the
facts
ReGenesis is a dramatic program that focuses on the activities
of a fictional organization called NorBAC, which was established to investigate
questionable advances in biotechnology. The premiere episode of the program, which follows
the personal and professional lives of Chief Scientist Dr. David Sandström
and his colleagues, was entitled "Baby Bomb". In it, the NorBAC team tried to identify and
contain a deadly virus that had killed a number of people and appeared to
be spreading to
The episode contained scenes of sexual activity, coarse language, as well
as violence and injury. A viewer, who
had seen the episode broadcast by Global Edmonton (CITV-TV) on
This is regarding NUDITY on this program too early in the evening; easy
access for children. My children had
to witness sexual intercourse and nudity on ReGenesis.
The one scene that specifically concerned the complainant occurred approximately
four minutes into the program. When
Lilith entered her father's apartment and called out, no-one replied.
Lilith then went to the bedroom where she saw, from the back, a naked
woman straddling her father in bed. Her reaction: "That is so disturbing."
The audience then saw the naked woman's surprised face as she covered
her breasts with her hands (although the breasts were not visible to television
viewers). David pushed the woman off him and got up to
talk to his daughter. There were no
other scenes of nudity or sexual activity in the episode.
Although not mentioned by the complainant, the episode also contained a
few scenes of violence and injury. In
the first, near the beginning of the program, David was struck by a car as
he walked across the street. He was
shown lying on the ground, with a close-up of his bleeding temple. Given the nature of the program, although there
were no other scenes of violence or impact, there were scenes of physical
or medical trauma in a medical or scientific context. In one such example, the NorBAC team examined
a young male patient suffering from the mysterious virus. The boy had bloody pox marks on his face and,
when a nurse turned him over, the viewer saw that his back was covered with
blood, which had also pooled on the bed. In
another scene, one of the NorBAC officials was visiting the scene of a fire
at a diner. She looked on at the body
of a dead woman with blood on her forehead as a police officer zipped it into
a body bag.
There were also examples of coarse language in the episode. On three occasions, the expression "fucked up"
was muted, but in one other instance the word "fuck" was left unmuted. The episode also contained a few unedited utterances
of the words "shit" and "bullshit".
The episode was rated 14+ and featured the following viewer advisory at
the beginning and coming out of every commercial break:
The following program contains
coarse language. Viewer discretion
is advised.
Global responded to the complainant on September 21, explaining their programming
decisions. They also acknowledged that
the viewer advisory did not sufficiently cover all aspects of the program.
The relevant portions of their letter are as follows:
In
your letter, you refer to nudity and sexual activity in this episode that
you found inappropriate. Let me begin
by saying that as responsible broadcasters, we are sensitive to the members
of our viewing audience, and we apologize if this program has offended you. I assure that it is neither Global's nor the
producer's intention to do so.
We
recognize that this series may not suit everyone's taste. Under the Broadcasting
Act, Canadian broadcasters are required to provide a broad spectrum of
entertainment and information programming for "men, women and children of
all ages, interests and tastes." Television
programming is required to be diverse and appealing to a wide variety of audiences
and what one viewer might consider an interesting or amusing program might
lead another to turn the channel.
We
aim to please a wide range of viewers with varied tastes. Global Television adheres to the television
rating system created by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) and
the Action Group on Violence on Television (AGVOT).
This public rating system is intended to advise viewers of a program's
content in order to allow you the viewer to determine a program's suitability
for your own viewing needs. As required,
an on-screen key airs for the first fifteen seconds of the program and the
matching V-Chip data is encoded into our transmission for the entire duration
of the program. This program aired
with an AGVOT of 14+ - suitable for viewers 14 years of age and older. Programming within this classification abides
by the following guidelines:
"may
include scenes of nudity and/or sexual activity within the context of the
narrative or theme and/or language that may include strong or frequent use
of profanity. "
We
also aired the following viewer discretion advisory at the beginning of the
episode and coming out of each break.
"The
following program contains coarse language.
Viewer Discretion is advised."
After
our review, we realize that the advisory was insufficient. As a result, we have implemented a procedure
whereby each episode will be screened and given the appropriate advisory.
You,
the viewer, are the valued customer. As
such, we strive to ensure you will continue to watch our programming. We appreciate open dialogue with our audience,
and thank you for your letter.
