Censorship - Miss Miller

Censorship

Censorship is referred to explicit pieces of media that are seen to be objectionable or harmful or offensive to an audience as determined by governments, media outlets, authorities or other groups of institution. Censorship requires parts of a media being changed or replaced to protect the public from being offended in a certain way.
Censorship is used in music videos on certain artists work as they are deemed inappropriate to show a wide range audience. For example rap artists such as Chris Brown had his song "Loyal" censored when the lyrics "these hoes ain't loyal" got replaced with "these girls ain't loyal". Most music videos are censored to be shown on TV before the watershed of 9 o'clock. This is to ensure that only an appropriate audience will be viewing the explicit content played after the watershed.

Ofcom is the regulator and competition authority for UK communications industries. It regulates TV and radio, fixed line telecoms, mobiles, postal services, and the airwaves which wireless devices use. They ensure that people who watch television and listen to the radio are protected from harmful or offensive material.

Some of the main areas that Ofcom presides over are licensing, research, codes and policies, complaints, competition and protecting the radio spectrum from abuse. Ofcom also provide the Broadcasting Code, an extensive set of rules which all broadcasted content on television and radio must follow.

Part of Ofcom's duties is to listen to the complaints of viewers and listeners on programmes that they have licensed. It then asks the broadcaster for a copy of the programme so they can then examine it to see if it has breached the broadcasting code.

1) Artist - Rihanna

Rihanna is an artist that has provided content which has been deemed harmful and inappropriate for all audiences and has therefore been censored. Rihanna's music video "S&M" which was focused around sex. There was a mixed critical response to the video with some critics saying they praised the sound and composition of the song whilst others criticised its overtly sexual lyrics. The music video was censored on Radio 1's chart show and banned in 11 countries. The video was deemed "inappropriate for some users" by YouTube and BBC Radio 1 said "We are waiting for an edited version before deciding whether it will be played in daytime.

Rihanna herself was very frustrated by the information of her new song and music video from her new album "Loud". She responded over Twitter posting various tweets : "They watched umbrella...I was full nude" , "Are you f*cking kidding me?" and "U can now view the S&M video on Rihannanow.com UNFLAGGED!!!".

There are many different opinions of Rihanna's work and a variety of critical responses that argue for an against it.

Rihanna is known for looking a provocative way in her videos and most commonly containing a lot of nudity. Although some people may see this as Rihanna acting in a flirtatious and provocative way, some people look at it as Rhianna trying to be free and to show that nudity is natural and not something that should be judged, which can ultimately been seen as her trying to be a role model.

In her music videos Rhianna is expressing her own music and personality as all the content and ideas focused within the video have come from her foundation, therefore why should her creativity be changed and revoked when she has put some much effort in to make music and material for her fans and to create a better career for herself.

Rihanna became famous for her popular songs and music videos and she began this career in 2005 when she started to create them. In her older music videos such as "Pon de Replay" released May 24th 2005 was a major hit which is still remembered to this day. In this music video Rihanna features a whole new look, although she still shows her belly she is much more covered up compared to her outfit choices in a more recent music video such as S&M. This could be said that Rihanna is growing up with her audience and as her audience grow up and learn and experience more with life this will be portrayed in her music videos to follow her fans.

Rihanna takes some of her music videos to extremes in order to be memorable and gain publicity and popularity for herself. She also makes it clear that she is against the subject of censorship. This is shown through her use of mocking censorship with many different actions such as wearing a crop top which says "CENSORSHIP" and also posing naked up against a "CENSRORED" board. This shows that Rihanna will take her actions to extremes to prove she is not afraid of censorship or judgement and will stand behind her own decisions.

2) Record Label

Rihanna's record label is Def Jam Recordings. It is a rock label that was founded by Jay Z. The record label feel as though censorship will not do them any justice and that by not using Parental Advisory tickets that this will attract a wider audience.

The record label also believe that Rihanna is a controversial artist and therefore her videos and songs are going to be of a controversial nature. However they believe that this controversial behaviour will ultimately gain Rihanna more publicity from her audiences. They believe that if Rihanna creates an extreme yet controversial music video then this is going to be memorable for her audiences which will hopefully gain a hype and get people talking about her as an artist.

