Many people say that television lacks ethics altogether but as I am about to show this could not be further from the truth. Any programme that is unethical can be fined heavily and the shows makers will have their reputations tarnished. Ethics, and lack of it, is most apparent in documentaries as they have to be truthful and accurate and it is all too easy to ‘fake’ a scene if it is difficult to film in real life.

As a documentary should attempt to fill the following criteria, you can see how hard it is to stay within their boundaries.

1. The programme should attempt to tell a true story in a non-dramatic fashion.

2. It should appear to do so by presenting only factual evidence.

3. It should not attempt to re-create the ‘truth’.

5. It should present all factual evidence in its original context (if possible).

The points above are just a guideline and if a ‘documentary’ does not meet the requirements then it is just referred to as a factual programme. If however the creators brand their product a documentary when it is not, they will be investigated to decide if they deliberat

The BBC has developed a set of rules called the Producers Guidelines. These help to stop any producers making a programme which would get the BBC into trouble or would offend a large number of the public. The following is a segment from these guidelines concerning impartiality and truth within a factual programme.

Taken from web site www.itc.org.uk/latest_news/press_releases/ , 18.12.98

“Accuracy is often more than a question of getting the facts right. All the relevant facts and information should be weighed to get at the truth of what is reported or described. If an issue is controversial, relevant opinions as well as facts may need to be considered. If an item may be legally contentious, its accuracy must be capable of withstanding scrutiny in a court of law. “

www.BBC.co.uk/guidelines/Producers' Guidelines - Chapter 2.htm, 11.09.02

ely misled the viewer. If found guilty they can receive a large fine, the highest incurred being £2 million.

11. the programme was unfair to a man in Manchester, whose home was shown being raided for drugs.

Some topics in this essay:
Programme Codes, English Dictionary, Guidelines Chapter, Television Commission, Producers Guidelines, UK Productions, ITV Channel, factual programme, guidelines chapter 2htm, wwwbbccouk/guidelines/producers' guidelines chapter, chapter 2htm 110902, commercial channels, £2 itc, person interviewed, programme makers, chapter 2htm, 2htm 110902, factual evidence, guidelines chapter, wwwbbccouk/guidelines/producers' guidelines,