FCC policy regarding images of profanity on broadcast TV?

[Mikey Radio]

While I'm familiar with the FCC's policies regarding profanity on OTA radio, what about images on broadcast television? I was watching one of the national networks' coverage of the Trump arraignment and there was a large flag in front of the camera as it panned the crowd and the F word was clearly visible. Are networks expected to avoid or blur images like that? I'm imagining that's not always easy to do in situations like this one, or even where a bystander might walk behind a reporter holding a sign with profanity on it?

 

[Cool_guy81]

While I'm familiar with the FCC's policies regarding profanity on OTA radio, what about images on broadcast television? I was watching one of the national networks' coverage of the Trump arraignment and there was a large flag in front of the camera as it panned the crowd and the F word was clearly visible. Are networks expected to avoid or blur images like that? I'm imagining that's not always easy to do in situations like this one, or even where a bystander might walk behind a reporter holding a sign with profanity on it?

As far as I know if it's news broadcasts they don't blur anything out but the reporters usually apologize for explicit language either spoken or seen to the viewers.

This has happend a few times on the news that I've watched either local news where they showed video and cops rescuing a woman in a lake on the local news and they kept saying the F word and they apologized afterwords.

Another time was on a National News program where they said we want to apologize for what u see in the background cuz it looked like the poster said F u but it said something else completely different. I was just apologizing to my viewers because I thought it said something completely different the reporter said.

 

[TheRob]

If you make a good faith apology as soon as possible, you're probably okay. We have two people check every piece of video because so many Joe Publics are walking around with profane shirts, hats and tattoos. We try to keep our distance from big crowds to avoid making any profane signs obvious.

That said, some local TV stations have been hammered in recent years. I've heard of $400,000 fines in some cases.

 

[Don CT]

I thought they are exempt if it's a live broadcast. Sports gets away with it as it's considered background noise.

 

[Megatron]

The Supreme Court in 2012 ruled that broadcasts can't be fined anymore with swear words in prime time they threw out Janet Jackson's fine because no one saw her boob exposed live I didn't see it until after the fact the next day more was talked about her boob than the game. The Censorship Orgs The PTC lied that they won when they didn't in 2012 ruling.

 

[radio2023]

When Reagan got shot in 1981, you clear hear a man yelling "You Mother fu cker!" as they tackled and subdued John Hinckley. It aired as is numerous times during ABC's coverage, but eventually they lowered the volume after a few seconds to cover it up.