The Supreme Court will soon decide whether they will hear the debate on language on TV issue. According to an article in USAToday, “The larger questions surrounding the dispute: As broadcast TV pushes the limits of sexual content to compete against its racier and unregulated cable competitors, should an occasional expletive be allowed? Or can the FCC completely stamp out what it views as verbal smut on broadcast television, in the name of family-friendly programming?”
The Supreme Court has not dealt with this issue since 1978. The recent live TV incidents has brought the issue back up. “Sexual situations and coarse language are now routine in prime-time dramas and “reality” shows, but expletives are not. The awards-show incidents in 2002 and 2003, while brief, energized the Parents Television Council and other groups that fear broadcast TV is adopting cable’s coarser approach. That culture is most evident during awards programs, which showcase unpredictable and unscripted moments.”
