Censorship in Music

The Importance of Censorship
Jennifer Lynn Hall

As new technologies evolve and become a part of our
daily lives, so do television shows and what people are allowed
to view on a regular basis. Censorship, a word that seems to be
causing quite some controversy over certain people may not be
such a bad idea. As America has seen, a countless amount of
people have been known to complain about censorship on
television. Although this seems to be a problem to some, maybe
the real question to be asked is, is there enough censorship of
television? Many families agree that certain rated R movies
should not be shown to young children and only certain shows
should be censored to an extent, yet they do not see the
significant effect that regular television shows really have on
their children.
As a child grows, more and more statistics are proving
that they are being exposed to too many shows that should be
censored. Many studies have concluded that young children are
most affected by what they see on television (Dritz, Russel
1996). For example, a child that watches a cartoon with a lot
of violence or tunes into their parents favorite soap opera
might find an increasingly amount of exposure to violent acts
and sexual content. Children are very vulnerable to such
influences and often do not know the difference between right
and wrong and the difference between reality and fantasy (Dritz,
Russel1996). As the years go on and television seems to be too
censored to most, studies have continued to prove the increasing
numbers of children associated with violence and sexual
behavior. Although a seemingly older statistic, the Neilson
Index averaged American children to watch 18,000 television
murders before he or she graduated from high school (Tucker,
Larry A. 1988). Could this be a reason for an increasing amount
of murders and violent acts among children today? Although
censorship to some may have been infringing on their rights, one
must take into consideration that with the amount of sexual
content and violence that is portrayed on television today
censorship is a necessity to help the growth of Americas
children.

Works Cited

Russel, Dritz. (1996, March). Censorship of Television. Forum.
Retrieved October 4,2004 from
http://webserver.rcds.rye.ny.us/publications/forum/Spring96/tv.ht
ml

Tucker, Larry A. (1988 February). Whats on T.V. Tonight?.
Homemakingcottage.RetrievedOctober 27, 2004, from
http://www.homemakingcottage.com/television.html

Max Goldman

Censorship in Television

Censorship in television is a very debatable topic in today’s media and social realms. Nowadays what is considered appropriate by many may actually be considered explicit or unsuitable by the people in charge. Some may wonder ‘who is deemed so highly that they can decide what is and is not appropriate to watch. The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) is ‘responsible for administratively enforcing the law that governs what is and is not appropriate. Within this article I will discuss how the FCC decides what the American viewers are allowed to see.

The first example the FCC regulates on television is called ‘obscene broadcasts’. According to the FCC obscene speech in not protected by the First Amendment and cannot be broadcast at any time. To be obscene, material must meet a three-prong test:

· An average person, applying contemporary community standards, must find that the material, as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest;

· The material must depict or describe, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct specifically defined by applicable law; and

· The material, taken as a whole, must lack serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value. (Federal Communications Commission)

With the FCC trying to regulate what is considered obscene, they have also embedded within each show a mandatory rating system. A rating of TVY or TVG, considers the program to be designed to be appropriate for all children. Whether animated or live-action, the themes and elements in this program are specifically designed for a very young audience. A rating of TVPG means program contains material that parents may find unsuitable for younger children. Many parents may want to watch it with their younger children. TV14 means the program contains one or more of the following: intense violence (V), intense sexual situations (S), strong coarse language (L), or intensely suggestive dialogue (D). A rating of TVMA however, means that it may be unsuitable for children under 17. This program contains one or more of the following: graphic violence (V), explicit sexual activity (S), or crude indecent language (L).

(TV Parental Guidelines)

How can someone decide what is ‘explicit’ and what is ‘intense’? By giving the rating system such vague descriptions someone might become very confused. Another aspect that people generally tend to overlook is that of the parents. If the parents are not taking the time to oversee what their children are watching, how is the rating system fair? I asked ten year old Michael O’Donnell from Buffalo, NY if the rating system meant anything to him. He replied with “when my parents aren’t around, I tend to watch the higher rated ones”. He also told me that even though by the FCC’s regulations state he should only be watching programs with a rating of TVPG that he sometimes watched programs with a rating of TVMA.

If the FCC can not regulate who watches certain television programs, why even bother? Also I do not believe that a handful of people are able to decide for the country what is considered ‘obscene’, ‘intense’ and ‘explicit’. I believe that the only mass censorship in television is that of whether the parents let their children watch such programs.

