The Wrong Fight
CBS huffs about First Amendment rights. The American Family Association huffs that it about responsibility to the public. Both are wrong.
The dispute is about the planned airing (actually re-airing since it has been televised without complaint twice before) of the documentary 9/11. The film was supposed to be just about following a rookie firefighter on an ordinary day. Only they happened to be filming it on 9/11/2201. The resulting film has some coarse language. Some CBS affiliates are refusing to air it for fear of being fined by the FCC. The AFA wants to send massed complaints against those stations that do air it.
"This is example No. 1," said Martin Franks, executive vice president of CBS Corp., of the decision by two dozen CBS affiliates to replace or delay "9/11" — which has already aired twice without controversy — over concerns about some of the language used by the firefighters in it.
"We don't think it's appropriate to sanitize the reality of the hell of Sept. 11th," Franks said. "It shows the incredible stress that these heroes were under. To sanitize it in some way robs it of the horror they faced."
….
On Friday, Sinclair Broadcasting became the latest company to say it was delaying the broadcast until after 10 p.m. on its stations in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Portland, Maine, saying it was concerned it could face fines.
The announcement came as the Tupelo, Miss.-based American Family Association readied its 3 million members to flood the FCC and CBS with complaints after the documentary airs.
"This isn't an issue of censorship. It's an issue of responsibility to the public," said Randy Sharp, director of special projects for the group, which describes itself as a 29-year-old organization that promotes the biblical ethic of decency.
First, CBS has no first amendment issue here. They are the holder of a Federal license that allows then to use public resources within certain limits. End of discussion – and they know it. Second, the AFA is being really short-sighted about this. The film is what it is, it is in historical context. It shows real people in a really hideous situation on a horrible day.
And it needs to be seen by as many Americans as possible to remind them.
The AFA is out of line on this issue. I am not a big fan of obscene language and don't allow it here. But I am also not squeamish about it. I also see a huge difference between gratuitous use of bad language and the use of it by people in a hideous situation. I would urge the AFA to reconsider this effort and instead support the airing of something more people need to see and remember. CBS should also stop whining about rights it has never had – instead focus on the story that needs to be told. This is the wrong fight for both parties.
Other Links to this Post
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Blue Crab Boulevard » Blog Archive » CBS To Show “9/11″ On Web — September 9, 2006 @ 2:13 pm
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Hang Right Politics - Archives » About The Other 9/11 Film… — September 10, 2006 @ 1:35 pm
By Guy, September 4, 2006 @ 8:02 am
I’m normally a fan of what the AFA promotes. However, they’ve got it wrong this time. As you said, it’s not about the use of bad language. It’s all about what happened to our nation, and more specifically, the first responders involved on that terrible day. If I had my way about it, the collapse of the towers would be shown every day. As a nation, we *must* never forget what happened.