American Civil Liberties Union

Free Speech:
Freedom of speech is protected in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights and is guaranteed to all Americans. Since 1920, the ACLU has worked to preserve our freedom of speech. Learn more and take action to protect the right to free speech.


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"Indecency Bingo" Game (4/6/2005)

Are we for real?

We know that some of these references may seem too obscure to be true, but every ""indecent act"" listed in the Bingo Game is taken from criticisms of real television shows. These charges come from advocacy groups and politicians as they lobby to have programs either pulled from the air or heavily censored. The scope of the shows that are being attacked might surprise you. WB's family drama Everwood has been labeled indecent by an activist group called the Parents Television Council (PTC) because of its ""reckless messages about sex without consequences."" The PTC has also criticized UPN's Girlfriends for its ""frank treatment of the sex lives of four friends"" and joking about yeast infections; CBS' C.S.I. for ""graphic depictions of decaying bodies"" and ""grisly crimes scenes""; and NBC's Fear Factor for depicting ""a new low in Americans' endless pursuit of money."" All of these shows air on broadcast channels and are already subject to strict FCC guidelines on what they can and cannot show. Just imagine what will happen to TV shows that you pay for--like The Sopranos, South Park and The L Word--if Congress passes new legislation targeting cable channels that typically feature edgier programming.



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