C ommentary
A pril 21, 2004
T he C lackamas P rint • 5
Censorship has media concerned
[Media censorship should be
closely monitored, enforced
Jeff Sorensen
T he C lackamas P rint
■ If the ill-accountable media insists
that sex -and lies are the only way to sell
their product, then the censorship of that
media is needed now more than ever.
I Recent events have practically caused a
riot at the offices of the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) as
they’ve attempted to “crack down”. on
generally offensive content in the media,
meanwhile, Conan O’Brien is still con
fused on what his guests can and can’t say
dn his “Late Nite” show; comedians
Robin Williams and Chris Rock, who rely
heavily on profanity, are all but banned
from television; and lonely young men
can still have beautiful women to “talk”
to for $2.95 a minute. Bottom line: the
I<2C’s efforts are too little, too late.
■ Censorship in the media has long
been an outstanding and controversial
issue, but the fact is, the media has a
responsibility of fairness to the public if
for no other reason than that the public
doesn’t have access to mass media as a
free forum. Sure, they censor some things
(even Jerry Springer wori’t let just anyone
on ¡TV), but the only thing that’s really
censored in the media anymore is the
content that Could potentially eliminate
viewers.
But people in general should be smart
enough to protect themselves from out-
side influence, right? We are disabled
from creating an informed thought,
opinion or idea, thanks to the lack of
information provided by the media.
They use their right-to “free speech” and
their right to “remain silent” in concert to
create a -world surrounded with what they
feel will make for the best ratings, rather
than the highest national intelligence quo
tient as they use the same two basic rights
tel protect their ability to prevent any neg
ative publicity that might seep through
t&ir airwave-tight filters. This holds true
for television, radio, and newspaper alike,
all of which have become nothing more
than a free-range playing field for some of
our nation’s most ruthless and financial
ly demanding salespeople.
It’s in the interest of sales that the
media has run rampant with their lying
and misleading marketing campaigns.
What are they wrong about? Here’s a
short list: we don’t need a leggy blonde on
the weather channel to tell us it’s raining;
there doesn’t have to be a murder “in our
neighborhood” just so we’ll watch the
news; Faith Ford and Kelly Rippa are not
funny, especially together; beer doesn’t
really help guys get women; magic pills
don’t enlarge any body parts or cause
immediate weight loss; and there is yet to
be a “low-carb solution” that doesn’t
taste like fresh cardboard.
It doesn’t matter what the forum is—
TV, radio, newspapers or magazines—
they’ve all sold out to advertising and sub
par programming in a world driven by
business and money-grubbing. The chil
dren of our nation are growing up to
believe that having sex, drinking beer,
treating women like objects and disre
specting their parents is how they become
“cool.” The fact is, the media is the reason
we’re self-destructing, and something
needs to be done.
Media censorship violates
public's right to complete truth
Hilliary Ferguson
T he C lackamas P rint
It’s funny to think that one word and one
boob can bring about a cultural revolution
bent on revoking our First Amendment
rights, but that’s exactly what’s happened,
and now the media world is caught in limbo,
attempting to balance somewhere between
edgy media that sells and increasing fines
from the Federal Communications
Commission (FCQ.
In the 1978 case of FCC v. “Pacifica,” the
FCC declared any material deemed “patently
offensive” (any depiction or description of
sexual or excretory activities or organs)
would be banned from the airwaves. This
was well and good, because for the most part
TV and radio stations stayed within the line
of common decency. Then came Janet
Jackson’s right boob and the FCC decided to
take more of a literal (not contextual) mean
ing to “patently offensive.”
What’s more, the Broadcast Decency
Enforcement Act (BDEA) of 2004 is
meant to increase fines for violations.
Currently, the highest fine allowed is
$27,500 per offense. The BDEA would
raise fines to $275,000 per offense and up
to 3 million fqr repeat offenders.
For major communication companies,
these are often absorbed as a cost of doing
business. For independent—and almost
always controversial—media sources, these
fines could potentially cause bankruptcy.
“What might be the cost of doing busi
ness for Infinity Broadcasting could spell
death for a college station that plays records
with edgy lyrics, or a low-power community
station that airs serious discussions about sex
and health,” said Jesse Walker, author of
“Rebels on the Air.”
