Hi
folks, looking for some clarity on the CRTC regulations regarding
broadcast of material related to birth control and STDs. The CRTC
regulations I have say:
The following items are prohibited from being mentioned on air: - any
program about the subject of birth control or venereal disease, unless
that program is presented in a manner appropriate to the medium of
broadcasting.
This is very vague. Does anyone have specifics on what this regulation means?
Freya Zaltz, Legal Advisor to the National Campus and Community Radio Association, replied:
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I
haven't been able to find much in the past that sheds light on this. I
think it's a very outdated policy that the CRTC just hasn't taken steps
to update in recent years. This is what I think the CRTC currently
expects with respect to this type of programming:
(a) consider your intended audience and your potential audience when
determining the content of the program and whether it's justifiable and
appropriate;
(b) during daytime hours, limit sexually explicit
content to material that's presented in an informative and educational
manner, and to only what's required in order to present the material
accurately and responsibly (i.e. not sensational or gratuitously
graphic);
(c) at all times of day but particularly during daytime hours,
provide warnings before and during the program so that listeners are
aware of the subject matter of the program (just a simple statement that
the program contains sexual content is sufficient so listeners can
decide if it's appropriate to keep listening); and
(d) avoid unbalanced programming that condemns people for certain
behaviour, tells listeners how they ought to behave, or illustrates
sexism or homophobia or other forms of discrimination;
(e) focus on providing an informed and balanced analysis and discussion of options and resources.
Some may disagree with this, but I think it's what the CRTC would expect if they had to investigate complaints from listeners.