"Filters", good but not enough” “

The exclusion of violent films from television screens, stricter restrictions on pornography, decoders more difficult to crack, a different classification for cinematographic productions and the ban on transmitting images that may disturb juveniles between the hours of 6.30 am to 10.30 pm: just some of the proposals of a Commission of 40 wise men, set up by the French minister of culture and communication, Blandine Kriegel, adviser to President Jacques Chirac, who intends, in this way, to put in place clear rules to prevent children becoming inured to violence. We discussed the matter with Cesare Mirabelli , chairman of Italy’s national consumers’ Council and former president of the Constitutional Court, on the occasion of “World Television Day” annually celebrated on 21 November. What do you think of the French proposal to defend children from the risks of TV? “Every means of reinforcing the protection of juveniles is important. But it’s important to recall that in other countries too there are independent systems for the classification of TV programmes with panels of experts that view and evaluate transmissions on criteria defined in advance. That is a very positive development, because it permits a more responsible viewing of programmes and also an involvement of families. The problem with television is that it proposes products that can only be gauged in the act of consumption”. Are such measures sufficient to ensure that broadcasters produce quality TV? “No. There does not exist one measure alone that may solve the problem. There are, on the other hand, complementary measures. Identifying mechanisms that exclude harmful programmes does not in itself ensure the production of good television. It’s not enough to exclude what’s negative: we also need to promote what’s positive”. How? “By offering contents that are not boring, in programmes not only of entertainment but also of education. We need to aim at developing the responsibility of broadcasters themselves, and the professionalism of people who work in television. We need to use a language that adolescents and children can understand and involve families so that they be enabled to select what their children see on TV, and evaluate the possible danger of some programmes. Lastly, we need to extend the hours that prohibit the use of television to broadcast messages that may cause harm to juveniles: there are international conventions that establish principles in this regard”. Meantime the EU’s code of self-regulation in the protection of juveniles has been passed: is this old hat or something new? “A code of self-regulation that had previously been signed during the presidency of the Council of Romano Prodi in 1997, but that never worked in the Commissions that were supposed to ensure its application, has been resuscitated, but with some improvements. Now, this new code lays down sanctions as well as establishing the positive measures that need to be promoted. It is right to expect broadcasters to put into practice the commitments they have assumed”. The EU intends to review its “TV without frontiers” directives that established common rules in various sectors, ranging from advertising to productions. What do you think of that? “Television has an influence that transcends the frontiers of each individual country. So it’s right that common rules should exist. EU regulations, however, tend to mark the minimum threshold of protection which would need to be reinforced in the individual countries. There is a growing awareness of the need to protect children in this field”. D.R.