In the Collins English Dictionary on page 187, ethics is described as,.
Many people say that television lacks ethics altogether but as I am about to show this could not be further from the truth. Any programme that is unethical can be fined heavily and the shows makers will have their reputations tarnished. Ethics, and lack of it, is most apparent in documentaries as they have to be truthful and accurate and it is all too easy to fake' a scene if it is difficult to film in real life.
As a documentary should attempt to fill the following criteria, you can see how hard it is to stay within their boundaries.
1. The programme should attempt to tell a true story in a non-dramatic fashion.
2. It should appear to do so by presenting only factual evidence.
3. It should not attempt to re-create the truth'.
4. It should claim objectivity.
5. It should present all factual evidence in its original context (if possible).
The points above are just a guideline and if a documentary' does not meet the requirements then it is just referred to as a factual programme. If however the creators brand their product a documentary when it is not, they will be investigated to decide if they deliberately misled the viewer. If found guilty they can receive a large fine, the highest incurred being £2 million.
The ITC or Independent Television Commission is an organisation that regulates programmes on the commercial channels. Part of their mandate is to check the truth and accuracy of documentaries and if a show does not meet these points the ITC can impose a fine. The ITC also issues licenses allowing commercial channels to broadcast in the UK. If a channel repeatedly breaks the rules the ITC can decide not to renew its licence for the following year. For this reason most channels have a code of conduct to stop any production companies getting the channel into trouble.
The BBC has developed a set of rules called the Producers Guidelines.