Brigid Gurry

November 1, 2004

T-Com

The V-Chip

The Violence Chip, V-Chip, is a technological invention that allows parents to block television that they deem unsuitable for their children to watch. Most television shows include a rating which was established by the Broadcasting industry. This rating is encoded into the programs, and the V-chip technology reads the encoded information and blocks the correct shows. Parents can program the V-chip to block certain shows based on their ratings by using the remote control.

Since January 1, 2000, the FCC now requires all new television sets that are 13 inches or larger to include the V-chip. Television manufacturers say that the V-chip will add less than one dollar to the cost of producing a TV set. If you want a V-chip but do not want to buy a new television, getting a set-top box, which works the same as a built-in V-chip, will do just fine. Also, personal computers that include a television tuner and a monitor of 13 inches or greater are also obligated to include V-chip technology.

In 1996 Congress asked the broadcasting industry to establish a voluntary ratings system for TV programs. The industry did so by creating the ratings system known as "TV Parental Guidelines." It was established by the National Association of Broadcasters, the National Cable Television Association, and the Motion Picture Association of America.

The Ratings appear in the corner of your television screen during the first 15 seconds of each television program. The ratings are also included in many magazines that have TV ratings and in many newspaper television listings. The ratings are given to all television programming except news, sports, and unedited movies on premium cable channels. There are six possible ratings that a program can receive:

· TV-Y, (All Children) found only in children’s shows, means that the show is appropriate for all children;

· TV-7, (Directed to Older Children) found only in children’s shows, means that the show is most appropriate for children age 7 and up;

· TV-G (General Audience) means that the show is suitable for all ages but is not necessarily a children’s show;

· TV-PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) means that parental guidance is suggested and that the show may be unsuitable for younger children (this rating may also include a V for violence, S for sexual situations, L for language, or D for suggestive dialog);

· TV-14 (Parents Strongly Cautioned) means that the show may be unsuitable for children under 14 (V, S, L, or D may accompany a rating of TV-14); and

· TV-MA (Mature Audience Only) means that the show is for mature audiences only and may be unsuitable for children under 17 (V, S, L, or D may accompany a rating of TV-MA).

Work Cited: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/vchip.html

last reviewed/updated on 03/25/02

greg henny

Censorship in Music

Censorship in music is a very controversial subject in today’s society. What is considered a form of artistic expression to some is also considered vulgar and inappropriate to others. But who ultimately gets to decide what is considered vulgar and what is not? Who decides who hears what in the music industry? The RIAA is responsible for applying the Parental Advisory stamp on every album that is released in the United States. The FCC is responsible for making sure that no vulgarities or controversial comments are aired on radio or television. But why is some content edited and other content not? I will try and explain these questions in our article.

What decides whether or not the Parental Advisory stickers get placed on an album? The RIAA follows seven guidelines in applying this important notice.

1) Contemporary cultural morals can not be offended or mocked in any way, shape or form.

2) The context of words can not be used offensively. This includes curse words.

3) The context of the song itself must not be offensive.

4) The words in the song can not have a subtle alter-meaning.

5) Anything that breaks the morals of common sense.

6) Any depiction of sex, drug abuse, or violence

7) These guidelines refer to any single-track albums as well as full albums. (Rosen, H October 25 2004)

We should also keep in mind that having the Parental Advisory label on an album is not the Kiss of Death. Anyone of any age can still purchase the music, they just need to be aware of the content that is on it, and that it may offend them. It is reported that most record stores’ inventory only carries less than half of one percent of albums that sport the Parental Advisory sticker. Also, extensive research done on a young group of teenagers shows that the sticker does not influence them to buy the album more. They are more attracted to music and rhythms than they are to the lyrics. (Rosen, H October 25 2004)

So what does the FCC do? The FCC is responsible for making sure that the bad content is edited out of every song that hits the radio or television. The Parental Advisory sticker does not mean the content has to be erased, just that it is there and you need to be aware of it. But when that song is played on radio or television, it needs to be edited out. They will not disrupt the flow of the song, but when that offensive lyric comes up, it needs to be blanked out. This also includes music videos and their visual content. There can not be offensive images. Eminem is an example of an artist who is constantly pushing the limits of both the FCC and the RIAA. (Nuzum, E October 25 2004)

The regulations of the FCC and the RIAA are very strictly enforced. If something is even considered the slightest bit offensive, it will be censored. They allow no one to sneak by with just a minor violation. This creates a strong argument with freedom of speech, but some parents do want their children listening to offensive material. This argument is an even sided one and could go on for a very long time without ever being settled.