The complainant submitted her Ruling Request on September 27 and indicated
her dissatisfaction with Global's response. In particular, she emphasized that programs
with nudity should only be shown after
the decision
The National Conventional Television Panel examined the complaint under
the following provisions of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters' (CAB)
Code of Ethics and the CAB Voluntary Code Regarding Violence in Television
Programming.
CAB Code of Ethics, Clause 10 - Television Broadcasting (Scheduling)
a)
Programming which contains
sexually explicit material or coarse or offensive language intended for adult
audiences shall not be telecast before the late viewing period, defined as
9 pm to 6 am. Broadcasters shall refer to the Voluntary Code Regarding
Violence in Television Programming for provisions relating to the scheduling
of programming containing depictions of violence.
CAB Code
of Ethics, Clause 11 - Viewer
Advisories
To assist consumers in making their viewing choices, when programming includes
mature subject matter or scenes with nudity, sexually explicit material, coarse
or offensive language, or other material susceptible of offending viewers,
broadcasters shall provide a viewer advisory
a)
at the beginning of, and after
every commercial break during the first hour of programming telecast in late
viewing hours which contains such material which is intended for adult audiences,
or
b)
at the beginning of, and after
every commercial break during programming telecast outside of late viewing
hours which contains such material which is not suitable for children.
Suggested
language for suitable viewer advisories is outlined in Appendix A. The suggestions are meant as possible illustrations;
broadcasters are encouraged to adopt wording which is likeliest to provide
viewers with the most relevant and useful information regarding the programming
to which it applies.
CAB Violence Code, Article 3.0 - Scheduling
3.1 Programming
3.1.1 Programming which contains
scenes of violence intended for adult audiences shall not be telecast before
the late evening viewing period, defined as 9 pm to 6 am.
CAB Violence Code, Article 4.0 - Classification, AGVOT's Classification
System for English-language Broadcasters
14+ -- Over 14 Years
Descriptive
Programming with this classification
contains themes or content elements which might not be suitable for viewers
under the age of 14. Parents are strongly
cautioned to exercise discretion in permitting viewing by pre-teens and early
teens without parent/guardian supervision, as programming with this classification
could deal with mature themes and societal issues in a realistic fashion.
Violence Guidelines
- while violence could be one
of the dominant elements of the storyline, it must be integral to the development
of plot or character.
- might contain intense scenes
of violence
Other Content Guidelines
Language: - could possibly include strong or frequent
use of profanity
Sex/Nudity: - might include scenes of nudity and/or
sexual activity within the context of narrative or theme
The National Conventional Television Panel Adjudicators viewed a tape of
the program and examined all correspondence.
The Panel concludes that the broadcaster is in violation of Clauses
10 and 11 of the CAB Code of Ethics
but not of Article 3 of the CAB Violence Code.
Nudity on Television
The
complainant was concerned by both nudity and sexuality, which the Panel will
treat separately, as it considers that the issues differ in nature. In a decision that will be discussed again below
under the Coarse Language heading, namely, WTN
re the movie Wildcats (CBSC Decision
00/01-0964, January 16, 2002), there were two scenes involving male and
female nudity (in a 4:00 pm broadcast). In one, frontal male nudity was shown as a football
team changed in the locker room. In
another, a woman was seen lying naked in a bathtub. The National Specialty Services Panel did not
find that the nudity was problematic since it was not paired with sexual activity,
was relatively brief, and presented in a humorous context.
In an admittedly more extreme example, namely, TQS
re Strip Tease (CBSC Decision 98/99-0441,
February 21, 2000), the theatrical motion picture contained some scenes
of strip tease performances during which bare breasts were in plain view.
The Quebec Regional Panel did not find that the broadcast of the program
at 8:00 pm violated the scheduling provisions the Code.
Referring to previous decisions where the Panel had had to deal with
sexual content, the Panel stated
that, in the case of the film
Strip Tease, the showing of the bare breasts of Demi Moore or the other
dancers was in no way comparable to the erotic matter in été sensuel, much less that in L'inconnu. While acknowledging that the showing of bare
breasts on strip tease dancers was intended by the filmmaker to be sexual,
the Council considers that the absence of sexual contact or lovemaking in
the film rendered it, to all intents and purposes, sufficiently innocent that
there would not even be a requirement that its broadcast occur only in a post-watershed
time frame. Moreover, by airing the
film in a family-viewing period (at 8:00 p.m.) with appropriate advisories
and the rating icon [.], the broadcaster had provided sufficient opportunity
for those who might prefer not to see the film or not to have it available
for their families to make that choice.
