Congress seeks last word on broadcast obscenity

Los Angeles Times ^ | 7/19/2007 | Jim Puzzanghera

[Cat loving Texan]

WASHINGTON — The battle over dirty words shifts back to Congress today.

A Senate committee is expected to support legislation that would authorize regulators to enforce a nearly zero-tolerance policy on the broadcast of certain expletives that was struck down last month.

[Borges]

Don’t they have anything better to do?

[Ingtar]

Let me guess, Liberal is on that word list.

[Cat loving Texan]

Unfortunately you’ve nailed the problem. This is a “family values” arguement that liberals will support to able themselves to regulate broadcast content.

[ConservaTexan]

I find the idiots that are broadcast on CSPAN obscene.

[spinestein]

[A Senate committee is expected to support legislation that would authorize regulators to enforce a nearly zero-tolerance policy on the broadcast of certain expletives that was struck down last month.]

Busybody Republicans trying to keep people from saying “dirty words”. Oh wait, these are DEMOCRATS passing censorship legislation. Nothing to see here, move along.

[dblshot]

We don’t need no education
We don’t need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the [Congress]
[Senators]leave them [words] alone
Hey [senator] leave them [words] alone
All in all it’s just another brick in the wall
All in all you’re just another brick in the wall

[wastedyears]

I like it

[DuncanWaring]

Curiously, I would think that to be enforceable, the law would have to explicitly state what the proscribed words were.

Then, if a newsreader were to read to law over-the-air, they would be guilty of violating the law.

[E Rocc]

There's a reason that President Reagan appointed an FCC that greatly relaxed such rules. It's too easy for government to abuse and expand.

It's also a loser for conservatives, electorally. Government attempting to block the culture is like King Canute trying to block the sea. The only result is the blocker wannabes get drowned.

-Eric

[rhombus]

How about getting rid of media-made-up words like Horrific and other assorted combinations?

[E Rocc]

Then, if a newsreader were to read to law over-the-air, they would be guilty of violating the law.

Kinda like my niece once telling me she wasn't allowed to say "s***". >:).

Seriously, they'd probably win a First Amendment case if they were reporting the news. One of the reasons the media loved the Lewinsky and John Wayne Bobbit cases so much is they could get away with saying things they'd otherwise have a problem with.

-Eric

[mysterio]

Use the Billy Clinton Vchip or turn off the TV. We don’t need congress censoring television.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

[Tim Slagle]

I talked to Rockefeller’s office. They deny that the Senator wants to ban any words. Apparently the Senator from West Virginia, wants to ban violent images, not dirty words.

Darn. I wanted a list of the exact words.

[my_pointy_head_is_sharp]

...wants to ban violent images, not dirty words

It's already happening, exactly as stated. NBC pixilated images of the wounds of the two brothers who were both gored by the same bull. Pixilated gore. Why bother showing the picture at all, since you couldn't see anything?

However, the swearing on TV continues unabated. We're hearing everything except the F word. Yes to dirty words, no to violent images - that's their plan.