OPPapers.com

Censorship

Censorship
In 1799 our founding fathers wrote the first amendment of the United States Constitution. This stated, “Congress shall make to law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech or press…” (Dibacco A-45) The amendment gave American citizens the right to express themselves through speech, press, religion, assembly, and petition.
Since then, the government has created the Federal Communications Commission, which we know better as the FCC. The FCC is an independent United States government agency that was established in 1934 by the communications act. (FCC 1) They are currently in charge of regulations and censoring communications by radio, television, satellite, and cable in the fifty United States, District of Columbia, and all other United States possessions.
Most Americans that watch television or listen to the radio have heard about the FCC and its lawsuits involving major names like Howard stern, or Janet Jackson. In 2004 Miss. Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake performed during the super bowl halftime show, giving a new name to exposure. Janet’s bare breast was shown on live television, uncensored, during one of ABC’s most viewed shows of the year. The event was talked about for months and the FCC had conclusively fined Janet Jackson for her indecent exposure. (Kinston 1)
This incident had given the FCC a chance to be stricter with what can be shown and said on TV and radio, fining radio personals like Howard Stern and the Opie and Anthony show for the crude jokes on drugs and adolescent sex. Trying to change the way these individuals talk has been the FCC job for over 75 years, but this was certainly not the beginning of censorship.
The word “Censorship originally came from the roman official, the censor. (Steffens 14) The censor was appointed by a group of roman leaders who called themselves “Comitia Centuriata”. (15) The Censor’s first job was to...