Taboo Language

Watching BBC News the reporter was quoting from what somebody else had said and mentioned "Fat *******", I liked it as it wasn't said in an awkward way like some reporters do (once remember 'plonkers' as being an odd one on Westcountry). What are the limits for the language that reporters can use, and if they have to quote something worse than this, would they quote it as 'effing' or just miss it out?

This is purely speculation on my part; I don't know the ins and outs of it.

I'm guessing if it's something like f**k, s**t or c**t then they'll say it if they are quoting it, as it's what the person has said. I would think there would be an edited version that would exclude the naughty word in question for pre-watershed bulletins. Or maybe they'd only have one version but warn the viewer of strong language in the report, as is the case for stuff that's 'disturbing'.

And whilst we're talking about swearing in the media, why is it that some newspapers print the swearword in its entirety, whilst others censor it completely, or partially censor it so that you'd know what the word is - i.e. f**k, sh*t, w******? Are there any hard and fast rules governing this?

I think radio's a different kettle of fish all together - no swearing at all, otherwise you'll be in hot water?

Technically you used to be able to do what you wanted on radio and as long as the listeners didn't complain you'd be fine.

But now Ofcom are a lot more keen on spot checking and if they hear something they think breaks your promise of performance....sorry station format...then they can come down on you like a ton of bricks.

In regards to swearing - I've heard the increased use of 'bástárd' and 'buggér' on LBC recently - many of the times the presenter makes no apology. It's mainly overnight so I can only assume Ofcom doesn't have a problem with it as it's out of family broadcasting hours and being a talk station can be a little more "real life" ?

"Sod", "up yours" and "flange" are also regular 'swears' on LBC.

The thing that surprises me more about LBC is the constant use of brand names. Iain Lee is always eating a Twix or playing on the Nintendo Wii. Most of the presenters and a fair few of the callers seem to have a MySpace/YouTube page that they can plug freely. I think its much better to casually mention brand names as people do in real life than the situation on TV where presenters have to be over cautious.

The Grundiad still think they're ever so big and clever when they use swear words without asterixing some letters, including the c-word.

Bless.

I much prefer that. I HATE when they censor words out, I mean what is the point. Especially with whatever Jack called Shilpa on Big Brother being bleeped out.

You know neither what is being said, and asterisks only draw attention to the word. It's treating readers like babies

Are grown-up newspapers perhaps a little too intellectual for diddums? Nothing draws attention to swear words like asterixing them out. Nothing has ever been stupider than the Telegraph writing a report on the town of F***ing, Austria.

I think its quite good concidering every other paper pointlessly asterixing out letters. it allways annoys me when The Sun start asterixing- we cant read the word s*** on page 3 but topless women are fine...

I think the point in this news story is that its use was justified by the context - without including the word it would be very difficult to report it given that it was the use of the word by a judge which had prompted the controversy.

My point was not that the Grundiad are not being more mature by not asterixing out words, but more that their decision not to do so arguably leads to them throwing in such words (for obvious shock value) "because they can".

There was an article on Media Guardian only the other day where a completely tenuous link was made to an incident in which c*nt was uttered on air (obviously they printed it without the asterix)- it was so out of context that it was clearly just done for shock value.

That was my point.

I know that many newspapers have a book which dictates their house style and how they handle the use of swearing in articles, and which the journalists must adhere to. In reference to the Guardian and the Observer, they write the words c*** and f*** in their entirety because they feel that asterisking them out draws attention to them too much in the article.

I suppose some newspapers do it, because they feel would get too many complaints or that it would make them feel more 'downmarket' in some ways. When papers like The Sun do it, seems a little incongruous when they have scantily-clad ladies on other pages as someone else has said