Formal Controls

Formal social control is often defined as any social control that is based upon the law. Some

authors classify an action as a formal control as long as it is set by a written and official

document. For instance, in the rules and regulations of a particular organization. Any form of

control enforced or enacted by the government are formal social controls.

- The formal control on media is bounded by laws, rules, and regulation.

Subject of Formal Controls control on media

Media law

- refers to the legal regulation of culture, entertainment, advertising, broadcasting,

telecommunications and generally anything relating to digital and analogue media.

Legal issues that arise in the field of media law include:

*Intellectual property – refers to creations of the mind.

*Defamation - the act of harming the reputation of another by publishing false info.

*Confidentiality – Governments, businesses, and individuals use this law to protect information

they regard as officially or commercially secret, of private.

*Privacy - is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about

themselves or information about themselves, and thereby express themselves selectively.

Privacy in Media having two important things:

1. Control over their social situation

2. Enough agency to assert control

*Prior Restraint

- An attempt by the government to censor the press by preventing it from publishing or

broadcasting material.

Shield Laws

- Legislation that defines the rights of a reporter to protect sources.

Gag Rules

Judicial orders that restrict trial participants from giving info. to the media or that restrain media

coverage of events that occur in court.

Freedom of information Act (FOIA)

- A law stating that every federal executive-branch agency must publish instructions on the

methods a member of the public can follow to get info.

Examples of formal social controls

- They are enforced by all sorts of government agencies such as the police, judicial courts and

regulation agencies.

What is informal control?

- Informal social control are those that serve the same purpose of regulating human behavior bur

are not based on laws.

Subject of Informal control on media

1. Ethics- ethics are rules of conduct or principle of morality that pint us toward the right or

best way to act in a situation, and these principles can provide a framework for analyzing

what is proper in examining choices and justifying our action.

2. Performance codes- codes of conduct or ethics have been set and standardized within

most area of the media in order to help professionals make ethical decision more quickly

and with more uniformity.

3. Organizational policies- media organization, in addition to following their own industry

codes of conduct, have also established their own internal self- regulatory guidelines.

a. television network’s standard and practices- network maintained large standards and

practices department whose staff would make thousands of decisions on the

acceptability of dialog, plot lines, and visual portrays. But due to network cut bucks,

these departments are smaller.

b. Newspaper and magazine- freebies, misleading practices, junkets, checkbook

journalism, and outside work are all example of operating policies that can be found

in a newspaper. And the paper’s editorial policies are recommendations for

persuading the public on specific subjects or achieving specific objectives.

4. Self- criticism- historically, industry, self- criticism within the media is the exception

rather than the rule.

5. Outside pressures –advertiser can sometimes influence media conduct.

Example of informal social controls?

-These are some Examples of informal social controls are socialization, praise and compliments,

and ridicule and gossip

https://www.slideshare.net/fatinnazihahaziz/c17-ethics-other-informal-controls

https://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/sociology/social-control/forms-of-social-control-informal-

and-formal-social-control/31297

https://www.slideshare.net/khaiazizi/chap16dom10e

https://azrights.com/media/articles/2019/09/media-law/

https://quizlet.com/140417132/mass-communication-chapter-sixteen-formal-controls-laws-rules-

regulations-flash-cards/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privacy

https://mediasmarts.ca/digital-media-literacy/digital-issues/privacy/privacy-issues