Gammon, remoaner, Karen and snowflake are among the words added to Ofcom’s list of offensive terms

'Karen' and 'Gammon' are among some of the latest words added to a list of offensive terms by the UK's communications regulator Ofcom, which has begun ranking politically-charged terms for the first time.

'Karen', typically used to refer to an entitled middle-class, and normally white woman, and 'gammon', a term referring to right-wing, pro-Brexit men, are joined by words such as 'libtard', 'remoaner', 'snowflake' and 'boomer' on Ofcom's list of words which could upset viewers and listeners.

Racial, anatomical and religious terms are already on Ofcom's list of potentially offensive words whose impact broadcasters must bear in mind when producing programmes.

The regulator said that it would begin considering new terms when reviewing complaints made by audiences, declaring that the changing meaning of words and the increasing usage of politically-charged insults meant broadcasters would be urged to monitor their inclusion of such words from now on.

LBC host and former BBC Newsnight presenter James O'Brien was brought to the attention of Ofcom for his recent use of the term 'gammon' to deride the right-wing, and this example has been used to demonstrate how such political terms can be deployed negatively.

Ofcom's Director of Standards and Audience Protection Adam Baxter said: 'People's views on offensive language can change significantly over time.

'So, to ensure we're setting and enforcing our rules effectively, it is essential that we keep up to date with how viewers and listeners think and feel.

The regulator announced that they carried out audience research and a nationwide survey to estimate the impact of political terms and phrases, the findings of which suggested that these labels only cause 'mild offence' when compared with racially or religiously-charged terms and foul language.

The research also revealed that political labels were not recognised by as many survey respondents despite their rapidly expanding presence, particularly on social media sites.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10015349/Gammon-remoaner-Karen-snowflake-words-added-Ofcoms-list-offensive-terms.html

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Hawley Calls on Google to Explain Why It ‘Seemingly Censored’ Pro-Life Ads

Senator Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) sent a letter to Google on Wednesday demanding answers about why it has “seemingly censored” ads by pro-life organizations Live Action and Choose Life Marketing.

Hawley wrote to Google CEO Sundar Pichai asking, “At what rate are ads produced by crisis pregnancy centers, pro-life advocacy organizations, and firms that work with them deemed ineligible for distribution on Google’s platform?”

The senator also questioned what “contacts” Google executives or other leaders have had with “abortion advocacy organizations in the last month.”

“When I spoke with Mark Zuckerberg about a similar issue in September 2019, he acknowledged the danger of bias on the parts of content reviewers in this area, particularly where pro-life activist groups like Live Action are concerned,” Hawley wrote. “But if your company’s behavior is any indication, those concerns have gone unaddressed.”

He suggested that Google “appears to have taken a page out of the progressive left playbook and has started targeting pregnancy resource centers and pro-life activist organizations for disfavor.”’

The Missouri Republican said that Choose Life Marketing, a company from his home state that works with pro-life pregnancy resource centers, found that its ads were not running, “even though Google designated them as eligible to run.”

Hawley wrote that the company was “unable to obtain an explanation” from Google and noted that “even a cursory investigation reveals numerous examples of Planned Parenthood advertising directly to internet users that it offers abortions, contrary to Google’s stated policies.”

The letter came one day after Live Action President Lila Rose said that Google had blocked 18 of her organization’s ads, including one promoting the abortion reversal pill.

https://www.nationalreview.com/news/hawley-calls-on-google-to-explain-why-it-seemingly-censored-pro-life-ads/

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