Got this reply from Emily Kidd, Tessa Jowell’s policy advisor! Check it out:

Dear Mr Godfrey

Thank you for your email addressed to Tessa Jowell dated the 30th July 2001 concerning the Channel 4 programme Brass Eye. The Broadcasting Policy Division deals with television regulatory policy and I have been asked to respond.

Under the current broadcasting arrangements, responsibility for what is broadcast on television and radio rests with the broadcasters and the broadcasting regulatory bodies -the Governors of the BBC, the Independent Television Commission (ITC), the Welsh Fourth Channel Authority (S4C) and the Radio Authority. They are independent of the Government and accountable for safeguarding the public interest in broadcasting. They also maintain guidelines for programme makers on the standards which should be observed. It is important that the views of the public are brought to the attention of the broadcasters and regulators so they can reflect these views in their codes and guidelines.

Within this framework it is for the broadcasters to make judgements about the content of individual programmes and the time at which they are broadcast, in the light of the responsibilities placed upon them and of their more detailed programme guidelines. It is a long-standing principle that the Government does not intervene in programme matters, either on arrangements for scheduling or on content.

Tessa Jowell expressed her personal feelings as a viewer and a parent and made it absolutely clear that the programme content and regulatory issues that have arisen from this are matters for the regulators to deal with and not the Government. A heavy responsibility sits on them to safeguard public trust and confidence. For her part, she wishes to be sure that the regulatory system is able to respond rapidly and effectively to issues of the kind we have seen in this case.

Yours sincerely

Emily Kidd
Policy Advisor

And my reply…

Dear Emily,

Thank you for your reply of the 17th. I was very happy to see a human on the other end of my communication.

I understand that Ms Jowell’s comments were personal, but she should be concerned with the Brass Eye issue as part of her Governmental role also. Whilst I see no particular need for broadcasting regulations to be either tightened or relaxed at this point, I think that certain media organisations are currently allowed to provoke and promote public anger in a way that belittles the issues and the genuine views of the people. It also makes some of the celebrities who open their mouths to agree look pretty stupid, but that’s their fault. The tabloids’ handling of Brass Eye and, more recently, the Express and the Glasgow Daily Record’s coverage of the asylum seekers issue has caught the attention of this country’s neighbours - we are presented as bigots. Specifically in the case of the Daily Record and of the Bradford paper who’s offices were recently torched by rioters, it is arguable that the reporting was directly responsible for inciting violence.

I realise that this is a very grey area and one which would be difficult to legislate. What are Ms Jowell’s views as Culture Minister? If she or you have a chance to reply I would be very interested to hear more from the democracy I appointed. This whole Government accounting for itself by sending me email is a new thing that I quite like :-).

Thanks for your time,

Ben Godfrey

So there you go. It’s a conversation I will continue.