Media Watch UK

Are you worried that your children are going to turn into violent sociopaths with a lust for violence? Or perhaps you're afraid they'll never make it to see their fifteenth birthday, because our Media content in this day and age is too loosely regulated for the free-thinking public? If so, you can join like-minded killjoys and paranoid scaremongers over at Media Watch UK (www.mediawatchuk.org), an organisation built upon the great British tradition of complaining, demonising the Media, in the interest of a public that just doesn’t seem to give a damn anymore... So much for the stiff upper lip.

Violence and swearing on TV seems to be their main concern at the moment, although sex on TV and violence in videogames are also high on their moral hit-list. Intent on trying to mobilise an apathetic public (maybe they just don’t care that much anymore, folks?!), they are responsible for running campaigns, and trying to petition MPs on banning and regulating the media that they deem harmful. Great. More watered-down crap on TV, good work guys. If reruns of Songs Of Praise start to replace Waking The Dead of an evening, you’ll know who to thank.

Media Watch UK accuse programmes such as Big Brother, Wife Swap, Pornography: The Musical (which wasn’t offensive, per se, it was just crap) and Sex With Strangers (all broadcast on Channel 4) of “disregard[ing] standards”. Additionally, they have a big problem with Channel 5’s license, which includes an ‘erotic programme’ clause for weekend broadcasts. This prompted a retrospective investigation, wherein they “analysed 146 films shown in 2003 and identified 2,234 uses of the f-word and 1,622 uses of the s-word.” And what might they be, exactly?... “foreplay” and “shag”? Grow up, we’re all adults here, and after all, even if we weren’t, kids these days have learnt to swear. Mainly from the media, I’m sure. It certainly couldn’t be from their parents or ANYWHERE else.

Honest.

Society is in tatters thanks to lax censorship in the new millenium. Just look at Pete Docherty and Amy Winehouse, clearly they have been adversely influenced by the media and are spreading that effect by being 'bad role models'. They didn't invent the rock and roll lifestyle, which, if anything is LESS acceptable in todays society... Keith Richards and co were just quirky anomalies back in the day, after all...