Section 368HF: Standards code for Tier 1 services, Communications Act 2003

OFCOM must prepare and publish a code containing standards set by them for the content of programmes to be included in Tier 1 services.

The standards must be such as appear to OFCOM to be best calculated to secure the following objectives ("the standards objectives")—

that persons under the age of 18 are protected;

that material likely to encourage or incite the commission of crime or to lead to disorder is not included in Tier 1 services;

that news included in those services is presented with due impartiality;

that news included in those services is reported with due accuracy;

that the impartiality requirements described in section 368HG are met;

that generally accepted standards are applied to the contents of those services so as to provide adequate protection for members of the public from the inclusion of offensive and harmful material;

that the proper degree of responsibility is exercised with respect to the content of religious programmes included in those services.

The standards included in the code to secure the objective described in subsection (2)(g) must, in particular, contain provision designed to secure that religious programmes do not involve—

any improper exploitation of susceptibilities of the audience for such a programme, or

any abusive treatment of the religious views and beliefs of those belonging to a particular religion or religious denomination.

OFCOM may fulfil their duty to publish the code in such ways as OFCOM consider likely to bring the code to the attention of persons who are likely to be affected by it.

OFCOM—

must keep the code under review,

may from time to time revise the code, and

where they do so, must publish the code as revised.

References in this Part to a code under this section are to be read, in relation to times after a revised code is published, as references to the code as revised.

In this section—

"news" means news in whatever form it is included in a service;
"programme" does not include an advertisement.

Section 368HF: Standards code for Tier 1 services

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