Formal and Informal control on media
Formal Controls
Formal social control is often defined as any social control that is based upon the law. Some
authors classify an action as a formal control as long as it is set by a written and official
document.
(Example)
For instance, in the rules and regulations of a particular organization. Any form of control
enforced or enacted by the government are formal social controls.
- The formal control on media is bounded by laws, rules, and regulation.
Subject of Formal Controls control on media
Media law
- refers to the legal regulation of culture, entertainment, advertising, broadcasting,
telecommunications and generally anything relating to digital and analogue media.
Legal issues that arise in the field of media law include:
Intellectual property – refers to creations of the mind.
(Examples)
Intellectual property include poems, photographs, songs, plays, books, paintings, sculptures,
movies, logos, slogans, designs, perfumes, recipes, and computer programs.
Defamation - the act of harming the reputation of another by publishing false info.
A defamation example would be if a customer accused the restaurant owner of food poisoning
even though it was not actually the restaurant's food that caused them to be ill. If the customer
shared the false information with other customers, the owner could have grounds for a
defamation lawsuit.
Confidentiality – Governments, businesses, and individuals use this law to protect information
they regard as officially or commercially secret, of private.
(Example)
- name, date of birth, age, sex and address.
Privacy - is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about
themselves or information about themselves, and thereby express themselves selectively.
(Example)
When you have your own room that no one enters and you can keep all of your things there away
from the eyes of others, this is an example of a situation where you have privacy.
Another example is that if you have problems about your family and your life you don’t want to
tell to your love ones and you will keep it as secret.
Privacy in Media having two important things:
1. Control over their social situation
2. Enough agency to assert control
Prior Restraint
- An attempt by the government to censor the press by preventing it from publishing or
broadcasting material.
(Example)
Prior restraint may be allowed in exceptional cases, such as when the nation is at war, or when
the speech would incite violence.
Shield Laws
- Legislation that defines the rights of a reporter to protect sources.
(Example)
Alabama journalists working for newspapers and radio and television stations are protected.
Gag Rules
Judicial orders that restrict trial participants from giving info. To the media or that restrain media
coverage of events that occur in court.
Freedom of information Act (FOIA)
- A law stating that every federal executive-branch agency must publish instructions on the
methods a member of the public can follow to get info.
Examples of formal social controls
- They are enforced by all sorts of government agencies such as the police, judicial courts and
regulation agencies.
-City, state, and federal agencies such as the police or the military enforce Formal social control.
- Other sanctions that are more severe depending on the behavior seen as negative such as
censorship, expulsion, and limits on political freedom.
What is informal control?
- Informal social control are those that serve the same purpose of regulating human behavior bur
are not based on laws.
Subject of Informal control on media
1. Ethics- ethics are rules of conduct or principle of morality that pint us toward the right or
best way to act in a situation, and these principles can provide a framework for analyzing
what is proper in examining choices and justifying our action.
2. Performance codes- codes of conduct or ethics have been set and standardized within
most area of the media in order to help professionals make ethical decision more quickly
and with more uniformity.
3. Organizational policies- media organization, in addition to following their own industry
codes of conduct, have also established their own internal self- regulatory guidelines.
a. television network’s standard and practices- network maintained large standards and
practices department whose staff would make thousands of decisions on the
acceptability of dialog, plot lines, and visual portrays. But due to network cut bucks,
these departments are smaller.
b. Newspaper and magazine- freebies, misleading practices, junkets, checkbook
journalism, and outside work are all example of operating policies that can be found
in a newspaper. And the paper’s editorial policies are recommendations for
persuading the public on specific subjects or achieving specific objectives.
4. Self- criticism- historically, industry, self- criticism within the media is the exception
rather than the rule.
5. Outside pressures –advertiser can sometimes influence media conduct.
Example of informal social controls
-These are some examples of informal social controls Socialization, praise and compliments, and
ridicule and gossip
- A disrespectful glance at a women's institute meeting may mean that flirting with the minister
is improper.
-Examples are rewards in the form of praise and compliments, and punishments in the form of
gossip.