In short, it is not the view of the Panel that nudity alone is problematic
before the Watershed. The Panel finds
no breach of Clause 10 of the CAB Code of Ethics on that account.
Sexual Activity and the Watershed
CBSC Panels have established a line of precedents on this issue which are
quite clear and, therefore, relatively easy to follow, although not scientific
or mathematical in their application. They begin with the principle that there is
no inherent difficulty with the depiction of healthy sexual activity
on television. When, therefore, is
there a potential problem? The answer
to that is dependent on two matters: first, timing; and, second, the nature
of the activity depicted.
First, then, the timing issue, the mathematical element. Before the Watershed (9:00 pm - 6:00 am), the
CBSC considers that it is inappropriate to show sexual activity that is intended
for adult eyes and minds. There is,
in the pre-Watershed period, a run of 15 hours (a strong majority of the broadcast
day and about 90% of our customary waking hours), during which broadcasters
offer their audiences a safe haven, namely, a period in which their
television viewing can be free of adult-oriented material, whether sexual
or otherwise. There may still, in that
time frame, be programming that some parents will not wish their families
to see (all adults should make the effort to weigh the appropriateness of
all kinds of programming for themselves and their children) but it will not
be due to its exclusively adult orientation.
And even in the pre-Watershed period, broadcasters advise their
audiences of the nature of what is to come.
That programming which includes sexual content that is more adult in its
orientation is, on that account, properly run in the post-Watershed
broadcast framework. Inappropriate
by its nature for the safe haven, it must be shown in a time slot that Canadians
know, going in, is likely to include mature themes, whether visual or psychological.
What, then, is the nature of sexual content that is adult-oriented? The issues are explicitness and intensity.
In general, CBSC Panels have seen the former criterion as associated
in part with the combination of nudity and sexual activity.
In TQS re an episode of the program
Faut le voir pour le croire (CBSC Decision
99/00-0460 and 00/01-0123, August 29, 2000), for example, the sexual activity
portrayed
was
clearly of a nature intended for adult audiences. The practice of cunnilingus, the love-making
in the clandestine circumstances of a parking garage on the hood of a car,
the sexual interlude in an elevator, these are all activities which may not
be problematic in the context of adult audiences but are entirely inappropriate,
as the complainant states, for children.
It was, in other words, explicit. The
Quebec Regional Panel addressed a similar situation in TQS
re the program 2000 ans de bogues (CBSC
Decisions 99/00-0116 and -0345, August 29, 2000).
The Panel again found the content explicit; it described it as follows:
Among
other things, despite the fact that they were run at double speed and digital
pixillation had concealed the actors' genitalia, the sexual acts during the
pornography segment were excessive. Moreover,
in distinct contrast to the film Strip Tease, the scenes of nudity
in this case are presented in an overwhelmingly erotic context, namely, in
one part of the episode, during the making of a pornographic film.
In 2000 ans de bogues, not only are we able to see the actresses'
bare breasts, we are also able to see them engaging in explicitly sexual acts.
The Council has no doubt that such scenes belong to the category of
programming considered to be "intended for adult audiences"
In CTV re W-FIVE (Swingers)
(CBSC Decision 99/00-0347, February 14, 2001), the Atlantic Regional Panel
considered a complaint about a segment dedicated to the "swinging" lifestyle
which appeared at 8:30 pm in
Here, the bare breasts and buttocks
were displayed precisely because they were related to sexual activity.
In fact the discussion of that activity by third parties and by the
very participants made it clear that this link was intended. [...] The Panel
does not consider that it is necessary that the purpose of the show's producer
is to titillate. It suffices that the link between nudity and
sexual activity is sufficiently established.
In Showcase Television re the movie Rats
(CBSC Decision 99/00-0772, August 23, 2001), although there was no nudity,
there was explicit sexual activity and the issue of duration was noted.
[I]t is sexual activity and not
nudity that drives the "adult" characterization. It is entirely clear that a scene may be sufficiently
sexually explicit without nudity that it ought to be accessible to adults
to the exclusion of younger family members. The Panel considers that the second love-making
scene in Rats, which lasted for 1 minute and 25 seconds, falls into
that category. It is not merely a romantic
encounter or suggestive. It is erotic,
actively demonstrative, extended, and climactic. It is inappropriate for airing at 7 pm.
