Wednesday, June 23, 2004
More on Free Speech
Legislation prohibiting indecent speech on the radio and network airwaves is a step closer to becoming law. Jeff Jarvis feels that we've started down a slippery slope that might ultimately prohibit any form of indecency (which is subjectively defined, as he points out, by unelected officials) in any form of media.
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Other radio and TV stars and stations should have been mobilizing their listeners to make their voices heard in Congress and the FCC, to make them scared of this Smart Mob. But they didn't because it was happening to Stern and they don't like Stern and they were afraid of the Dumb Mob.I'm not fully buying into his "the sky is falling" mentality. He frequently cites Howard Stern in his examples on this subject, and frankly, I couldn't care less about the plight of Howard Stern. Yes, I believe that free speech should be protected. But free speech doesn't give a hack like Stern the right to go on the radio each morning and broadcast his lewd, peurile shtick to any kid with a radio, without any guidelines for what is and is not acceptable. Broadcasts should be subjected to standards the same as anything else. I will agree with Jarvis, however, that the consequences for indecent content are much too stiff.
Cable networks should have protested and lobbied but instead, they stood by because it was another medium, it was only radio, and they kept their heads down because they are afraid they're next. They are.
Newspaper editors should have been writing editorials protesting this government invasion of free speech because they live by the First Amendment every day; they of all people should be the First Amendment's greatest defenders. But they stood by because it's only radio and only Stern and they're snots.
Internet creators -- you, me, anybody who publishes content on the Internet -- should have protested loudly and organized our opposition for fear that they will come after us next. And they will. Mark my words: The rationale that is used to go after radio and TV will be used to go after cable and satellite and the Internet because, hey, they all go into the home. A few of us protested and suffered attacks for it but too many remained silent.
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