To be pissed off about having images censored because 'someone might get upset'

[VestibuleVirgin]

Yesterday, the TV and social media were showing film and photographs of the bolting horses in London. Clearly they were terrified, and the grey had an obvious injury, with blood on its chest and legs.
This morning, GMB has blurred the grey's chest area to preserve sensibilities.
I am sick of these holier than thou people thinking they can arbitrate which images, previously freely available, they deem unsuitable.
This top-down censorship, particularly by tv companies, is not in the name of decency, just some pathetic attempt to prove that they can dictate life because they understand what the 'community' wants.

Was it just GMB on that blurred it out? The images I've seen in the news weren't blurred.

Not really au fait with GMB, but it's not a news broadcaster is it? It's entertainment and chat kind of programme isnt it?

Not actually censorship if you flip over to another channel and see unblurred images or read on news channels. It's just GMB has their own guide on what consitutes disturbing and requires blurring.

Thank you for this!
I agree, I am not advocating showing dead bodies left, right and centre, just stopping censorship under the faux concern of people such as those on gbm.
Censorship is necessary in certain instances. An injured horse, previously seen on rolling news, is not.
But glad to hear people and horses are ok

I kind of see your point. But the people who get to decide are the same people that will have to sit and listen to peoples complaints. And plan what they show, to keep viewers.

It’s a fine line between showing things and not pissing people off so much viewership falls.

Whilst I know that media often shows and tells us what they want to fit a narrative, the media is manipulative, the media communicates selectively, people forget they are a business and they are making decisions that they feel (rightly or wrongly) that’s also best for their business.

So they made a decision to blur the blood. It’s their channel. Their business and their decision to make and if that makes people turn off that’s what happens.

With the genuine death of investigative journalism, and the ridiculously shallow, divisive media baiting that goes on these days I’m surprised you’re upset about not getting to see an injured horse

That's not the point. The points are: unnecessary censorship and pathologisation of normal uncomfortable human emotions.

Oh do not be so childish. That was not the point as you well know.
Is that how you think debate works?

Another one at the far end of the bell curve

Yet most of the people who make those sorts of comments aren't serving themselves and certainly aren't planning on their children serving. Wealth doesn't trickle down, so the WC cannon fodder unfortunately won't sacrifice themselves to protec the interests of the rich.

I saw the horses live when the story was breaking and happening. It will be because of thecreasons stated, time of day etc.

Again, not the point. I do not want to see an injured horse per se

Uh you already quoted me

I think honestly the GMB blur is down to it being a general interest show at breakfast time.

I don’t think it would happen on the morning news, because anyone who turns that on knows to expect a bit of grim.

Another one at the far end of the bell curve
Just the same one, again.

Gore or a focus on blood leads to a 12 certificate in films in the UK, according to a quick Google. It could be argued, the pictures of the horses did focus somewhat on blood, so was censored following this general film rule, keeping in mind the time of day it was aired.

There may have also been complaints about the images shown yesterday, so that more caution is being taken this morning.

I completely agree with the OP. It's also why many people think it's "illegal" to photograph someone in public, when they arbitrarily blur people in the background in shots.

@VestibuleVirgin - you're so rude to people OP. It's a strange thing to be so worked up about. And clearly people have other opinions.

Young children can to some extent be protected from images in newspapers, less so from TV.

I'm not sensitive at all but i don't wish to see an injured horse at 6pm.

The rules are laid out by the regulator.

A better question, in this day and age is why is the military using horses at all & that they aren't capable of looking after?

what would happen to a member of the public who allowed their horses to escape onto a main road, causing accident s and injury? RSPCA? magistrates? banned from keeping animals?

I agree with you op. It seems to be something about the UK atm, that people aren’t treated as thinking, resilient, independent adults. It’s very different in other countries in Europe.

Edited to say: ok to pixelate for 6 pm bulletin but unnneessary later on.

@asbigasablueberry

'that there will be trigger warnings on boxes of cereal soon.'

And so there should be.
Those Rice Krispies going Snap, Crackle and Pop at one in the morning, they still makes me jump. I tried Cheerios but found the negative connotations of being left alone rather upsetting, and Shreddies - well that's some sort of street talk for underpants, and I certainly don't want a bowl of that confronting me each morning.
Quaker Oats - has religious overtones,
Puffed Wheat - sounds a bit self-centred and consequently arrogant,
Coco Pops - ...
...I think I need to go and lie down. 😰

Do you think people should not be concerned about censorship as a principle?
I am as rude in my responses as the comment required

@TwoLeftSocksWithHoles Don't go to the granola then....😀

I do think on a morning show there should be some discretion.

Who is watching TV at this time? Quite a lot of children before school.

At other times of the day maybe it would be too much but I know as a child I would have been upset seeing a horse injured like that.

@FluffMagnet thank you for explaining, I do understand they bolt and I'm always super careful driving near horses to give them space I just stupidly i guess (it's still early im not quite awake) thought that those horses would be more used to loud noises like the traffic, crowds, gun salutes etc, but as you say just takes one to get spooked, poor things must have been so scared to run as far as they did.

@VestibuleVirgin - so you think this is a reasonable comment? Seriously?

Another one at the far end of the bell curve

It wasn't 'covered' by social media. Social media is just anyone uploading anything without editing. And in theory, has age ratings.

TV news and Media is edited and need to be more sensitive to the fact that, for instance, children may be watching. I don't think it's inappropriate for the blood to have been blurred.

It’s not censorship, it’s broadcaster guidelines. The type of content deemed acceptable varies by programme and time. It’s laid out in ofcom guidelines and broadcaster compliance protocols. Senior staff will be trained in ensuring programmes are compliant and anything potentially questionable discussed with the appropriate department before broadcast.

GMB is an entertainment show and has different guidelines to a news programme, regardless of transmission time. Children (or anyone else) could have seen it at 6pm but parents have reasonable expectation of difficult content on the news so they can make a decision about allowing kids to watch it.

These decisions are made to reduce harm and have been similar for many years - it’s not censorship, it’s making sure content is appropriate for the likely audience. Same reason we have a watershed that tapers from 9pm - you’ll notice very little swearing / graphic violence / sex etc until 915 or so.

What is it about ‘censorship’ that has you so riled up? What important truth do you think is being hidden, and by whom?

In this specific case, the images were harrowing. I saw them yesterday and they affected me quite a lot - I wouldn’t have wanted my kids to see them without me being able to give them context and support. ie have them pop up between an item on growing spring vegetables and latest hat tends or whatever GMB is doing these days.