Profanity - urgent help needed

August 30, 2007

Action Alert

Take Action Now!

Court OKs F-Word In Front of Kids

Ruling Permits Unedited Profanities to Air During Any Time of Day

Yesterday, in a 2-1 decision, a U.S. appeals court in New York City has cleared the way for television networks to use the "F-word" and "S-word" in front of children at any time of the day. The courts have essentially taken your property -- the broadcast airwaves -- and handed ownership of them over to the networks to do with as they please.

We urgently need you to take action today.

Please take a moment to write to your representatives in Congress and to the President of the United States to express your outrage and demand a solution that reflects the will of the people -- not the will of two judges in New York City and a handful of powerful entertainment industry executives.

It won't take but a moment of your time -- but your action, combined with the voices of tens of thousands of other PTC supporters could make a huge difference. Send this letter to your elected officials, then forward this note to everyone in your address book.

When the FCC ruled that the use of the "F-word" and "S-word" primetime television broadcasts of the 2002 and 2003 Billboard Music Awards violated the broadcast indecency law, Fox and other broadcasters filed suit in federal court to overturn the ruling.

They are demanding the right to use the public airwaves to broadcast profane and indecent content regardless of time of day; regardless of how many impressionable young children are watching; regardless of the proof of the harm this content does to young viewers; regardless of the fact that there is overwhelming public support for the FCC's crack-down on indecent content; regardless of the fact that just one year ago the House by a 10-1 margin and the Senate unanimously authorized the FCC to increase indecency fines ten-fold.

Today's ruling is an insult to the American public.

Hollywood manipulated the legal system by shopping around for a court that would be favorable to their arguments, and they found two federal judges in New York City to impose their will on the nation. The Court's decision runs contrary to nearly 80 years of jurisprudence about the publicly-owned airwaves, not to mention the overwhelming sense of the nation. Community decency standards should not be decided by two judges in New York.

We believe the two judges on the Second Circuit Court are wrong, and we are urging our public servants to correct this gross injustice. If you share our outrage and concern, please tell the FCC to pursue whatever steps are necessary to remedy the misguided opinions of those judges, including an appeal of this case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Don't let this outrage go unanswered. Please speak up today. Submit the form below to let your voice be heard. And don't forget to forward this e-mail to everyone in your address book.

With urgent thanks,

Tim Winter
President
Parents Television Council -- Because our children are watching.

► TAKE ACTION! Contact Your Elected Officials Now!
► Click here to read more about the court's ruling.

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Message Recipients:

President George W. Bush

Your U.S. Senators

Your U.S. House Representative

Kevin Martin, FCC Chairman

Jonathan Adelstein, FCC Commissioner

Robert McDowell, FCC Commissioner

Deborah Tate, FCC Commissioner

Michael Copps, FCC Commissioner

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The American people – owners of the broadcast airwaves – have been fed-up for years with the networks using those airwaves to broadcast sexually indecent, violent, and profane content into our homes.

Last year Congress, responding to the overwhelming will of the American public, finally authorized the FCC to impose meaningful, punitive fines.  This week the will of Congress and of the American people was subverted by a Court of Appeals ruling that essentially gutted the authority of the FCC to keep the broadcast airwaves free of indecent and profane content and cleared the way for television networks to use the F-word and S-word in front of children at any time of the day.  The courts have essentially taken my property – the broadcast airwaves – and handed them over to the networks to do with as they please.

I am outraged by this ruling, as you should be.  I urge you in the strongest possible terms to express your support for the FCC’s continued, vigorous enforcement of the broadcast decency laws.  Do not allow Hollywood to use a public resource to insult our intelligence and assault our values.

Television is profoundly influential in the lives of innocent young children. It affects their perceptions, their world-view, their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. It is also a sad reality that children spend more time with the television than at any other activity except sleep. But huge mega-conglomerates aren’t going to be concerned about how the programming they are putting on TV influences these impressionable youngsters.  They are only going to be looking at their profit margins.

Hollywood manipulated the legal system by shopping around for a court that would be favorable to their arguments, and found two federal judges in New York City to impose their will on the nation. The Court’s decision runs contrary to nearly 80 years of jurisprudence about the publicly-owned airwaves, not to mention the overwhelming sense of the nation.  Community decency standards should not be decided by two judges in New York.

I believe the two judges on the Second Circuit Court are wrong, and together with the PTC and its more than one million members, I am urging the FCC to appeal this case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Please consider what is truly in the public’s best interest and do what you can to support the FCC’s enforcement of the broadcast decency laws.

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