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Top stories submitted and voted on from Propeller.

Fox Tries to Explain Emmy Censorship

By EDWARD WYATT,

The New York Times

Posted: 2007-09-18 12:25:42

Filed Under: TV News, Viral Video

LOS ANGELES (Sept. 18) — When a federal appeals court ruled last summer that broadcast networks were not responsible for censoring “fleeting expletives” uttered on television, Fox hailed it as a victory for viewers, saying they could decide themselves “what is appropriate viewing for their home.”

But when some performers and award winners blurted out expletives on Sunday night on Fox’s broadcast of the 59th Primetime Emmys — including one that came during antiwar comments — Fox censors hit the delete button, leaving viewers with confusing seconds of dead air and wondering whether the censorship was of language or of political views. Fox said it was only language.

Remarks by Sally Field and Ray Romano — and even an expletive of surprise, spoken away from a microphone by Katherine Heigl — were cut. Dead air replaced the words, and the video cut to a wide shot of the auditorium when performers were deemed by the Fox broadcast standards officials to have gone too far.

Like many live programs, the Emmys show was produced with a delay of several seconds between the live action and the broadcast, allowing network officials time to delete remarks considered offensive.

In a statement issued on Monday, Fox Broadcasting said: “Some language during the live broadcast may have been considered inappropriate by some viewers. As a result, Fox’s broadcast standards executives determined it appropriate to drop sound during those portions of the show.”

The network declined to comment further. But a Fox executive, who spoke anonymously because he was not authorized to go beyond the official statement, said the network believed that the “fleeting expletives” ruling did not give Fox the right to forgo its responsibility to keep objectionable language off broadcast television.

The three instances of censoring were based solely on the use of profanities and not on the content of the remarks, the Fox executive said. Questions about whether Fox was censoring Ms. Field arose after a portion of her acceptance speech was cut.

Ms. Field used an expletive in saying that if mothers ruled the world, there would be no wars. She won the Emmy for her performance as Nora Walker, a liberal matriarch whose son is headed to Iraq for combat duty, on the ABC drama “Brothers & Sisters.”

Backstage after her acceptance, Ms. Field said she “would have liked to say more four-letter words up there.”

Photo Gallery: Emmy's Big Winners

Mike Blake, Reuters

Audiences will never know if Sally Field's acceptance of her best actress in a drama Emmy for 'Brothers and Sisters' surpasses her famous Oscar speech because censors blacked it out after she said the word "g--damned."

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But she added that she “probably shouldn’t have said” the word that was censored. “If they bleep it, oh well, I’ll just say it somewhere else,” she said.

Mr. Romano was censored when he made a joke about his former television wife — Patricia Heaton, his co-star on “Everybody Loves Raymond” — and her new character’s love affair with Kelsey Grammer’s character on “Back to You,” a Fox series that is to have its premiere this week. In doing so, Mr. Romano ignored Fox’s plea to television critics not to reveal the characters’ back story before the series’s broadcast.

Perhaps the most surprising bit of censorship came as Ms. Heigl mouthed a curse word normally associated with frustration or disgust when she was announced as the winner of an Emmy for her role on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy.” The word was not picked up by any microphones, but Fox nevertheless cut away so that viewers could not read Ms. Heigl’s lips and be offended.

2007-09-18 07:16:09

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252 comments

mmover4sons 10:41:00 PM Sep 23 2007

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I am REALLY the mother of a US Soldier who did go to war....IN REAL LIFE not TV land. Sally Field does not speak for me!

imkanani2 12:39:40 PM Sep 23 2007

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Glad to see that so many people, according to the comments, still have some morals, class, and the intelligence to know that even though we are grateful for the privilege of freedom of speech, we don't have to stoop to being offensive. Credibility is lost when you speak in this manner on any subject. Thank you, Fox, I hope you won't change your standards.

nevar2much 09:37:00 AM Sep 23 2007

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oh wait,freedom of speach,that cant happen, not in this commi country, thats right!!! You people on the right,wake up, because of your fear of everything, we cant be allowed to do or say anything, but one day you will see what u did wrong but then it will be to late

unklega 08:58:18 AM Sep 23 2007

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Just one more reason to watch FOX !

unklega 08:58:06 AM Sep 23 2007

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Just one more reason to watch FOX !

unklega 08:58:00 AM Sep 23 2007

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Just one more reason to watch FOX !

unklega 08:57:29 AM Sep 23 2007

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She's a garbage liberal lunatic that should do that crap on her own time in the proper venue ( not an awards show ) and she would see how fast her show would sink !!Apparently she's not bright enough to put together an cohesive sentence with music playing so she decided to rant and curse instead !

Sdklinzing 08:38:35 AM Sep 23 2007

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Typical left wing hollywood diatribe by an idiot who doesnt know anything about the dynamics and threats to the united states. As far as I am concerned, she is a "flying nut'.

candyscats 08:22:00 AM Sep 23 2007

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Being a person with a full-time potty mouth, it has taken my kind, generous and loving husband a decade to let me know that I can actually sound intelligent and thoughtful, and my words will carry more weight if I leave those words out of my conversation. Sally Fields, like everyone, is entitled to her position on the war and even can ruin the Emmy's by expressing them. However, more effective and compelling had she not stooped to a level associated with those of less intelligence (yes, myself included when I use what is considered foul language.) Had she said "Allah da... instead of G_d da..." the entire world would have taken offense. Because she said used language that is considered politically correct, that is to use the Lord's name in vein, those of us who are offended by that particular type of cursing are ridiculed for our feelings. I for one will not watch another Sally Fields movie and am glad she displayed her lack of respect for my beliefs. I'd like to use a four-lette

VICBEAR8 08:09:00 AM Sep 23 2007

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I think anyone has the right to voice their opinion. But Sally Fields needs to do that on her time not Fox's, the paying advertisers or the viewing public. Personnaly, I think most of these awards shows are politcal and the one that wins usually have some orginazation lobbying for them. I think they are BORRING. They need to get up there accept that little token of appreciation, thank the people they need to thank then go home for the night. OR, maybe it's just time for everyone to growup and quit playing these prissy games.

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252 comments