Deciding what We Watch

This book explores the moral basis and history of such regulation, as it has until now, been applied to major issues of taste and decency. These include the protection of children, obscenity and bad language, offences against religious sensibility, "reality" television, and stereotyping. The book considers the different constraints (in the law, cultural customs, and self-regulation) affecting broadcasters in the two societies, and the means by which they have responded to them. The book describes, with examples, the operations of compliance regulations and standard controls. It also looks at the impact of the First Amendment on American broadcasting in this area, and the arguments for the practicality of maintaining appropriate forms of restraint into the future.