On the other extreme, the Panel refers to Bravo!
re the film The House of the Spirits
(CBSC Decision 00/01-0738, January 16, 2002), which dealt with a dramatic
film with more than one scene of sexual activity. In the most significant of these, a nude man
and woman were seen through a sheer curtain engaging in sexual activity. The scene lasted a minute and a half. Acknowledging the scene's "mature cast", the
National Specialty Services Panel determined that neither it nor any of the
other (less revealing) scenes were "so extreme as to be classified as viewable
by only adult audiences."
In the matter at hand, the Panel is divided. While there is some nudity, none of it is frontal
and neither breasts nor genitalia (male or female) are shown. Wandering through her father's apartment when
no-one had greeted her at the door, David's teenage daughter happens on her
father and his lover in a sexual scene that is 16 seconds long from start
to finish, from the first moan and a back view to the expository and concluding
dialogue between Lilith, David and his girlfriend.
In other words, the sexual component in the scene is fleeting and not
intense, being as much denouement as exposition. Nonetheless, the Panel is split on the interpretation.
Adjudicators B. Culbert, M. Hogarth and C. Murray would consider that
it is sufficiently explicit to constitute post-Watershed material, while R.
Cohen, S. Gouin and J. Macdonald consider that it is sufficiently un-explicit
to play pre-Watershed. For the latter Adjudicators, there is a qualitative
similarity to the decision in House of the Spirits, although quantitatively
speaking, the scene in the present file is materially shorter.
There being an even split on the issue, there can be no conclusion
that the broadcaster has breached Clause 10 of the CAB Code of Ethics.
Coarse Language and the Watershed
This issue is far more mathematical. The CBSC Panels have consistently (with but
a single exception not pertinent to the matter at hand) concluded that the
f-word and its derivatives cannot be broadcast on a pre-Watershed basis. Correspondingly, the retention of one of those
words relegates a television broadcast to the post-Watershed period. In a decision quite similar to the matter at
hand, namely, WTN re the movie Wildcats
(CBSC Decision 00/01-0964, January 16, 2002), the movie contained examples
of the word "fuck" and a derivative, most of which had been muted.
As in that broadcast, in the program under consideration here, three
usages were bleeped and a single one remained.
The conclusions of the National Specialty Services Panel appertain.
In such circumstances, WTN had
two options: either edit all instances of these words or air the film post-Watershed
in the originating time zone. On the
basis of the broadcaster's letter and the five instances in which such coarse
words were muted, it appeared that the broadcaster had selected the first
option. It is not clear, in the circumstances,
why the broadcaster had muted out "fuck" and "motherfucker" in some instances
but left them in on five other occasions. Whether a purposeful choice or an inadvertence,
their inclusion in a film aired prior to the Watershed constitutes a breach
of Clause 3.1.1 of the [Code].
The Panel concludes, on this issue unanimously, that Global has breached
Clause 10 of the CAB Code of Ethics by not bleeping or muting all instances
of the f-word in the broadcast of a program before the Watershed.
Violence and the Watershed
The Panel does not consider that the violence present in the episode was
at all problematic. In fact, there
was no person-inflicted or intentional violence of the type generally contemplated
by the Violence Code and the CBSC Panels. There was an automobile-pedestrian accident
and a bleeding temple on the distracted protagonist, who had been struck by
the vehicle. In CFCF-TV re Matrix (CBSC
Decision 93/94-0166, December 6, 1995), there were elements of both action
and suspense but the only "violence" also involved a car-pedestrian collision.
That alone did not force the program
into a post-9:00 pm time slot. Nor, in the view of the Panel does it do so
in the present instance.
In ReGenesis, there were also depictions of the results of
the virus. This phenomenon paralleled,
in some senses, the circumstances in CIHF-TV
(MITV) re an episode of The X-Files
(CBSC Decision 96/97-0043, February 14, 1997), in which there were on-screen
manifestations of off-screen activity. In
the X-Files decision, the Atlantic Regional Panel noted that "certain
scenes in the program were graphic and occasionally left a gory record of
what had occurred off-camera" but it found that there was no breach of the
CAB Violence Code on that occasion.
In the present matter, the graphic manifestations were not even the
result of violence as the Panel understands that term.
In the circumstances, it does not consider that they amount to a breach
of the CAB Violence Code.
