PACE urges broadcasters to protect children from inappropriate media content

The Committee also asked for more quality local content to be produced.

The Programme Advisory Committee for English Programmes released its 13th report on the range and quality of English broadcast content in Singapore for the period 1 August 2009 to 31 July 2011. In its report, PACE commended broadcasters for having done well in providing viewers with extensive “live” coverage of key international sporting events, such as the 1st Youth Olympic Games, the Commonwealth Games and the Formula 1 SingTel Grand Prix. PACE also commended MediaCorp for providing a good range of quality children’s programmes.

Infoeducational shows such as Renovaid, were also given the thumbs-up for providing educational insights into the lives of the underprivileged, Chasing Sleep for health matters, and Lost Images for taking viewers down memory lane with never-seen-before footage of Singapore in the 1950s.

The Committee also reminded broadcasters of the need to protect young audiences from content that is unsuitable for them, through means such as improved scheduling, and providing adequate information on content concerns through classification ratings and content advisories. These would help parents make more informed media choices for their children.

Concurrently, PACE asked for more quality local content to be produced, particularly those that promote inter-generational bonding. Likewise, broadcasters were encouraged to inject local elements into foreign content, and to consider adapting foreign productions into local formats so as to make the programmes more relevant to local audiences.

The 31-member Committee, chaired by Professor Leo Tan, is appointed by the Minister of Information, Communications and the Arts and drawn from a cross section of society, comprising different ages, fields of interests and expertise, including the arts, sports, academia, non-governmental organisations and the private sector. PACE provides feedback and recommendations on the range and quality of English TV and radio programmes. It also gives inputs to MDA on content standards and guidelines and suggests improvements to the regulatory framework.

Said Prof Leo Tan, “PACE is heartened to note how local broadcasters have made the effort to come up with more creative and engaging local programmes, and this has helped to distinguish them from foreign channels. This is evident even for the Pay TV operators, such as SingTel mioTV which produced its own local sports programmes. Notwithstanding this, the Committee would like to urge broadcasters to continue to explore new and innovative ways of reaching out to its audiences and offer a variety of content that can appeal to different demographics while still protecting the young.”