Def Jam Recordings also believe that Rihanna has successfully built and created this own image for herself and she should be praised and awarded for this. Instead of companies censoring her work and preventing her from expressing her true self. Rihanna has created this image as it is a true representation of who she is as an artist and shouldn't have to present herself as fake and as some one who she isn't.

Rihanna's record label also believe that the narratives portrayed in her music videos are only narratives and personal events that have happened in her own life for example domestic abuse. They also believe that by presenting these home truths and narratives that Rihanna is giving her audience what they want as it is showing them a personal insight to the artists life which is what they want if they are admiral fans of Rihanna.

Def Jam Recordings believe that Rihanna has influenced Pop and the way it is developing as she is an extremely successful pop artists with many of her singles reaching the top charts for example "We found love " , "SOS" and "Unfaithful". Along with many other successful events in her life and many other top charters Def Jam Recordings believe that for this reason she should be able to express her music how she likes.

3) Parents For Censorship

There is a huge division between parents that are for censorship to parents that aren't for censorship as they both have contradicting opinions. Parents that are for censorship believe that censorship protect their children from sexually explicit content, violence and criminal acts. Ofcom took a survey from were 100% of parents agreed with censorship and that they were most concerned with the content played in music videos.

These parents also believe that their children need a good role model to look up to when watching music videos and artists from the public eye. They believe that their children are vulnerable to these things and will copy those of their favourite artists in hope to lead a life like them. They believe that these artists will influence them into doing things they wouldn't have done if they hadn't seen it first on their favourite artists who are not presenting themselves as role models.

Some parents have used key examples of artists who have changed due to fame and who could have a great impact on their children. A key example of this is Miley Cyrus. Miley Cyrus started her career as being a TV personality on most loved children television channel "Disney Channel". She was best known for Hannah Montana who was a sweetheart and a kind teen who every child fell in love with. Miley Cyrus left her Disney career and became an artists who need to be censored by going to extremes in her music videos and example being her memorable music video "Wrecking Ball" where she rode on a swinging ball with nothing on but a pair of shoes. Parents believe this is a horrific change for there children to be witnessing. This is because Hannah Montana was an inspiration childhood memory for them of which they could relate to and they my now believe some of the things Miley Cyrus does is acceptable due to her early stages of her career as Hannah Montana.

Parents for censorship believe that these artists should be famous and recognisable for their talents for example artists such as Whitney Houston and no other reason and especially not for their criminal or incorrectly speaking acts.

These parents also believe that children's morals are set from a younger age and should therefore watch things that are teaching them to do the right things in life and teaching them the difference between right and wrong. They also believe that this content is so easily accessible due to modern day technology and therefore they are unable to prevent their children from watching this material. They also believe their children are young and oblivious to these wrong doings and are only innocent in the procedure. Some parents have looked at statistics to prove censorship will help society as without it there is an increasingly higher rate of illegal crimes.

4) Parents against censorship

There is also parents that are against the idea of censorship for many different reasons. They believe that these artists and music videos must be what an audience enjoy to watch as they achieve such high rates and views across the world. For example Rihanna's controversial music video S&M received over 400 million views on YouTube so therefore Rihanna as an artists has achieved great success.  They also believe that if this type of content is accessible online then it really cant be that bad otherwise extreme measures would be put in place for inappropriate audiences avoiding watching it.

Some parents believe that the issue of nudity is very minor and shouldn't be such an outrageous issue to be shown in artists music videos. They believe that nudity is natural and children and younger audiences shouldn't be afraid to learn about the human body. They believe the human body is natural and shouldn't be shown in a negative light as it isn't as if their children will never pursue an issue or see a human body in their life.

These parents believe that society is equal and everyone should be treated fairly and be able to express themselves in their own way. Therefore why should some people even if they are artists have to hide away from the world and society. Some of these parents believe that showing their children this content is introducing them to issues that people face everyday and therefore they are learning and understanding these thoughts at an early age, they believe children are going to see some of the acts in music videos is real life anyway for example smoking, so why should it be such a crime for them to watch this over the TV or computer.

