FCC's "new and improved" censorship
The FCC has increased the fines for public radio and TV broadcasts. The way it works is that someone complains to the FCC of an already broadcasted event and the FCC looks at the footage and then decides if it will fine the TV or radio station and how much to fine them. Unfortunately, a TV or radio station can't go to the FCC and say "we are going to air this, are we going to be fined and by how much?" and the FCC says "We can't tell you, because that would be censorship".
Of course that is not true - it wouldn't be sensorship, only if they weren't allowed to show it. If a TV station knew they would be fined $10K they might say, we'll pay the fine, no problem. The problem is they don't know if they will be fined, nor by how much.
So you have the policy of "When it doubt, throw it out" like TV's self sensor of the movie Saving Private Ryan.
This press release talks more about it, also here and a good one here.
Update: Fox fined a record 1.2 million dollars by the FCC for what appears to be 3 complaints about a show Married by America.
Of course that is not true - it wouldn't be sensorship, only if they weren't allowed to show it. If a TV station knew they would be fined $10K they might say, we'll pay the fine, no problem. The problem is they don't know if they will be fined, nor by how much.
So you have the policy of "When it doubt, throw it out" like TV's self sensor of the movie Saving Private Ryan.
This press release talks more about it, also here and a good one here.
Update: Fox fined a record 1.2 million dollars by the FCC for what appears to be 3 complaints about a show Married by America.
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