BBC criticised over binge-drink scenes

The BBC has been accused of undermining industry efforts to avoid a ban on alcohol advertising while ITV's Rupert Howell has labelled calls for a junk food ad ban "naïve" and "simplistic".

Shows such as Holby City and Eastenders have been criticised for showing scenes involving binge-drinking. Baroness Coussins, a member of the Advertising Standards Authority Council, accused the BBC of portraying binge-drinking irresponsibly.

I chose this story as I have had stories before about junk food ads and this links hand in hand with it. The BBC are a license funded company and therefore do not have its own adverts yet they are promoting binge-drinking through their shows. They have been accused of being irresponsible and I personally believe that all accusations made are correct. This is as Holby City and Eastenders are the type of shows that many people watch on a daily basis and therefore there is the likelihood that people use those shows for personal identity/relationships. If people aspire to be like characters they see on tv then showing binge-drinking is creating a negative influence on people and therefore it could lead them to be that way themselves. This could potentially be a serious issue as there are already alot of issues regarding drinking and it tends to link hand in hand with violence and therefore creating this negative effect is not good for the public.