Cable Censorship: Stay On The Couch

Laura Donnelly

April 29, 2005

Watching television: It's as much a part of the American Way as apple pie and the Fourth of July. Then again, so is freedom of expression. But that's not the way right-wing fundamentalists see it. The on-again, off-again fight to increase FCC indecency fines continues, as the House in February passed legislation to increase indecency fines on broadcast TV and radio. The issue is expected to hit the Senate in the near future, and Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, plans to advance legislation to expand indecency fines to cable television.

Perhaps Stevens is not familiar with the concept of voluntary media (or, more likely, perhaps he's ignoring it.) Cable TV and the Internet—unlike broadcast TV—are considered "voluntary" because you have to actively subscribe to the services to see the content. While broadcast TV streams into every home that has a television set (and it is therefore in the public interest to have some indecency standards to protect children), no one has to watch cable.

One hint of the chilling effect on free expression that could come with cable censorship came last fall, when several stations declined to show Saving Private Ryan on Veteran's Day. The movie's realistic depiction of war includes profanity, and after the 'wardrobe malfunction' brouhaha, stations are deciding to play it "safe" and avoid hefty FCC fines. This case happened on network TV, of course, but there's no reason cable stations would behave differently if faced with the same fines.

Even a column today in the conservative Washington Times doesn't favor a cable ban on indecency:

The objective is commendable, but a statutory approach is misplaced. The superior solution is to give parents greater control of what their children watch.

And that is indeed the ticket. If you don't like violence and profanity on TV, turn it off. Use the V-Chip or other filter devices on your television set. Or simply skip the cable. As my co-workers know, I never saw any cable TV until I went away to college because my family didn't subscribe, and I still (usually) manage to fit into society. But the decision about what material you and your kids are exposed to is a matter of free expression that rests squarely with individuals and families—not with the government.

The good news is that you can voice your opinion on this issue without even getting off the couch. The ACLU is helping citizens organize Couch Parties, where friends gather to watch cable TV shows and compose e-mails to their senators about stopping cable censorship. But even if you're not a Sopranos or South Park fan, you can also take action with the ACLU's e-mail campaign here.