Moral Panic Spreads to the Supreme Court

None of this would be happening if Janet Jackson’s breast wasn’t partially exposed for a fraction of a second.

The Supreme Court on Monday stepped into a legal fight over the use of curse words on the airwaves, the high court’s first major case on broadcast indecency in 30 years. The case concerns a Federal Communications Commission policy that allows for fines against broadcasters for so-called “fleeting expletives,” one-time uses of the F-word or its close cousins.

Fox Broadcasting Co., along with ABC, CBS and NBC, challenged the new policy after the commission said broadcasts of entertainment awards shows in 2002 and 2003 were indecent because of profanity uttered by Bono, Cher and Nicole Richie… Separately, CBS is challenging a $550,000 fine the FCC imposed for the “wardrobe malfunction” that bared Janet Jackson’s breast during a televised 2004 Super Bowl halftime show.

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.