REGULATION – OFCOM, ASA & IPSO
community and viewers in general.
Ofcom found that the derogatory and mocking comments were
not justified by the context, that attitudes had changed since its earlier
2008 decision, and that when judged
by today’s standards, the material
was a clear breach of Rule 2.3. As the
broadcaster had since re-edited the
programme, Ofcom considered the
matter ‘resolved’.
This case shows that even where
programmes have previously been
broadcast without issue, broadcasters
need to be mindful before repeating
them of changes in attitudes, or indeed intervening events, which could
make previously acceptable material
problematic.
ASA - MARKETING
COMMUNICATIONS:
AJ Odudu warned over
paid-for tweet
Former Big Brother’s Bit on the Side
presenter AJ Odudu and food company Alpro have been warned by the
ASA over a tweet. Odudu’s tweet
read: “FAVE summer snack vibes
@Alpro_UK … #Alpro #GoOn”, and
included a photo of an Alpro Go On
yoghurt pot in her hand.
Odudu had entered into a contract
with Alpro that required her, among
other things, to publish a number
of social media posts, but this was
not clear from the tweet itself. The
ASA warned that any future paid-for
tweets should be marked with #ad or
some other identifier to make matters
clear to consumers. Alpro promised to
make sure all future marketing communications are clearly marked.
This is not the first time the ASA
has warned that paid-for tweets must
be clearly marked. The advice to use
#ad or similar was given in 2012
in relation to tweets from England
footballers Wayne Rooney and Jack
Wilshere as part of a Nike advertising
campaign. This is a reminder for both
those tweeting and those paying for
tweets, for example as part of a viral
10 | zoom-in Winter 2016
TWEETING FOR MONEY: AJ ODUDU
promotional campaign, that marketing tweets must be clearly identified.
Advertising rules apply to social media as well as more traditional advertising platforms.
IPSO – PRIVACY: No
reasonable expectation of
privacy in swingers’ club
website photograph
IPSO found a Daily Star online
article headlined ‘Euro 2016:
Swingers hosting couples sex parties
to bonk while watching England’
was not in breach of the Editor’s
Code of Practice.
Lynn Pearce had complained to
IPSO about the article, which included a screenshot of a website displaying a comment from her on the upcoming party, her profile name, where
she was from and her profile photograph, in which her breasts could be
seen through a sheer top. She was
concerned that the newspaper had accessed a swinging website, which was
for paid members only. She also said
that she had included a disclaimer
on her profile that no part of it could
be taken and published without her