Do local newscasts ever write their own stories, or do they just read press releases live on the air?
A story on the news just a moment ago repeatedly used the word “censor” while talking about Howard Stern’s move to satellite radio. He uses that word constantly, trying to make the FCC seem like some Soviet-era censorship board.
Howard Stern was able to perform his show unfettered for years, making him a household name. He constantly pushed the boundaries of decency, desperate for the indecent because that is his only claim to fame — he certainly isn’t very funny, but I will admit that on occasion he seems to have the guts to ask questions that others would not.
Still, no one has ever burst into his studio and dragged him off to prison with other dissidents for speaking his mind, for railing against our government, or for calling George W. Bush a moron. If that were the case, I’d have disappeared a long time ago. Just because he’s not allowed to use the “F” word on the publicly-owned airwaves does not mean he is the victim of censorship, and I really wish he would stop using that tack in his publicity. It does a great disservice to those who are censored — and don’t make $500 million a year to be able to fight back. It also belittles the real erosion of our civil liberties.
I believe the censorship that he’s talking about is the political pressure he’s been feeling since he started bashing Bush. He’s always been rude and vulgar (that’s why I don’t like him) but its never cost him market share. In fact it helped.
But just as soon as he started bashing Bush the fines he’s paid over the years increased ten fold and stations started dropping his show. It’s his feeling that political pressure would have continued till he was off the air. That the government is shutting down his voice (or trying to) he feels is censorship.