The purpose of this Act is as follows:
"For the purposes of this act an article shall be deemed to be obscene if its effect or (where the article comprises two or more distinct items) the effect of any one of its items is, if taken as a whole, such as to tend yo deprave and corrupt persons who are likely, having regard to all relevant circumstances, to read, see or hear the matter contained or embodied in in."
The Obscene Publications Act will monitor my magazine. I can be penalised for including examples of violence, drugs, language, sex/nudity, racism, sexism, homophobia and extremes of religious viewpoint. This is why I will not include any of these things in my magazine, as they may be considered offensive by the general public (18+). Ways I can avoid using these things are by giving an unbiased voice in my articles and by not using graphic images in my publication. As my magazine will be focussed around Skinhead culture, I need to emphasise in my articles, photos and other content that the magazine is not racists or politically motivated.
Libel Law
Libel is the law surrounding what is written in print and its impact on the audience and subject. The basic principle of this is that nothing will appear in print that damages the image of a person (or a company in the UK) in the eyes of a reasonable adult (anyone over the age of eighteen) that causes it/them to lose earnings.
An example of an liable case is this one I found on the internet featuring the actor Scarlett Johansson:
To avoid being sued for libel, I will not include any libellous comments including slanderous material or any false information in my article about any famous person or company who's image could be damaged in the eyes of the public.
Copyright
As a magazine often uses images taken by professional or other photographers copyright is a large issue. Print and image that I haven't obtained rights to then the owner can claim damages from me. If I miscredit a photograph then the same can happen and if I display copyrighted material in my magazine without written permission the owners of the subject can also claim damages.
I will address copyright issues in different ways depending on the type of content:
- Use of images: I will be careful not to photograph and print images of other people's property, products etc without gaining prior permission.
- Use of models: I will gain permission from models before using images of them in my magazine.
- Use of other's words/images: I will gain written permission from the owner of words and images not written by myself before using them in my magazine.
- Use of brand names: Before printing brand names or images or company logos I will gain permission from the owners of the subjects before using them.
Law of Contempt
Under the Contempt of Court Act (1981), it is a criminal contempt of court to publish anything which creates a real risk that the course of justice in proceedings may be seriously impaired. It only applies where proceedings are active and the Attorney General has issued guidance as to when they believe this to be the the case, and there is also statutory guidance .This law prevents mainstream media and newspapers from publishing content that is deemed to be sensationalist or too extreme about a criminal case until the trail is completed and the jury has delivered its verdict.
Example: Daily Mail
Official Secrets Act
People who work with sensitive information are commonly required to sign the 'Official Secrets Act' to the effect that they agree to abide by the restrictions of the act. Signing this act os intended to remind the individual that they are under such obligations. The act is not a contract but a law, so breaking the terms of the act are illegal anyway. It is most common that a statement is signed before and after a period of employment which exposed the individual to such sensitive material.
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