Mediaweek finds that the FCC Activists Dominate Content Complaints
Through early October, 99.9 percent of indecency complaints—aside from those concerning the Janet Jackson “wardrobe malfunction” during the Super Bowl halftime show broadcast on CBS— were brought by the PTC, according to the FCC analysis dated Oct. 1. (The agency last week estimated it had received 1,068,767 complaints about broadcast indecency so far this year; the Super Bowl broadcast accounted for over 540,000, according to commissioners’ statements.)
Jeff Jarvis: FCC — and media — duped by Brent Bozell’s complaint factory: “Wake up, reporters. Do the real story. A tiny fringe group and the FCC are trying to censor our media and cripple the First Amendment and lazy reporters are swallowing their garbage as they draw grand conclusions about the state of debate in America.”
Jack Balkin: The FCC’s authority to regulate indecency: “The FCC’s authority to regulate indecency consistent with the First Amendment comes from the claim that children are always present (or potentially present) in the audience and that television is a “pervasive” medium. ”
