'Vulnerable' to be protected from TV exploitation

The Broadcasting Authority will soon finalise a new set of guidelines that aim to protect vulnerable people from being used or exploited on TV.

The authority considers those as vulnerable to be children, senior citizens with certain problems, those involved in abusive relationships, mainly sexual or emotional and people with a mental or physical impairment.

Other people can also be vulnerable, the authority says. It lists individuals who are mourning the loss of a loved one, those who have lost their job or are facing difficulties in their career, couples going through great difficulties in their relationship, people going through grave financial problems, those who are either themselves ill or involved with the sickness of their loved ones, as well as those who, for whatever reason, are feeling down, oppressed and generally going through a tough period of uncertainty.

Contacted yesterday, BA chief executive officer Kevin Aquilina said the authority had sent its proposed guidelines to all TV stations and independent production houses and had received some feedback, most of which was very positive, as well as some requests for clarification. The authority will now discuss the reactions at a meeting on September 20.

Feedback was received from the Commissioner for Children Sonia Camilleri, the chairman of PBS's editorial board Fr Joe Borg, the chairman of the National Commission for Persons with a Disability, Joe Camilleri, the Social Workers' Association and the production team of Tistà Tkun Int.

Some of the guidelines are similar to the ones PBS had drawn up for the national station but the ones the BA is now proposing state that anyone under the age of 18 is to be considered as a minor and programmes aimed at establishing the identity of the natural parents of children, including adopted ones, may not be broadcast.

Programme producers must avoid all forms of exploitation of vulnerable situations for commercial purposes.

According to the guidelines, no financial inducement should ever be given to parents or guardians with the purpose of affecting their decision about whether to give their consent to the participation of vulnerable persons.

The guidelines stipulate that vulnerable persons have to give their informed consent in complete freedom before participating in programmes where their condition may be discussed. Programme producers must not in any way pressurise these people to participate and should take the same precautions even when they are approached by vulnerable people who offer to participate in such programmes.

When the person in question is seriously suffering, as well as in the case of children with some problems, there should be a social worker, a consultant, a psychologist, a psychotherapist or a psychiatrist, who is independent of the team producing the programme, to meet these people and explain clearly to them what their participation in that programme entails.

The person who gives his or her consent must be made clearly aware that in giving that consent one is renouncing to the right of privacy and that later it will be impossible to file a complaint concerning a breach of privacy.

The qualified person should also be involved whenever a vulnerable person would be compensated with money or gifts for participating to ensure that the material needs or other types of needs do not lead the persons involved to sacrifice his/her desire for privacy.

Door-stepping or approaching any vulnerable person without prior notice shall not be permissible and stations shall desist from such conduct, the guidelines says.