Parents for censorship think that the artists freedom within their music will teach their children to express themselves and be their own person in life. They also believe that law can sometimes come into the equation. If the law allows a 16 year old to gamble for themselves then how does it make sense that you have to be 18 to watch gambling taking place in a music video. They also look at statistics to prove this point ; only 2% of 12-15 year olds who are exposed to gambling at a young age actually develop an addiction. Also you can go to jail at the age of 10 years old which means that children will have their own responsibilities at this age and can clearly tell the difference between right and wrong. It is also aware that police allow drug use at festivals without taking precaution yet you have to be 18 years old to watch an artist do this on a music video. Parents against censorship see this as hypocritical.

Some parents that are for censorship will say that the events shown to their children through music videos and artists behaviour will influence their children to do wrong doing in their own life. However parents that are against censorship will say that this is dependent on the child and that children should learn basic wrong from right and their morals and responsibilities from their parents at a very early age. They believe if you shouldn't agree with your children watching this type of content then you will put your own measures in place to prevent this.

Parents against censorship believe that Rihanna is just using this type of behaviour to promote herself and her music and most audiences in modern day can relate to this and find this enjoyable to watch. They also believe that women around the world shouldn't be ashamed and Rihanna is a role model for this.

5) Fans

Fans have s strong approach and idea when it comes to censorship. Most of them are against censorship due to their favourite artists being against censorship as well. Most fans are against censorship as they believe that with censorship the audience is unable to see the true personality of the artists and it makes everything much more difficult to understand for example the song, the lyrics and the video.

These fans believe that lyrics cant change a person, so what's the need to be censored. The lyrics that are used in Rihanna's music videos are a true intention of how she may be feeling or what she wants to express that the song is about. She may be writing about how she feels about a certain subject or writing about something she has experienced in her own life. They also believe that the lyrics used within the songs are going to be talked and used between people in everyday life anyway so the audience will always find themselves overhearing these words and listening to them anyway so why is it any different that an artists wants to use them in their work.

Fans of the artist believe that it is the parents responsibility if they do not agree with their children listening and watching explicit content released by artists. There are many ways and measures that can take place to avoid their children from seeing this content so if they are so effected by it then why don't they put these in force and stop their children from watching it.

Fans of Rihanna argue that as she is a famous individual and therefore people will know her style of music so therefore if they don't like it then they shouldn't watch it. They also argue that Rihanna must be doing something that the audience like as she is extremely popular on social networking sites such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. With statistics such as 47 million followers on Twitter, 81 million likes on Facebook and 2.2 million followers on Instagram these prove this point to be true. This also shows that Rihanna has a lot of supporters and a lot of people that look up to her and enjoy her work.

Fans say that Rihanna creates her music to show experiences of her own life for example in the music video "Love they way you lie" she presents a theme of domestic relationships which she was once involved in herself. With censorship changing certain parts of the video this may become confusing for the audience and the whole point of Rihanna trying to present her life stories will be pointless.

Fans think that children need to be exposed to everyday issues so that they get a balance in life between right and wrong. They also believe that Rihanna's target audience is 16 years olds who are usually mature at this age.

However there is a small majority of fans that do agree with censorship and find some of Rihanna's content slightly uncomfortable.

6) MTV Music Channel (British Music Channels)

MTV is a conglomerate successful company who agree that some music and music videos released by artists should be censored. They believe this because this will ensure they have content for all types of audience which means they can target a wider audience and gain more publicity and popularity. MTV make sure they play all the correct content at the correct time of day for example videos with explicit content need to be played after the watershed of 9pm which shows that MTV aren't completely against censorship as they play explicit content but after the watershed.

MTV believe that it is impossible to completely stop the inappropriate audiences from watching and listening to explicit content as modern day technology has changed completely. Children are able to download music apps on their phone to illegally download music for free and listen to this with headphones plugged in and no one would know what they are listening to.  However MTV try to protect children from the wrong content as they describe themselves as a safe channel for all audiences to tune in and watch.

