Is it just me? Am I missing something here?
A while ago I complained about how the White House was vetting the network’s TV scripts for shows like “ER” and “Beverly Hills, 90210.” Under an agreement between the networks and the White House, the networks could get paid for any anti-drug messages in their shows, as a way to reduce their commitment to air public service announcements.
When all this first came to light, there was quite a hullabaloo about whether the federal government should be scanning TV scripts in advance of airing, then compensating folks for politically correct content. It’s a dangerous precedent. It sounds like what they do in dictatorships, where the Ministry of Culture or what-have-you checks everything first to make sure it’s kosher.The Federal Communications Commission looked into the matter. Now they have ruled. They aren’t imposing any fines, but they say the networks violated FCC rules, should have identified the federal government as a sponsor of the TV episodes in question, and must do so from now on.
Am I the only one who doesn’t get this? Isn’t there another and even more culpable party here, the federal government? The FCC says absolutely nothing in its ruling about whether the feds should be functioning as a Ministry of Culture, sticking its nose where it doesn’t belong. Rather than telling TV shows to list the government as a sponsor, let’s tell the feds to get out of the picture.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.