Mosaics up in smoke

It was reported in our sister paper the Daily News on Thursday that authorities are set to issue new regulations which allow television broadcasters to do away with mosaics or blurred images masking tobacco and alcohol scenes in their programmes.

Instead, they will be required to carry messages warning of the dangers and ill-effects of tobacco (smoking) and alcohol when such scenes/programs are aired. Such measures are vital because in Sri Lanka both tobacco and alcohol are responsible for the loss of over 40,000 lives yearly.

This new regulation is a move in the right direction. What the broadcasters do now is to 'mosaic' the pictures with a caption that it is being done to comply with Government regulations on tobacco and alcohol, without necessarily blocking out the audio. But the new move is likely to be more effective.

There are instances when the scene being depicted is pivotal to the storyline, in spite of the tobacco/alcohol usage depicted therein. Viewers are often heard complaining that blocking out the scene(s) robs them of the enjoyment.

Under the new guidelines, broadcasters would be required to run health and other warning messages or images which show the illnesses, suffering, financial losses etc. due to tobacco and alcohol use at the bottom during the entire length of such scenes from September 1.

This will hopefully serve two purposes. There are many foreign and local programs that show tobacco and alcohol use. Some of these scenes actually show the ill-effects of consuming these products and even wean at least some people away from them. In any case, this is how the directors wanted these scenes to be shot. It may or may not add anything to the story per se, but it is up to the viewer to assess that.

But by running a message on the bottom of the story on the pitfalls of tobacco and alcohol, the viewers are reminded of the inherent dangers of these products without necessarily ruining their enjoyment of the programme.

National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) chief Prof Carlo Fonseka has also said that a series of new guidelines to prevent the encouragement of tobacco and alcohol use in the entertainment media would come into effect from next month. After all, there is solid evidence that modes of entertainment such as films, teledramas and music greatly impact on people's day-to-day attitudinal behaviours.

These guidelines would include the non-inclusion of scenes which encourage tobacco and alcohol use, in future productions.

This, too, is a commendable move. This will give directors a clean slate to work with - they now know that scenes containing tobacco and alcohol use should not be included (unless absolutely essential to the plot) in future productions. NATA is also encouraging producers to include scenes depicting the negative aspects of smoking and alcohol use, though exactly how directors and producers will interpret this is still not clear. However, if done right, this will send a powerful message to viewers on the dangers of these products. The youth should be especially targeted in this exercise.

It is also heartening to note that NATA will be issuing guidelines which would prevent celebrities being exploited by the industry for advertisements that encourage tobacco and alcohol use.

The prestigious medical journal Pediatrics has revealed that 52 per cent of non-smoking parent's children had been initiated to smoking by following actors and actresses smoking in films. In this context, the decision to prevent celebrity 'endorsements' on tobacco/alcohol is praiseworthy.

There are two other aspects that the authorities should consider: subliminal advertising and product placement. In the former, words relating to a particular product or service (in this case tobacco and alcohol) are mentioned in passing by the actors and these words are almost automatically embedded in the viewers' minds. In the latter, a tobacco or alcohol product (a cigarette packet and/or a bottle of alcoholic beverage) is placed on the setting of the scene it is not even touched by the actors, but it is there nonetheless.

This leaves an impression on the product in the viewers' minds. Younger viewers are particularly vulnerable and at least some of them may be inclined to 'try it out' later.

With the enactment of the National Alcohol and Tobacco Act No. 27, any form of advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco and alcohol products was banned.

Action is also being taken on other tobacco and alcohol related offences such as selling them to minors and consuming them in prohibited places. Moreover, the Government's successful Mathata Thitha program has also curbed these habits by a considerable extent.

But the stark reality is that tobacco and alcohol industries are always trying out new campaigns and strategies to increase their sales and widen their user base. One cannot therefore rule out a nexus between some teledrama/film makers and the two industries to promote tobacco and alcohol products in a subtle manner. As mentioned earlier, youth islandwide are particularly targeted by these subtle strategies including innovative Point of Sale (PoS) material.

In this light, the proposal to have pictorial warnings on cigarette packs and PoS material is timely. Several countries are already doing this, though it is still early days to comment on its effectiveness.

However, judging by the graphic warnings aimed at inducing a feeling of horror and revulsion in the minds of potential customers, it seems to be a successful ploy.

The packages don't just say that smoking may cause cancer. They say 'smoking causes cancer', period, backed by a revolting picture of a close-up of a lung cancer.

Now that could make you think twice if you are a smoker or someone wanting to start smoking.

Smoking kills, there's no doubt about that. Alcohol does so too, and even worse, it leads to deeper social problems as well, not to mention a massive health bill.

Any concrete step that addresses these twin evils deserves our commendation and the NATA's latest directives are certain to go a long way.

More such measures should be suggested by the civil society as well to pave the way for a healthier future generation.