The Classification of this Episode of ReGenesis
The Panel finds no error in the application of a rating of 14+ to the challenged
program. The rating descriptor provides
for the possible inclusion of "strong or frequent use of profanity"; the language
certainly did not exceed those parameters. The 14+ descriptor also allowed that the program
"might include scenes of nudity and/or sexual activity within the context
of narrative or theme [emphasis added]"; there was but a single very
brief scene that included a suggestion of nudity (in that no breasts
or genitalia were shown) and a short burst of sexual activity. Those definitions were neither exceeded nor
even stretched.
Viewer Advisories
Viewer advisories play an important role in informing viewers of what they
may expect to encounter in the programs they are about to watch or may be
watching. Unlike the abbreviated information
included in a ratings icon, which is, in general, tied to an age group and
earns its level on the basis of any one of a number of content issues, an
advisory describes the material that may trouble a viewer. While the description is pithy, it refers to
categories of content, which have tended to be: violence, coarse language,
sexuality, nudity, and mature themes. There
is, however, no requirement that it be limited to such matters. If advisories are thought of as a useful and
informative tool for audiences, they can be designed to include other categories
of information in order to be helpful in ways that any broadcaster knowing
its programming can make them. Not
always as a breach or non-breach of a codified standard.
Just as a visual aid. In the
present case, for example, there might have been a way to alert viewers to
the rather graphically gory wounds of the virus victims. Moreover, when used on a thoughtful and creative
basis, advisories are also more likely to register on the minds of viewers.
In the first season of The Sopranos, for example, CTV provided
the following to-the-point language.
This
program is not intended for children. It
contains scenes of violence, extremely coarse language and nudity. Some adults may be offended by the content. Viewer discretion is strongly advised.
The specially-tailored advisory anticipated for viewers that children were
clearly not an appropriate audience. It also advised that even some adults
could be offended by the content. It
alerted one and all to the fact that the language was not merely coarse, it
was extremely coarse. It was
thoughtful. It was focussed. It related accurately to the program. In sum, it was helpful. The CBSC encourages such pertinence in the choice
of advisories.
Regrettably, in the broadcast at hand, and returning to the codified rules,
Global Television referred only to the presence of coarse language. While the nudity was not full frontal nudity
and the sexual element was brief, some viewers, such as the complainant, would
have wished such information in the advisory.
The failure to include it, readily acknowledged as an inadvertence
by the broadcaster, constitutes a breach of Clause 11 of the CAB Code of
Ethics.
Broadcaster Responsiveness
The
requirement that a broadcaster be responsive to a letter of complaint sent
by a member of the public is a significant part of the broadcaster's membership
obligations in the CBSC. Such responsiveness
is an essential part of the dialogue by which the CBSC considers that matters
that trouble members of the public sufficiently to compel them to write are
often successfully resolved. When accomplished
in thorough and sensitive ways, such correspondence is also a means of letting
the public know that broadcasters care about their audience's concerns. In the present case, the letter from the Coordinator
of Compliance Standards, which included an acknowledgment that the viewer
advisory was incomplete and a commitment to put procedures in place to avoid
a similar advisory problem, constituted a fulfilment of the broadcaster's
membership obligation of responsiveness on this occasion.
announcement
of the decision
Global Television is required to: 1)
announce the decision, in the following terms, once during prime time within
three days following the release of this decision and once more within seven
days following the release of this decision during the time period in which
ReGenesis ("Baby Bomb") was broadcast;
2) within the fourteen days following the broadcast of the announcements,
to provide written confirmation of the airing of the statement to the complainant
who filed the Ruling Request; and 3) at that time, to provide the CBSC with
a copy of that written confirmation and with air check copies of the broadcasts
of the two announcements which must be made by Global Television.
The Canadian Broadcast
Standards Council has found that Global Television has breached the provisions
concerning the scheduling of programming intended for adult audiences and
the use of viewer advisories in the Canadian Association of Broadcasters
Code of Ethics. By failing to edit
the coarse language in the series ReGenesis which was broadcast before
the industry-established Watershed hour of 9:00 on August 29, 2005, Global
breached Clause 10 of the CAB
Code of Ethics. By failing to include any reference in its viewer
advisories alerting potential viewers to the nudity and sexual content in
the episode, Global Television also
breached Clause 11 of the Code.
This decision is a public document
upon its release by the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council.