“If President Bush and Vice President Cheney can blurt out vulgar language, then the government cannot punish broadcast television stations for broadcasting the same words in similarly fleeting contexts.” That, in essence, was the decision on Monday, when a federal appeals panel struck down the government policy that allows stations and networks to be fined if they broadcast shows containing obscene language.
The decision… was a sharp rebuke for the F.C.C. and for the Bush administration. The broadcast networks were pleased. So was Jeff Jarvis, noting that the FCC was “F’ed.” At least free speech is alive and well somewhere in the U.S.
