Why is offensive material allowed to be broadcast?
A. First of all, what may be offensive to some viewers or listeners may not be to others. Not everyone will be concerned about the same types of program content. Moreover, Parliament anticipated such diversity of tastes by legislating that broadcasters are required, under the Broadcasting Act, to provide a variety of programming which will meet the special likes and desires of the various groups of listeners and viewers in Canadian society. This principle is also reflected in the CAB Code of Ethics. That being said, in order to be sensitive to those people who may wish to avoid certain types of programming, the Codes administered by the CBSC require broadcasters to inform viewers of the content of potentially offensive programming through the use of viewer advisories, the classification system and the Watershed hour. To learn more about these informational tools, you may wish to read the following FAQs: When are viewer advisories required? ; What is the Program Classification System? ;
