Swearing on TV...how much should the First Amendment protect?

[Jo]

Broadcasters Win FCC Expletive Dispute
Monday June 4, 7:40 pm ET
By Larry Neumeister, Associated Press Writer
Court Says FCC's Policy on Expletives in Live Broadcasts Is Arbitrary; Bono Outburst at Issue

NEW YORK (AP) -- A federal appeals court on Monday found that a new Federal Communications Commission policy penalizing accidentally aired expletives was invalid, saying it was "arbitrary and capricious" and might not survive First Amendment scrutiny.
Article (http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070604/broadcast_indecency.html?.v=4)

[Kristi]

I don't really have a problem with swearing on tv and I don't really see the need for much control over it. As long as it is not on programs geared towards children, teens or families. That is why so many cable companies now have parental controls you can use on your tv. It is a parents job to monitor what their child is watching. I know that my kids will be exposed to it eventually anyway but I don't think it is necessary for them to hear it on tv. It doesn't offend me any. It is a part of life. I slip up and swear sometimes just like alot of other people do. I don't necessarily think it is approprate or necessary for someone to swear all the time in a normal conversation but it is a personal choice for people who are adults to use swear words if they want to.

I do think that shows should have a warning before they begin (Like most of them nowadays do) that state that their may be profanity and other content that isn't suitable for some viewers.

Also I wouldn't think it would be a bad idea to keep that kind of thing off of tv before a certain time when parents might have kids around and be flipping through the channels.

[Kristen]

Much as I dislike hearing swearing, I'm not sure that I think it should be outlawed. I'd like to think that if TV shows let loose with the swearing that fewer people would watch, and then there'd be less advertising revenue.

I am thankful for the shows that hold back on the swearing...for instance, I do love Law and Order SVU, and I'd be really sad if the language on there got as colorful as, say, on the Sopranos. I'd have to stop watching it, and that would bum me out.

[Lori]

I don't think there needs to be laws around swearing on TV. I know, for example, that PBS has pretty lax rules about swearing and nudity, because occassionally there will be a documentary on at night that has swearing or a movie with nudity, but for the most part PBS has far less swearing than I hear on any other station.

I think broadcasters can be trusted to regulate their own content. They aren't going to start airing children's shows with swearing, because parents would stop turning them on. There are so many channels now that, if a person feels the content on one is inappropriate, they can choose another. My understanding is that there is no regulation of TV violence, and while I think there is far too much violence on TV (although I don't think the government should regulate it), it generally isn't graphic. A network TV show theoretically could show graphic violence, but they choose not to, because they realize that the audience for that is pretty small and that it would alienate many viewers. I think network television broadcasters are not going to do anything extreme, and that self-regulation worked just fine.