The ITC has imposed a financial penalty of £20,000 on the Christian Channel for several breaches of the Advertising Code relating to political impartiality, playing on fear, offence to human dignity and denigration of other beliefs.
The breaches all occurred during an advertisement for a religious rally in London featuring the American evangelist Morris Cerullo. The ITC ruled that the material must not be broadcast again.
The Christian Warfare advertisement showed social problems which the presenter suggested were caused by a lack of Christian standards in society. The ITC upheld a viewers complaint, judging that the advertisement breached four advertising code rules.
ð· Politics and public controversy. Rule 10 of the Code states that advertisements must not show partiality as respects matters of political... controversy or relating to current public policy or be directed towards any political end. The advertisement carried criticisms of UK abortion and divorce laws and stated that Satanic hordes have occupied the principal palaces of power in Europe.
ð· Playing on fear. Rule 16 says that advertisements must not, without justifiable reason, play on fear. Some statements in the advertisement, such as demonic forces have engineered control of every source of communication from media to education, were judged by the ITC to be potentially frightening, especially to more impressionable or vulnerable viewers.
ð· Offence and respect for human dignity. Rule 13 states that no advertising may be offensive to public feeling [or] prejudice respect for human dignity. The description of homosexuality as an abomination and the implication that homosexuals should not hold high office were considered by the ITC to be prejudicial to homosexual people and therefore in breach of this Rule.
ð· Denigration of other beliefs. Rule 8 of Appendix 5 (which contains special rules for religious advertising) makes it clear that such advertising should not denigrate other faiths or philosophies. The ITC considered comments about the weakness of some spiritual leaders and several critical references to alternative religious practices and to rationalist, atheist and humanist beliefs and philosophies to be in breach of this rule.
These breaches occurred despite extensive guidance from the ITC and in view of the channels previous history of compliance failures, a financial penalty of £20,000 was imposed. This will be paid to the HM Treasury.
Notes to Editors
1. The Christian Channel has received formal warnings for breaches of the ITCs rules on two previous occasions. In each case, the breaches (for fundraising and showing exorcisms) were of the ITC Programme Code. The relevant news releases (31/98 and 9/98) and Programme Complaints Reports are available from the ITC website: www.itc.org.uk.
2. Other breaches of the ITC Programme Code by the Christian Channel are: impartiality and an appeal for funds on behalf of a third party (ITC Programme Complaints Report, December 1998); showing exorcisms (ITC Programme Complaints Report, May 1996). Last Updated by David Mac 12/Feb/00 The Belfast Berean 2000