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Radio Station Promotes Pornography: 3 Easy Ways to Take Action

By MarilynOn
Radio Station Promotes Pornography: 3 Easy Ways to Take Action
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It’s September. The sky is blue. The kids are back in school. And you’re feeling fine. Until, on the way to work, you flip to the alternative rock station and hear them extolling the virtues of a platform you know perpetuates violence against women.

Your heart sinks. You care about gender equality. You don’t want to stand idly by and let this happen. But what can you do?

It’s your right to be heard

Oftentimes, people feel their only recourse to offensive content is to change the station. That’s simply not true. One of the great privileges of living in a democratic country is that your voice and my voice matters. 

Whether you live within the radius of this broadcast or halfway across the country, there IS something you can do. 

Community standards are a big deal in Canadian broadcasting. Much of what is aired on radio, television and even displayed on billboards is determined by either public acceptance or push back. If there’s something you don’t agree with, you have every right to complain about it. 

Making things happen

Today, I’m going to show you how to complain in a way that gets things done. 

This post will outline why the comments made by the radio hosts on CIND FM/Indie88 Toronto are in breach of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Code of Ethics (clause 9). Plus it will give you 3 simple, actionable tasks to ensure your voice is heard. 

Just below is the letter I am sending to the CBSC and CIND FM/Indie88 Toronto. It explains what was heard on the air and why the content is offensive. Following the letter, you will find a summary of the key points. Use the letter or summary to make your own complaint. 

My letter of complaint

To Ian March, Program Director, CIND FM/Indie88 Toronto, 

On Thursday, September 19 between 8:00 am – 9:00 am morning show hosts Josie Dye, Matt, and Carlin used airtime to promote Pornhub—the pornographic video sharing platform which originated in Montreal. During this same segment, Josie also claimed the health benefits of using pornography and one of the male hosts openly criticized organizations disseminating scientific facts concerning the negative impact porn can have on individuals.

According to the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Code of Ethics (clause 9) radio stations should recognize local community standards as well as the demographic composition of the station’s audience. “Within this context, particular care shall be taken by radio broadcasters to ensure that programming on their stations does not … sanction, promote or glamorize violence.” 

Regardless of personal taste and opinions towards pornography, it is recognized that the content distributed through Pornhub contains violent and/or sexually demeaning acts directed primarily towards women, children/teens, and individuals marginalized in society.  

Violence against women

Less Than Human? Media Use, Objectification of Women, and Men’s Acceptance of Sexual Aggression is one of dozens of studies to conclude that the consumption of pornography is associated with greater acceptance of the objectification of women, which in turn was associated with greater rape myth acceptance and more frequent acts of sexual deception. This peer-reviewed study appears in the Psychology of Violence Journal (2018).

Sex trafficking

CBC News reports: ‘Romeo pimps’: Sex traffickers luring young women by posing as potential boyfriends, experts say. With the current domestic sex trafficking crisis at the forefront of every concerned citizen’s mind, it is incomprehensible that CIND FM/Indie88 Toronto would promote Pornhub—a powerful force in the sex industry. Pornhub continues to profit (in the billions) from the treatment of individuals (primarily women) as objects and commodities to be used, abused and discarded. There is a direct link between the selling of sex and sex trafficking. 

Impact on children

Research conducted by Bitdefender shows that 1 in 10 visitors to hardcore pornographic websites is under the age of ten. Sites most visited by children under 10 include xvideos, xnxx, and Pornhub. Children under 10 have access to categories that include ‘extreme brutal gang bangs,’ ‘sleep assault,’ ‘domestic discipline,’ ‘crying in pain’ and many others. These pornographic scripts teach girls they are to be used and teach boys to be users. 

Government actions

The scientific research highlighting the negative health impact of pornography on children and youth is so significant that governments are taking action. The UK is poised to enact age-verification measures that “will help prevent children from accessing pornographic content online”. In the United States, sixteen states have independently passed resolutions declaring pornography a public health issue. 

Canada, though slow to respond, has begun to study the public health impact of the ease of access to violent and degrading sexual content on children, women, and men. 

Public apology

With ample evidence supporting the negative health concerns of pornography on vulnerable sectors of our society, I am asking that CIND FM/Indie88 Toronto do the following: 1). Retract their previous statements in support of Pornhub and opinion statements that pornography supports good health. 2). Make a public apology for dismissing the violence perpetrated against women, children and some men in the production of much of the content which appears on Pornhub and similar platforms. 

I trust you will carefully consider these matters and provide a thoughtful response within the next several days.  

Sincerely, 
Marilyn Evans

Summary of key points 

  • Morning show hosts Josie Dye, Matt, and Carlin of CIND FM/Indie 88 Toronto used airtime to promote Pornhub—the largest pornographic video sharing platform in the world. 
  • Several respected and peer-reviewed journals recognize that the most commonly viewed pornographic content contains violent and/or sexually demeaning acts directed primarily towards women.
  • There is a direct link between pornography and sex trafficking. Websites like Pornhub profit off the treatment of individuals (primarily women) as objects and commodities to be used, abused and discarded.  
  • Research shows that 1 in 10 visitors to hardcore pornographic websites is under the age of ten. Pornographic scripts teach girls they are to be used and teach boys to be users. 
  • According to the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Code of Ethics (clause 9), radio broadcasters should ensure that programming on their station does not sanction, promote or glamorize violence.  
  • With evidence supporting the negative impact of pornography on women and vulnerable sectors of our society, CIND FM/Indie88 Toronto should retract previous statements in support of Pornhub and issue an apology for promoting content harmful to women. 

To make a complaint to the CBSC 

Follow this link https://www.cbsc.ca/make-a-complaint/. You will be asked to provide the following information: 

Name of Television or Radio Station:  CIND FM (Indie88 Toronto)
Program Name: The Josi Dye Show
Date of Program: Thursday, September 19, 2019
Time of Program: 08:00     
Specific Concern: (Use the summary of points listed above. Or create your own message.)
Your Address:
Your City:
Your Province/Territory:
Your Postal Code:
First Name:
Last Name:
Your Email:

A collective shout

One letter of complaint may not seem like it could have much impact. But one letter added to another and another sends a collective shout that will be heard. 

We want to send a clear message to CIND FM/Indie88 Toronto and the Canadian Broadcasting Standards Council. Let them know it is never acceptable to promote pornography or any other content which glorifies the violent treatment and degradation of women. 

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Marilyn
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Categories : Getting Involved
By Marilyn

Marilyn has an educational background in family processes and believes that even the most difficult conversations with our kids can be made easy. She loves to share her own experience of parenting in the digital age through writing, live speaking presentations and everyday conversations.

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