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in support of free expression
The information presented here by the National
Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) may be freely redistributed in its entirety,
provided that readers are informed that the information was obtained from
NCAC's World Wide Web site and that credit is given to the appropriate source
of whatever information is used. Permission is expressly granted for the information
obtained to be made available for file transfer from installations offering
unrestricted anonymous file transfer on the Internet. Information found here
may not be sold for profit or incorporated in commercial documents without
the written permission from the National Coalition Against Censorship.
©Copyright 2005 NCAC
WEB DESIGN
Jeanne Criscola Criscola Design
free speech first amendment censorship
Resources
"Decency" on the Airwaves
Remember George Carlin's "seven dirty words" monologue? Many people thought it was pretty funny, but what happened afterwards was not. The Federal Communications Commission charged that it violated broadcast standards for "indecency," a decision that was upheld by the Supreme Court in 1978. Since then, the question of defining what is "indecent" has plagued courts, consumers, broadcasters and performers.
In the recent past, the FCC has issued citations for Sarah Jones' political song "Your Revolution" and the radio-edited version of Eminem's Grammy-winning song, "The Real Slim Shady." The Supreme Court has never reversed its 1978 decision, but more recent cases cast doubt on the continuing viability of the decency standard. Now, a coalition of First Amendment organizations, including NCAC, is petitioning the FCC to bring the indecency standard into line with recent First Amendment decisions.
To see a copy of the Comments filed with the FCC on August 6, click here. (PDF file)
Action Alerts