Under the literal meaning, of “patently
offensive,” educational shows an<J.: health
magazines are also in jeopardy. The popular
call-in show “Love Line” would clearly be in
violation, aS most or all of its subject matter
concerns sexual activities and organs. The
FCC is ignoring the value of a show like this.
So many of today’s youth have no alternative
means of accessing reliable and competent
information on the topic. We cannot refuse
free sex education to the public, and the FCC
is trying to take it away, claiming indecency.
This, in turn, leads the pubfic to believe
that our bodies are taboo and that sex is
unnatural arid immoral. The FCC is creating
a society where we make up stories about
storks and babies because we’re too embar
rassed to explain the truth to our children.
The FCC is trying to unlearn us.
In the end, the FCC v. “Pacifica” case
determined that material with provocative
content is better played late at night, when
children are less likely to watch. This solu
tion is so simple, it has somehow escaped
the FCC, and they are now trying to
remove all questionable material from free
public access.
People want to be able to watch or listen
to shows that deal with real, everyday top
ics. Life isn’t censored, and one can’t very
well identify with a TV show that is. Radio’s
allure is that the personalities continually
scream in the face of controversy, explor
ing every side to the issue. Without these
facets, modern media is boring at best. If
controversy is the spice of life, censorship
is unsweetened corn puffs.
Kucinich brings old message, new enthusiasm to northwest
Ben Maras
O pinion E ditor
On the afternoon of March 26 in
Portland’s own Saturday Market, Dennis J.
Kticinich, called by many “the man who
won’t be our next president” appeared to
speak to a crowd of die hard supporters.
Dressed in a dark suit and tie (quite the
contrast to the usual Saturday Market go
er), Kucinich is much shorter than the
avotagc candidate (I would guess about
five foot eight), and seems nearly a carica
ture of himself, with his short stature and
almost goofy appearance.
It is hard to imagine that this 58-year-
old vegan is running for President, but
the second he opens his mouth, all doubt
of his validity as a candidate disappears.
His speeches are passionate and powerful.
“1 want to say that it is so important
that the Democratic Party begin to take a
stand for peace,” Kucinich began. “We
■needito insist on a new direction for this
country, we need to work with the world
community, we need to bring the UN in
and we need to bring our troops home.”
He barely finished the sentence before
being interrupted by cheers and applause
throughout the audience.
Kucinich then mentioned the plan that
has been on his website (www.kucinich.us)
for months detailing exactly how he
would do so.
“This is an opportunity for us to come
together in a shared vision of a world
where it’s possible to have peace and a
world where it’s possible that we can all
stand for principles of social and eco
nomic justice.' Oregon is going to help
send America in a new direction, and this
campaign is going to give you a basis to
do it,” he said.
With a cheer and a wave, Kucinich fin
ished his speech and was ascended upon
by the crowd of fans. Making his way
over to the famous “silver statue” (i.e.,
the human statue most Portlanders are
familiar with), Kucinich donated a dollar
and in return received a juggling act that
nearly stole the show—nearly.
My attempt to penetrate the crowd and
get close enough to ask him a question
and have him sign something took some
time; in fact, it took until he was away
from the group, with only a few people
remaining.
“We have to go ... now,” his body
guard grumbled to anyone in earshot, but forgone conclusion, Kucinich’s message
Kucinich’s attention was immediately remains the same: “Let fear end, and
turned to me. I asked him how he (a hope begin.”
Congressman for Ohio) felt
about H.R. 163, the infa
mous draft bill.
“I
am
completely
opposed to it, and I promise
you that I will do everything
in my power to stop it,” he
responded.
I shook his hand and
thanked him, to which he
replied, “You’re the one who
makes it possible.” With
that, he was whisked off to
his car by his campaign man
agers and driven off to his
next destination.
Kucinich may not be the
next president, or the one
after that, but he speaks with
enough energy and passion
that it is hard to believe that
P hoto C ourtesy of WWW.KUCINICH.US
he won’t make a difference,
Ex-Presidential
hopeful
Dennis J. Kucinich
or that someday he won’t be
poses
with
the
Portland
landmark “Silver
President.
Although the
Statue” at Saturday Market during a
candidate representing the
Democratic Party may be a
campaign stop.
T he
C lackamas P rint
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