Learn about censorship in TV. Understand what TV censorship is in the U.S, identify the broadcast standards and practices, and see real TV censorship examples.
Updated: 11/21/2023
Censorship in Television | History & Practices
Table of Contents
ShowCensorship is broadly defined as the suppression of information or a restriction placed on the spread of ideas throughout society by some powerful party. The censorship of content may be enacted by a government, private groups such as church groups, and public speakers (through self-censorship) for a number of reasons that could include controversy, differing political or religious ideas, violence, or other explicit content. Many forms of media can be censored by a party with legal power including television, films, art, books, photography, theatre performances, radio broadcasts, and internet websites; television has been one of the most popular locations for censorship to take place throughout American history.
Censored TV more specifically refers to the prohibition of words, audio, images, and combinations of these items that have been deemed inappropriate or otherwise harmful to the audience in some way. Television censorship articles and regulations vary between countries and territories, however, meaning that what is censored in one location may not be suppressed in another. For example, a more authoritarian society and its ruling government may only allow its citizens to view content that matches the beliefs of the ruling party; in free nations such as the United States the restriction of content based on political beliefs may not exist as readily, but other limitations to viewership may be present. Television censorship articles may also change over time within the same territory, suggesting that what was not permitted in the past is now allowable for viewership today.
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Broadcast Standards and Practices
American broadcast standards and practices, many of which dictate U.S. TV censorship, are overseen by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC, as well as censorship agencies, are responsible for preventing the following types of inappropriate content from being viewed while upholding the protections guaranteed to citizens under the First Amendment of the Constitution:
- Obscene Content: Material that is deemed obscene is not protected under the First Amendment; it must depict something in an offensive way, such as an attack on the government or an offensive portrayal of a people or culture.
- Indecent content: Material that cannot necessarily be considered obscene, but involves the open use of sexual intercourse or pornography
- Profane content: Material that contains a large amount of offensive language, often to the point where the language becomes a public nuisance.
Exact protections of the First Amendment prevent the FCC from censoring certain broadcast materials and from creating any regulation that would interfere with the freedom of speech; most specific instances of U.S. TV censorship are based individually on factors such as the nature of the content, the time of day the content is being broadcast, and the context in which the broadcast takes place. For example, profane material is prohibited between 6 A.M. and 10 P.M. while obscene content is prohibited entirely. Censorship can be taken preventatively to ensure that children are likely not to be in the audience during the screening of controversial content or punitively after an expression of ideas has been made to the public.
The FCC maintains the ability to review all complaints of inappropriate content and enforce action against violations of federal law. If a broadcaster is found in violation of showing censored content upon investigation, the FCC holds the authority to revoke a television or radio station license, impose fines or issue a warning to the violating party. It is important that broadcasters recognize their own responsibilities and commitment to regulations, which namely include the scheduling of appropriate content and regulation of content within federal guidelines. Obscene content is prohibited on satellite and broadcast TV stations as well as cable, for instance, but indecency and profanity may appear on the same platforms because they are subscription-based services.
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TV censorship has taken place in the United States, among other nations, since shortly after the inception of video content with speech included. A number of controversial topics were restricted for public viewership by the government before the creation of the FCC, though some of these issues have been resolved and allowed for viewership over time. For example, prior to 1953 the American public was generally not allowed to view video materials originating from a courtroom; the first televised court case was the murder trial of Billy Eugene Manley in 1953. Some content has conversely been censored after an initial allowance for viewing, such as in the instance of Elvis Presley's famous hip movements on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1956 or the 1977 allowance to show frontal nudity in the famous television miniseries Roots; Presley was censored in 1957 by only broadcasting the upper part of his body while he danced, while frontal nudity is modernly considered to be indecent content and cannot be shown in certain scenarios.
In more recent times, broadcasters have become skeptical about the FCC's rulings because the organization has made allowances for some content that may seem inappropriate while other content has been unpredictably restricted from public viewership. At the 2004 Superbowl, performers Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake were part of an incident involving partial nudity that took place when Timberlake inadvertently bumped into Jackson and caused part of her wardrobe to fall. A private part of her body was exposed on television for less than one second. While the broadcast network CBS quickly took note of the situation and cut to a commercial break, the FCC imposed a record-setting $550,000 fine against the broadcaster. Some broadcast stations blacklisted Jackson's music from being played because they did not know how the FCC would react to the ongoing situation.
Broadcasters such as IFC now conversely advertise their movies as being uncut and uncensored, which is allowed by the FCC. The popular film Schindler's List aired on television without issue despite containing large amounts of both profanity and nudity. However, equality among television shows for similar content still remains unpredictable, such as when the FCC issued a $1 million fine because the television series NYPD Blue showed exposed nudity in an episode.
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While American TV censorship may seem randomized on some occasions, many viewership restrictions have been imposed based on the culture or political views of the time. Censorships that may currently seem foreign or surprising may have been considered more serious or severe in the past, while other materials that have been permitted historically are seen as controversial now. The following TV censorship examples highlight some of the most famous instances of content suppression in television and popular culture:
- In a 1942 cartoon, baby Tweety Bird first appears in an episode entitled "A Tale of Two Kitties". Because he does not have any feathers, the Hayes Office censorship bureau orders that Tweety should be clothed or feathered. Animator Bob Clampett adds yellow feathers to Tweety Bird but also fires back at the censorship bureau in the episode by having a character yell a double-meaning phrase that would likely be considered to be profane today.
