in any way they can.

We are thus advocating for Channel 7 and the producers to better consider how the show is presented considering its young demographic, and ensure the content is appropriate for the time of night.

What do you think of these variety shows? Have any performances in particular offended you? Or do you think they have been appropriate considering the time slot and PG rating?

Friends: too friendly?

I am a Friends fanatic. I would estimate I have seen each episode at least 5 times, I can quote along with the characters, and I’m on Rachel’s side in the “we were on a break” argument.

One of the reasons I have been able to become so familiar with the show is because for the last few years Channel 90 (GEM) has been playing repeats from 6pm-7pm, and more recently, from 6.30pm-7.30pm.

The show is incredibly popular, and was initially broadcast in an 8.30pm timeslot in the late 1990s to early 2000s. As it revolves around a group of 20somethings, the content can often be very mature in nature, and frequently addresses sex, sexual acts and pornography, with some adult language also used.

Owing to this, it’s position in a 6.30pm timeslot has definitely raised eyebrows, as has it’s PG rating.

Furthermore, technically showing the program at 6pm or 6.30pm on a school day is in breach of the ACMA code of conduct, which states that only G rated content can be shown between 4pm-7pm.

The show is a great example of how community standards have changed over a period of 20 years, and therefore how important it is for television stations to be continually investigating and collating data around the public’s perceptions.

It also demonstrates how lax stations are becoming when policing the issue internally, as they have allowed this to occur for many years.

Let us know what you think below; should GEM be punished? Have community standards changed that dramatically? And do you think Friends’ PG rating is justified? 

 

Music Videos

Before you read the rest of this post, I must admit that as someone with over a decade of classical music training, I am easily horrified by today’s ‘popular’ music, so this will very quickly turn into a rant. To me, the majority of it can’t even be classified as music; it’s just a collection of noises made on computer programs with illogical and uncreative words.

What’s worse is that these songs are usually accompanied by extremely sexual video clips.

“Anaconda” by Nick Minaj is the one that has been all over social media and music video shows such as The Loop (Channel Eleven, Saturdays 9am) recently.

Via Slow Robot

In a recent article on Huffington Post titled “No More Booty Songs, Please”, Jennifer L. Scott describes her viewing experience;

To say that the video shocked me is a vast understatement. Ms. Minaj writhes, grinds and twerks her way through nearly 5 minutes of a robotic song about, you guessed it, her buttocks. Mixed with samplings from the 1992 hit, "Baby Got Back," by Sir Mix-a-lot, the song itself is completely dire, plagued with raunchy, dumbed-down lyrics with a chorus that exclaims, Oh my gosh, look at her butt, over and over again. Sigh.

I came away from watching the video feeling slightly nauseous. I have two daughters, ages two and four. If music videos are this sexually explicit and devoid of merit now, what are they going to be like when my girls are teenagers?
(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-l-scott/no-more-booty-songs-pleas_b_5853330.html)

This is the concern of many parents, and hence why at Right at Night we are so passionate about inspiring change. By aiming to bring this issue into the forefront of the media, we hope to stimulate conversations by people of all demographics around what they consider appropriate content, and ultimately protect those who are currently voiceless.

If you need any further convincing, the video and lyrics of Anaconda are below…

My anaconda don't, my anaconda don't
My anaconda don't want none unless you got buns, hun

Boy toy named Troy used to live in Detroit
Big dope dealer money, he was gettin' some coins
Was in shootouts with the law, but he live in a palace
Bought me Alexander McQueen, he was keeping me stylish
Now that's real, real, real
Gun in my purse, bitch, I came dressed to kill
Who wanna go first? I had them pushing daffodils
I'm high as hell, I only took a half a pill
I'm on some dumb shit, by the way, what he say?
He can tell I ain't missing no meals
Come through and fuck him in my automobile
Let him eat it with his grills and he tellin' me to chill
And he telling me it's real, that he love my sex appeal
Say he don't like 'em boney, he want something he can grab
So I pulled up in the Jag, and I hit him with the jab like
Dun-d-d-dun-dun-d-d-dun-dun

My anaconda don't, my anaconda don't
My anaconda don't want none unless you got buns, hun

Oh my gosh, look at her butt
Oh my gosh, look at her butt
Oh my gosh, look at her butt
(Look at her butt)
Look at, look at, look at
Look, at her butt

This dude named Michael used to ride motorcycles
Dick bigger than a tower, I ain't talking about Eiffel's
Real country-ass nigga, let me play with his rifle
Pussy put his ass to sleep, now he calling me NyQuil
Now that bang, bang, bang
I let him hit it cause he slang cocaine
He toss my salad like his name Romaine
And when we done, I make him buy me Balmain
I'm on some dumb shit, by the way, what he say?
He can tell I ain't missing no meals
Come through and fuck him in my automobile
Let him eat it with his grills, and he telling me to chill
And he telling me it's real, that he love my sex appeal
He say he don't like 'em boney, he want something he can grab
So I pulled up in the Jag, Mayweather with the jab like
Dun-d-d-dun-dun-d-d-dun-dun

My anaconda don't, my anaconda don't
My anaconda don't want none unless you got buns, hun

Oh my gosh, look at her butt
Oh my gosh, look at her butt
Oh my gosh, look at her butt
(Look at her butt)
Look at, look at, look at
Look, at her butt

Little in the middle but she got much back
Little in the middle but she got much back
Little in the middle but she got much back
(Oh my God, look at her butt)

My anaconda don't, my anaconda don't
My anaconda don't want none unless you got buns, hun
My anaconda don't, my anaconda don't
Don't want none unless you got buns, hun

Oh my gosh, look at her butt
Oh my gosh, look at her butt
Oh my gosh, look at her butt
(Look at her butt)
Look at, look at, look at
Look, at her butt

Yeah, he love this fat ass, ha haha!
Yeah! This one is for my bitches with a fat ass in the fucking club
I said, where my fat ass big bitches in the club?
Fuck the skinny bitches! Fuck the skinny bitches in the club!
I wanna see all the big fat ass bitches in the muthafuckin' club
Fuck you if you skinny bitches, what?! Kyuh
Ha ha, ha ha
I got a big fat ass (ass, ass, ass)
Come on!

21st Century Parenting

I came across an article today called "Simple solutions to high-tech headaches", which discussed how "Today's parents have a whole lot of new things to deal with".

They interviewed Kathy Walker, a child development consultant, and one of her suggestions was only allowing "half-an-hour a day maximum TV and computer screen time for those aged two to five and no more than one hour for those aged six to 12".

Ideally most parents dream of being organised and in control at all times, with never ending energy and time for their kids. Realistically though, many are juggling a combination of full time work, house work, multiple children, time with their spouse as well as trying to stay sane, so being able to turn on the TV to have a moment's peace can be a real help.

That's one of the reasons why we believe television stations should ensure their programming is in line with regulatory and community standards - parents want the confidence to know that if they have to leave the room momentarily, their children are not going to be exposed to content they are not comfortable with them seeing.

 

Walker also identifies that one of the things parents wrestle with is when to allow their children to watch a PG or M rated movie. We agree that parents consider this a big decision, because they are ultimately deciding what their children are being exposed to. As parents they should be afforded this right, television stations shouldn't be able to circumvent the law and community standards to play inappropriate content during family time slots. (Interesting fact though: Per the ACMA guidelines, M content can be played between 12pm-3pm on school days)

Have you ever seen anything inappropriate while watching television with your children? Do you approve of M content during the day? And how do you control TV watching in your house?