Censorship at it's finest hour

[Megashrap]

Every now and then I come across a T.V. show, Documentary, etc. that I deem worth planning to watch. It is rare considering in my opinion that 95% of T.V. is brain-polution at best. After anticipating watching a PBS show entitled, A Company of Soldiers I set aside and planned to sit back and watch it, however after viewing PBS local listings web site, I came across this for tonights airing....

"Once a bastion for culturally significant programming in its purest form, the public trust could face a serious financial setback if hit with any large fines concerning content deemed indecent, an assignation yet to be defined in clear terms by the FCC. So it took precautionary measures to self-edit, which raised the ire of critics and liberal groups nationwide.

What began with the bleeping of three expletives in its presentation of "Cop Shop" last fall continues with tonight's "Frontline" broadcast of "A Company of Soldiers," airing at 10 p.m. on KCTS/9.

In this installment, a "Frontline" crew embedded with a military unit in Iraq documents daily life for soldiers running missions days after the assault on Fallujah last November.

The crew captures several harrowing firefights on film, and the camera's jerking and sudden lapses into darkness convey the frightening confusion and dangers these men and women face on every patrol.

When one of their number is killed in action, the filmmakers capture the company's immediate reaction, and we can see how deeply such a death colors every mission these men have to perform in the days following the loss. While "A Company of Soldiers" can be heartbreaking, the episode also honorably acknowledges the sacrifices these soldiers are making.

This isn't new territory for "Frontline," but the situation surrounding it is for PBS member stations. PBS is distributing two versions of "A Company of Soldiers" to them -- an edited version, in which 13 expletives the soldiers utter in the heat of the moment are edited out, and a raw version.

Any station deciding to air the unexpurgated "A Company of Soldiers" had to sign an agreement that accepts the financial risks of doing so.

In explaining his decision, Brinson said the risk to KCTS is minimal. For one thing, it is airing after 10 p.m., considered "safe harbor" under FCC guidelines.

More importantly, he said, it is journalistically appropriate. "We think the language of the film is totally within the context of the story being told," he said. "To sanitize the language really materially changes the story."  Source..PBS.com

How truly sad is this? we can show blown apart bodies at any given time of the day or night, ass-clowns on stage whipping out thier body parts, saving private ryan in it's entirety, southpark unedited,(btw) that list could go on into oblivion, but somehow THIS is a call of FCC arms to edit the language for some reason.  Bah, i'm gonna dload the full unedited version.

[Andrew]

All I have to say is why does Industrialized countries show dead Iraqi soldiers and civilians on television and in magazines, yet when AlJazeera shows dead Americans, Americans get all pissed off and say it is against the Geneva convention and shit.

It's ok to show dead people that are from a war torn country, they dont own any tvs over there anyway. But you can not show dead Americans because Americans own televisions and might see a dead family member on it. And of course the government does not want dead Americans on television because it is not good for recruitment.

PROPAGANDA

[Megashrap]

Yes but the issue is Language rather than just visual Content. Which makes it even more idiotic. However I did find some further info on PBS site a bit ago.

But it's still being censored.

"What is FRONTLINE's position on the strong language that is in this film?

This is a film about young men at war, often in combat, and always in danger. As one might expect, the language of these soldiers is sprinkled with expletives, especially at their moments of greatest fear and stress. As FRONTLINE edited the program, we were judicious, but came to believe that some of that language was an integral part of our journalistic mission: to give viewers a realistic portrait of our soldiers at war. We feel strongly that the language of war should not be sanitized and that there is nothing "indecent" about its use in this context.

PBS stations were given the option of airing an edited or unedited version based on their own community standards. Broadcasting the unedited version carries some risk that the FCC would entertain complaints and levy a fine. Each public television station had to decide for itself whether to take that risk.

FRONTLINE does not believe the expletives used by the soldiers violate the FCC's "indecency" rule. They are not used in a "gratuitous" manner nor are they meant to "titillate" or "pander," which are the terms the FCC uses to determine if there has been a violation. Viewers may be familiar with the recent case of ABC's broadcast of the movie "Saving Private Ryan," which contained repeated instances of strong language, used in the same context as this FRONTLINE film. It was widely reported that a majority of the FCC commissioners decided they would not support viewer complaints about the language in "Saving Private Ryan," and outgoing Chairman Michael Powell concluded that the agency should not take action against the ABC stations that aired it because the language was part of accurately portraying the story about the Allied invasion of Normandy during World War II.

FRONTLINE appreciates those stations who were willing to broadcast the unedited version of the film, but recognizes the difficulty any station would have in deciding to take a risk that might result in a penalty. However, we encouraged all stations that could to stand with FRONTLINE because we believe what is at stake here is not only the particulars of this case, but the principle of editorial independence. Overreaching by the FCC is at its heart a First Amendment issue. We think that the editorial integrity of future FRONTLINEs is at risk along with other many other types of programs whether art, science, history, culture, or public affairs. Editorial decisions should be free from influence by the government and should be made in accordance with the standards, practices, and mission of public television. We hope you agree."

[VigilVirus]

What do you expect from the FCC? They are a bunch of idiots.

[Jack Leaf]

Err, um...

..What?

This sounds crazy.

[Megashrap]

Very good program, and at least our local channel had the balls to say this station will only air the original unedited version in it's entirety the way it was intended, and a younger viewer advisory. Though alot of stations played the edited version.

Of all the reviews i've read about it today, I have to say this one is the most accurate account, and agree with completely...

"... powerfully moving...

"'A Company of Soldiers' should be required viewing in this country, if only because most news reports about Iraq have all been so similarly reported -- a roadside bomb, the number of dead, then onto something else -- it's easy to forget the reality. ...

"'A Company of Soldiers' is riveting because its realness doesn't seem especially unique. You get the sense that hundreds of patrols and thousands of soldiers are in this kind of constant peril at all times. ...

"There are too many gripping moments to mention in this documentary. ... This is a slice of the Iraq war, taken over the course of a month, with the Misfits of Dog Company, who stand in nicely for every other group of soldiers scattered across the country. It's a snippet of their story, a part of our muted national dialogue. ..."

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/company/etc/press.html