- In a 1952 episode of the popular television show I Love Lucy, Lucille Ball was prohibited from saying the word "pregnant" despite being pregnant. At the time, it was considered sinful to use this term on air, leading the actress to use the phrases "with child," "having a baby," and "expecting" instead.
- In the 1960s, women were not allowed to show their belly buttons on television. Actresses such as those who portrayed Mary Ann on Gilligan's Island and Jeannie from I Dream of Jeannie were censored by having to cover their stomachs. A 1973 episode of Star Trek fires back at censorship by giving a female actress two bellybuttons.
- The sound of a toilet flushing was not allowed to be heard on television until 1971. Toilets are not allowed to be seen flushing on-air until later, however.
- The Muppet Show is banned in Saudi Arabia because Miss Piggy, or more specifically the flesh of swine, is deemed to be "an abomination" by the Prophet Muhammed.
- In 2006, broadcaster Comedy Central blacklisted an episode of South Park entitled "Cartoon Wars" because it used an image of the Prophet Muhammed.
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Censorship is broadly defined as the prohibition of information or suppression of ideas by a powerful party. Television censorship has been one of the most common sources of information suppression since the inception of television in the 1930s and in the United States, television can be censored through visual content, written information, audio, or any combination of these items that are deemed to be harmful to the audience in some way. Governments and censorship agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) are responsible for censoring and regulating content that may be obscene, indecent, or profane on television while upholding the rights guaranteed under the First Amendment of the Constitution.
While some content has been considered inappropriate for viewership in the past, it may now be considered acceptable to view; conversely, content that has been historically permissible may now be found inappropriate based on the culture or political views of the time. For example, an episode of the popular show I Love Lucy was censored in 1952 by not allowing actress Lucille Ball to say the word "pregnant" despite being pregnant. More recently in 2006, an episode of South Park was censored by broadcaster Comedy Central because it contained an image of the Prophet Muhammed. The FCC maintains the power to revoke station licenses and impose fines if a broadcaster is found in violation of censorship laws, which has been seen after the 2004 Superbowl incident and following an episode of NYPD Blue that showed exposed nudity.
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Additional Info
Television
Everyone loves to watch the tube. But what some people may not realize is that they aren't allowed to see everything they otherwise might want to on television.
In some countries, people are only shown one political thought, the ruling party's. In freer nations, including the U.S., there may not be restrictions on the political line shown on TV, but there certainly may be other limitations.
These limitations refer to censorship, and we cover this topic with respect to television in this lesson.
What is Censorship?
From a general view of things, censorship refers to the suppression of information. More specifically, with respect to television, censorship rears its head in the prohibition of words, audio, images, and combinations thereof that form ideas or bring forth information in a way that is deemed to be somehow harmful.
And therein lies a problem. What is harmful in one nation may not be in another. What is harmful to one government or censorship agency is not to another. Even within the same nation, the same ruling party, and the same censorship office, things can change over time.
Things that were offensive yesterday may no longer be today. The exact same things that are offensive in one context may not be in another.
Let's go over some specific examples of all of this with respect to the U.S.
Examples of Censorship in TV
Today, if you watch a television program where a female character gets pregnant, you clearly hear someone mentioning the fact that she is, indeed, pregnant using the word for such a situation. What word describes a pregnant woman? Pregnant. It's not a trick question.
This seems so obvious but wind back the clock to 1952 and watch an episode of I Love Lucy. You won't find the word pregnant spoken anywhere. It was almost sinful to utter such a word on TV back then. Instead, her pregnancy was described in apparently less frightful terms like with child or expecting.
Women weren't the only ones who were targeted by censors. Elvis Presley and his famous on-screen gyrations were censored too. In fact, his hip movements were seen as a little bit too much for censors at one point, and he was only shown from the waist up as a result. Look at the gyrations on TV now for comparison. Times have certainly changed, haven't they?
In the 1960s, things weren't that much better. Abbie Hoffman appeared on The Merv Griffin Show only to have, believe it or not, his torso completely blacked out on TV. His offense? His shirt was made from an American flag.
You think the 1970s were much better? Think again. Did you know that the sound of a toilet flushing wasn't allowed on TV until 1971?
And if you think that censorship on TV is limited to an ancient past, you'd be wrong. Yes, things got a lot more relaxed recently, but not completely.
For example, in 2006, Comedy Central prohibited South Park from showing an image of the Prophet Muhammad.
And, to the present day, there are still plenty of things that are censored on television, but not necessarily equally so.
For instance, while the nudity and profanity-laced Schindler's List was aired without modification on TV with no problems, an episode of NYPD Blue showed an image of a woman's exposed bottom that resulted in a $1 million fine.
Lesson Summary
Hopefully, this lesson won't be censored! Censorship refers to the suppression of information. In TV, that includes the prohibition of audio, written words, and video (and combinations thereof) which convey something a government agency or censorship bureau do not want people being exposed to.
U.S. TV history is full of censorship. Words like pregnant were not allowed in the 1950s. Bodily movements, like Elvis Presley's swinging hips, weren't even shown. Even the sound of a flushing toilet was banned until 1971.
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Censorship in Television | History & Practices
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