African regulators plan continental online content laws.A frican…

Question African regulators plan continental online content laws.A frican… African regulators plan continental online content laws.African regulators are developing a harmonised regulation framework for broadcast, video-on-demand and over-the-top content in both legacy and new media.Regulators from SA, Kenya and Nigeria say the desired framework is meant to control the massive volumes of un ltered online content that poses potential harm to vulnerable groups such as children.According to the o cials for the countries, digital platforms have become a prime breeding ground for child grooming and circulation of child sexual abuse material by syndicates that operate across national boundaries.The world is facing sustained threat of online sexual abuse, and evidence suggests the scale of this abuse is increasing at an unprecedented rate.According to WeProtect Global Alliance, its research indicates an increase in grooming; the production, viewing and sharing of sexual abuse material; and live streaming for payment.For Africa to counter this threat, chief executive o cers of the Film and Publication Board (FPB) of SA, Kenya Film Classi cation Board (KFCB) and National Film and Video Censors Board of Nigeria met recently to discuss how to align and synergise content regulation mechanisms on the continent.The project is being spearheaded by the FPB, which will later this year host o cials from Eswatini Communications Commission and KFCB for training and benchmarking.Dr Mashilo Boloka, FPB acting CEO, says: “For society to derive the highest good from the opportunities the digital space provides, it is essential that the negative aspects are mitigated through content regulation.”He explains further: “At the 2021 conference, we resolved to focus on four key goals: continuing the process to align the ratings frameworks of African countries into one harmonised ratings matrix that would make distribution of content across Africa easier; benchmarking best practices in the use of technologies to improve the agility of content regulators in serving the entertainment sector; giving the youth a voice by including them in all future discussions around content regulation; sharing one research agenda and ndings amongst participating countries to assist in improving the relevance of regulatory bodies in a digital world; and creating economies of scale through joint training of regulatory staff.”Christopher Wambua, KFCB CEO, says his board is already in the process of developing a co-regulation framework for broadcast, video-on-demand and over-the-top content in response to the increase in unclassi ed content.”We look forward to benchmarking with South Africa and other content regulators with a view to re ning our framework without having to reinvent the wheel.” for QUESTION 2The reputation of global PR company Bell Pottinger (http://ewn.co.za/Topic/Bell-Pottinger) has su ered a massive blow.The boss has resigned, clients have walked, the rm has been expelled from the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) – and it has now put itself up for sale (http://www.bbc.com/news/business-41171577). All because of its work on a controversial contract in South Africa.Bell Pottinger, which has sta , partners and o ces in many parts of the world, is headquartered in London. So when the The Conversation South African political party the Democratic Alliance wanted to complain about the rm’s activities, the London-based(//ewn.co.za/contributors/the- PRCA was its chosen route. conversation) | 5 years ago (1708days ago) The whole issue of ethics and regulation in public relations is a thorny one. In virtually every country, anyone can callthemselves a PR practitioner. I am an accredited practitioner with all sorts of quali cations, but there is nothing in law to stop my neighbour, a plumber, from hanging out a sign saying he is a PR o cer, too.But thanks to a drive from industry professionals there have been e orts to promote ethics and ensure some sort of regulation, which practitioners and companies can choose to sign up to.In the UK, there is the PRCA (https://www.prca.org.uk/about-us) (mostly for organisations) and the CIPR (https://www.cipr.co.uk/) (mostly for individual practitioners). Each has codes of conduct and disciplinary processes. Each can censure and expel. Ethical practitioners hope that clients will equate membership with high standards.The PRCA’s expulsion of Bell Pottinger is the most serious sanction (http://news.prca.org.uk/prca-announces-expulsion-of-bell-pottinger/) it can take, and follows an investigation, a provisional ruling and an appeal. But now Bell Pottinger is out, and it cannot apply to rejoin for at least ve years.According to PRCA Director General Francis Ingham:Bell Pottinger has brought the PR and communications agency into disrepute … The PRCA has never before passed down such a damning indictment of an agency’s behaviour.Bell Pottinger was founded in part by Sir Tim (now Lord) Bell (http://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2016/09/02/sans-fronti-res-why-maverick-pr-man-lord-bellmay-enjoy-being-his-own-man-again) in 1987. Advising former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher on her presentational style, he became one of the biggest names in PR. The rm did not shy away from controversial clients, who included former South African president FW de Klerk, Asma al-Assad, the wife of Syrian president Bashir al-Assad, and the South African athlete Oscar Pistorius, after he was accused of murder.Lord Bell himself resigned from the company last year. And in an interview with the BBC’s Newsnight (which was twice interrupted by his mobile phone ringing) he said this latest episode was “almost certainly” the end.Experts in keeping up appearances, the rm no doubt regrets the work it carried out for the wealthy Gupta family (http://ewn.co.za/Topic/Gupta-family), which has close links to South Africa’s president Jacob Zuma.The British PR rm got into trouble with a social media “economic emancipation campaign” in which the phrase “white monopoly capital” was said to have been deliberately, or irresponsibly, used, stirring up racial tension.South Africa’s opposition Democratic Alliance accused Bell Pottinger of a “hateful and divisive campaign to divide South Africa along the lines of race”.The scandal led to resignations – and the loss of clients. Britain’s biggest bank, HSBC, has said it would no longer use Bell Pottinger. A Swiss luxury company headed by a South African businessman, a South African investment group, and Acacia, which owns gold mines in Tanzania, are also reportedly o the books.The damage to the company’s reputation is immense. While Bell Pottinger did take on work for clients which some of us nd o ensive or “to be avoided”, there is a di erence between a client with a bad reputation deserving some help, and creating a bad reputation through the very act of communication.IS ALL PUBLICITY STILL GOOD PUBLICITY?Will nations and companies still want to hire the company in the future? Some will probably take the attitude that recent events do not a ect the organisation’s ability to carry out its work.But will journalists and other PR audiences be ready to accept the rm’s messages? Probably not. The rst response of any journalist contacted by a Bell Pottinger spokesperson will surely be to think of this damning incident. It will be tough for any lobbying campaign to carry conviction with the Bell Pottinger name attached.Of course, being expelled from a professional association does not take away the ability to practice. The Democratic Alliance itself has pointed out that Bell Pottinger can still work in South Africa.But PR depends on the ability to win client accounts – by convincing them that you will protect and enhance their reputation. It is di cult to see how an organisation which has e ectively trashed its own reputation can protect someone else’s. for QUESTION 3 Arts & Humanities Communications Public Relations Share QuestionEmailCopy link Comments (0)