They believe they need to show the correct content at the same time as children and fans may try to imitate the artists as they have similar dreams.

MTV prefer when artists censor there own music and music videos as they will not be upsetting either audience or the artists by having to do it themselves to make it suitable for their channel. This also means that all audiences including children can enjoy it. MTV overall feel as though they should respect the censorship because it will overall help them maintain their successful TV channel rates and provide entertainment for all types of audiences.

6) AKA Music Channel (British Music Channels)

AKA is another successful music channel which highlights raw talent and is a platform for individuals to become successful on. AKA do not agree with censorship for many different reasons, they believe that the use of censorship is taking away the artists freedom of speech by censoring their work. They believe an artists work is a true representation of the trying to portray a message to their fans and their audiences and by censoring their work they are changing the artists true intentions. They believe as a music channel they want to showcase the artists music as they cannot control others and what they want to do with their life, therefore they want to showcase the music in its true form. They believe that by creating a music video the artists is flaunting their creativity and they want to be able to show this on their music channel.

AKA believe that there are worse things happening in the world than an artists swearing or showing sexual activity in a music video and there shouldn't be such strong issues revolving around the subject. They believe censoring takes away the artists freedom and people should be able to watch, say and listen to what they want as everyone is different and have their own preferences.

7) BBC Radio 1 (British Radio Stations)

BBC Radio 1 was the British radio station that censored Rihanna's S&M video. They disagreed with some of the lyrics that were presented within the video and song such as "sex", "whips" and "chains". They believed that this type of terminology was too explicit for the show.

Nick Grimshaw who is a presenter on the show was seen to be "trying to end Rihanna's career" as he got Rihanna's song to be cancelled from the show, his plan worked and the song was banned in 11 countries to which Rihanna was furious and frustrated. She was seen to take to Twitter after the event tweeting "Are you f*cking kidding me?" aiming the tweet at him to show her frustration and aggravation. BBC Radio 1 believe that their are different types of radio stations for different genres of music. They believe there are more confident radio stations that would best fit playing this type of music. Different radio stations have different types of target audiences who would find this type of music on that type of radio station.

7) Capital Xtra (British Radio Stations)

Capital Xtra is a well known, popular and recent radio station which showcases dance, pop and rap music. They are a radio station that believe that they are trying to protect the public. Although they believe in freedom of speech they also believing in protecting their fans and audiences from harmful or offensive material that will effect or have an impact on them. They do broadcast explicit content but only after the watershed of 9pm when they can ensure that their younger audiences will be protected.

Capital Xtra use different ways to protect the public but mostly try to distort the song so it no longer contains any harmful language. Although Capital Xtra in no way want to annoy the artist or the audience they have to use these measures to protect themselves and maintain their high success rates and amount of fans and viewers they have.

They use a variety of different techniques; blanking, this is when the volume is silenced so the harmful word can no longer be heard, bleeping, where a short bleeping sound is played over the offensive word, playing a noise, re- sampling, where a similar inoffensive word is played instead, back mashing, where they blend sounds and words together and repeating, this is where they repeat a word from the previous sentence.

There is a mixed overall opinion of censorship amongst different artists, audiences and music and media companies. Most people agree with censorship because they believe that it protects the audience and helps other people to be able to safely roam around the internet and television and radio channels without being effected or harmed by offensive language. I agree with both censorship and not censorship, I believe that some artists can go to extremes when it comes to creating their own music and videos and sometimes it can really effect an audience as they find it disturbing or uncomfortable to watch and in that case censorship should be used. However I also agree that censorship can take away what an artist may be trying to portray and that it can make their work become confusing and difficult to understand. I also believe it can be disappointing for the artists after they have put a lot of effort in to create successful music for their fans and then it gets changed without their permission to enhance another companies publicity.

I think that when I create my own music video I will follow the censorship rules as I want all audiences to be able to watch and enjoy my video as I believe it will gain us more publicity and popularity if a wider audience will be able to watch it and not get offended. However I do also feel that sometimes putting a controversial piece of material may make my music video more memorable and will get people talking about it which may boost its popularity.