Media Brief

I'm the BBC's media correspondent and this is my brief selection of what's going on.

Product placement will be allowed in the UK for the first time at the end of February, Ofcom confirmed yesterday. The Independent reports that in sharp contrast to the US, there will be heavy restrictions on what can be shown, including a ban on fast food.

The Guardian explains broadcasters will have to alert viewers when programmes containing product placement are aired by using an on-screen logo, to be unveiled by Ofcom in the new year.

The Lord Chief Justice has given the public the right to report from inside courtrooms using Twitter, texts and email. However, he also warned that there were dangers in allowing those in court to issue live reports, including the possibility of witnesses in criminal cases being influenced outside court. The Independent reports that the new guidance is only temporary and will be reviewed.

Government plans to block pornography "at source" are unlikely to prove effective, say ISPs. The BBC reports the proposal to cut off access to pornographic material was floated by Culture Minister Ed Vaizey in an interview with the Sunday Times.

The BBC's newspaper review says the misery caused by the winter weather continues to dominate the papers. The Independent's Simon Calder is unimpressed.
"National embarrassment deepened to abject humiliation" for the UK, he writes, while places like Dubai and Abu Dhabi - which would like to take over as global travel hubs - are delighted.

Links in full

• Independent | Broadcasters lick lips as product placement lands
• Guardian | Ofcom confirms product placement on UK TV
• Independent | Landmark ruling allows tweeting from court - for now
• BBC | Internet porn block 'not possible' say ISPs
• BBC | Newspaper Review

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• Read Monday's Media Brief