mediawatchwatch.org.uk

Ofcom further cemented its reputation as a voice of reason today when it found Channel 4 “not in breach” for showing Lars Von Trier’s The Idiots (see 13 March article). The report, available as a .pdf download on Ofcom’s website, must come as a massive disappointment to the seven complainants who stayed up after midnight especially to be offended by the unpixelated penetrative sex scene (or at least pretended to stay up).

Under the circumstances: the serious contextualisation of the film within a season examining the censorship of film and television, its artistic purpose, the channel which transmitted it, the strong warnings before the film and prior to the scene in question and the scheduling after midnight, we consider this broadcast of the film on Channel 4 did not breach the Code. These circumstances all served to prepare potential viewers for the extreme content.

An important consideration was the artistic intention of the film in its style and narrative. The documentary approach, along with the brevity of the scene and its pivotal role in breaking up the group, further distanced the film from those of the ‘adult market’.

Mediawatch-UK has eight members on its committee. Which one is not pulling their weight?