TV and radio audiences more concerned about discrimination than swearing
Audiences are becoming more relaxed about swearing on TV and radio but increasingly concerned about discriminatory language, particularly about race, Ofcom has found in its latest research.
The UK’s broadcasting watchdog published its new research into people’s attitudes towards offensive language on TV and radio, with the aim to understand how they feel about language they might encounter in programmes that they watch or listen to.
This year Ofcom spoke with a larger, more diverse selection of people, including more than 600 people of all ages and backgrounds from across the UK, as well as people from a range of minority groups and communities.
Discrimination considered more offensive than swear words
The research found that viewers and listeners are generally more relaxed about most swearing on TV and radio, particularly if it is accidental and followed by a timely apology, but are concerned about the use of discriminatory language.
Audiences say they still want broadcasters to consider carefully when and how offensive language is used. But many people recognise that, in the right context, it can play an important role in programmes. For example, participants in the study felt that – in line with freedom of expression – offensive words can be used to create dramatic impact, bring humour, reflect real life, or even to inform and educate.
They had limited concerns so long as the strongest language was broadcast after the watershed and parents were given sufficient warnings and information to help them decide what their children see and hear.
Timely, genuine apologies were also important to viewers and listeners in cases where offensive language was accidentally broadcast live on-air.
By comparison, audiences said they had more serious concerns about discriminatory language on TV and radio – particularly around race.
More specifically, viewers and listeners pointed to the underlying attitudes that discriminatory language reflects, and had higher expectations about this being avoided, including during live broadcasts. Audiences said that, when strong forms of discriminatory language do appear in programmes, they expect broadcasters to do all they can to carefully put it into context and so protect viewers and listeners from the offence it can cause.
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