The Broadcasting Authority has approved the recommendations of the Codes of Practice Committee to extend the accuracy requirement to four more types of factual programmes.

They are financial programmes, children's programmes with an educational purpose, programmes dealing with medical and health issues, and contests.

"Factual programmes" are defined under the existing TV Programme Code as non-fiction programmes which are based on material facts. But from time to time, the authority receives complaints from the public about inaccuracies of factual details in other factual programmes. This suggests a rising public expectation of accuracy in programmes.

Taking into account the audience's concern, the authority believed the four additional types of factual programmes set out above should also be subject to the accuracy requirement.

The authority felt the revised provisions would address the inadequacy of the present provisions to enable them to be applied to factual programmes which only contain certain segments which deal with public policy and controversial issues of public importance such as magazine shows.

The revised provisions under the Television & Radio Programme Codes will take effect in October upon gazettal.

378 complaints received in August

In August 2006, the Commissioner for Television & Entertainment Licensing dealt with 146 cases (378 complaints) under her delegated authority, of which eight cases (nine complaints) were classified as minor breaches, and 121 cases (351 complaints) as unsubstantiated, under Section 11 of the Broadcasting Authority Ordinance; and 17 cases (18 complaints) were outside Section 11 of the ordinance. 

Refer to the authority's website for details.