The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is calling on broadcasters and content creators to deliver what audiences expect around accuracy and impartiality.
Releasing a new Position Paper What audiences want – Audience expectations for content safeguards, the Chair of ACMA, Nerida O’Loughlin said the paper was informed by the Authority’s regulatory monitoring, compliance and research activities, findings of previous Government reviews and broader public discourse on community standards.
“This paper provides our views on what Australian audiences expect when they consume media, whether that be on TV, radio, in print or online,” Ms O’Loughlin said.
“We identify important safeguards on issues such as accuracy and impartiality, transparency of commercial interests, privacy, and dealing with highly distressing content.”
She said Australians were watching more on-demand content than ever before, with 58 per cent of adults in June last year using online subscription video services in a given week, compared to the 54 per cent who viewed free-to-air television.
“Data also shows that more Australians were watching broadcasters’ own catch-up or on-demand services, with 37 per cent of adults reporting they had accessed these services in the previous seven days, up from 28 per cent in June 2019,” Ms O’Loughlin said.
“Current broadcasting codes of practice do not apply to online content, even when that content appears on a broadcaster’s live-streamed, catch-up or on-demand platform,” she said.
“With the rapidly changing content environment, we consider there is an urgent need for broadcasters to apply content rules consistently across their multiple delivery platforms so that all their audiences are afforded similar protections.”
She said the Position Paper was also intended to serve as a resource for a broader range of content providers, including print media and streaming services.
“These services should be asking themselves whether these audience expectations are being met by their current self-regulatory arrangements, such as terms of use,” Ms O’Loughlin said.
ACMA’s 50-page Position Paper can be accessed at this PS News link.
