1. Censorship

2. What is Censorship?
The suppression of speech or communication that may be considered “harmful”...
Who determines what's “harmful?”
Always triggers...DING...First Amendment
Protects against censorship, except corporate censorship
In South Park/Media?

3. Reasons for Censorship
FCC regulation
To appease audiences
To appease advertisers
To attract advertisers
To appease certain groups: usually extremist political or religious
Fear or threat or risk of action against; usually national security
Copyright and intellectual property law

4. FCC & Censorship
FCC: Regulates content on TV and radio broadcasting; NOT cable, satellite, or internet
Obscenity: pornography and often nudity; images/film
NEVER legal! Network TV or Cable (but pay cable)
Profane (language): language that's grossly offensive
context of use, may be profane but lawful
Indecent (programming): language/material that's about sexual or excretory material but not obscene
context of use, may be indecent but lawful
Safe harbor: aka watershed, 10pm-6am when can air indecent/profane content

5. First Amendment
Free press, free speech, freedom of religion, freedom to assemble, petition government
Indecency
Protected as free speech, can air during safe harbor
Profanity
Obscenity
Not protected, can never air
Oregon is the only state where obscenity is legal (still illegal on the federal level)

6. George Carlin
"Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television" (based on Lenny Bruce 8 words)
shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker, and tits...there are more that FCC doesn't like
1973, “Filthy Words” uncensored on Pacifica's WBAI
Morality in Media

7. FCC v. Pacifica Foundation (1978)
Supreme Court ruling on indecency/free speech based on WBAI's airing of “Filthy Words”
Ruled in favor of FCC, but was indecent NOT obscene
Defined FCC's control over indecent material in broadcasting
FCC could prohibit indecent material during certain hours
Established “safe harbor”
FCC could define what counted as indecent broadly
Formally established indecency regulation in US

8. “Death” (1997) Blaming TV for children's behavior; assisted suicide
Condemnation of censorship
Maybe some value to poorly animated show with toilet humor???
Self-reflexive critique of toilet humor
Self-reflexive of backlash and outrage by parents about South Park
But, everybody likes a good shit/fart joke
Episode the model for Bigger, Longer & Uncut

10. South Park and Censorship
Self-censors; Comedy Central does this to keep advertising companies happy
Standards & Practices departments self- regulate
Comedy Central has only censored South Park in respect to portraying Muhammed

11. “Good Times with Weapons” (2004)
Aired one month after “Nipplegate”
Satires of American public's ludicrous concern towards nudity and sexuality in entertainment rather than gratuitous violence and gore

12. Wardrobe Malfunction

13. Aka Nipplegate Super Bowl XXXVIII Feb. 2004
.5 second of shielded breast, indecency, ½ million complaints
FCC fines CBS $550K ($8M in fines in 2004)
Indecent violation from $27,500 to $325,000
Jackson content has been banned by Viacom/CBS and Clear Channel/Infinity Broadcasting
Viacom paid $3.5M in indecency complaints
Infotainment? Sensationalism? Legal Aftermath...
After this, the FCC fined heavily and networks self-censored

14. “It Hits the Fan” (2001) Says “shit” 162 times
Parody of hype around Chicago Hope episode
Use of the word “fag” by Mr. Garrison (4th wall)
HBC a parody of NBC
Profanity in context
Choksondik: as a noun or adjective meaning bad, or as an exclamation of disappointment, the word is acceptable, but as a noun or adjective referring to feces, it is apparently unacceptable
Parody of FCC indecency standards
Comedy Central didn't approve “shit” until season 15