Supreme Court to look at government regulation of broadcast profanity

[alp227]

Source: CNN

Washington (CNN) -- The Supreme Court said Monday it will take another look at government efforts to regulate profanity and sexual content on broadcast television.

(...)

At issue is whether the Federal Communications Commission may constitutionally enforce its policies on "fleeting expletives" and scenes of nudity on television programs, both live and scripted. The agency had imposed hefty fines on broadcasters.

(...)

The Justice Department had filed an appeal this spring, and helpfully provided the justices with a DVD of a 2003 episode of the now-canceled "NYPD Blue" on ABC, on which a naked woman was shown. The content of that program is central to the ongoing legal dispute.

A federal appeals court last year for a second time struck down the government policies, concluding they were vague and inconsistently applied. Pending fines against the broadcasters were dismissed. ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox are all parties in the case.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/06/27/scotus.broadcast.profanity/index.html

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This is a pet cause of the Parents Television Council, which has filed the majority of FCC complaints in the Decency Wars of the 2000s (highlights: the NYPD Blue episode "Nude Awakening" as mentioned, Nicole Richie cursing on the live-broadcast 2003 Billboard Music Awards, Bono using the F-word in the 2003 Golden Globes, Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction at the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, a 2004 rerun of Without a Trace episode "Our Sons and Daughters")

[PoliticAverse]

1. ****-yeah! n/t

[ixion]

2. Making way for the (soon to be) popular series: "Ow, My Balls!"

as we descend into idiocracy.

[Politicalboi]

3. Yeah Right 5-4 vote will again rule

Like these assholes are gonna let us adults hear foul language and see the naked body while children might be up at 11:00pm. We need another cable outlet that has adult tiers of packages that allow un-censored programs. Most children learn bad language from home. Not any TV show or video game. Then they bring that word to school, and it travels like a virus.

[Tesha]

5. Nonsense! They heard that word (No, not "fudge!") from Schwartz!

[lbrtbell]

11. There's plenty of that sort of thing on cable

Comedy Central has snown the South Park movie "Bigger, Longer, and Uncut" countless times with zero censorship. If we want to see something like that, cable TV awaits.

Toning down foul language isn't just for the kids; there are many adults offended by it. Even though it doesn't bother me at all, I respect the rights of those who wish to watch broadcast TV without being bombarded with filth...and yes, some of these people do stay up late.

Personally, I find swearing hilarious if it's done right, and not just to hide the writers' lack of imagination.

In the words of Eric Cartman, "Fuck, fuckity, fuck-fuck-fuck!"

[Enrique]

4. "fleeting expletives"

sounds like a euphemism. We've got to ban these fleeting expletives!

[Ian David]

6. Fuck the FCC.

Steve Earle - F the CC (live)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUYWGo4Fl2s

Eric Idle- The FCC Song (Fuck The FCC)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jixxYx9fklM

[lbrtbell]

12. I love Eric Idle's song!

Especially the parts about Bush/Cheney, like, "Fuck you, dickhead Mr. Cheney, too / Fuck you, and fuck everything you do!"

[provis99]

7. Parents Television Council.

They don't understand the irony of their own obscene and unAmerican morality.

[AsahinaKimi]

8. If they want to regulate things "obscene"....

They should start with Fox News.

[lbrtbell]

14. SO TRUE!

Bill O'Reilly's face, alone, is obscene.

[Scottybeamer70]

9. Well.........

we wouldn't want the little dears to hear what their parents probably say every day of the year.
Will we never get to the 21st century?

[Deb]

10. broadcast television?

I wonder if that still really exists since any reception to any TV is now through a purchased box. :shrug:

[lbrtbell]

13. Not if your TV has a digital tuner - n/t