I need to end an argument with my friend. She said that the scripts for Beverly Hills 90210 and ER are approved by the government before they are released. Is she crazy?
Yes.
To be slightly less cryptic, a great many people have pointed out specific medical errors in ER (presented for plot development), so what would the government be ensuring by reviewing the thing? On the other hand, 90210 is just a soap opera, why would they care at all? (ER has been a soap opera for a couple of years, bu it purports to show technical “stuff”; how much technical “stuff” can they find in bed-hopping over-aged children?)
To the extent that the “adult” parts may be subject to censors, the censor is supplied by the network, not the government.
Actually, what she is referring to is a recent story about how the networks submitted scripts to the government for review to ensure that they were suffciently anti-drug-use. In return, the goverment gave the networks credit for anti-drug advertising. Thus, the networks could then sell the advertising slots that would have otherwise been reserved for anti-drug PSA’s.
It was a bit of a scandal here in the Washington DC area a few months back. I think the net result was that the networks and the government promised not to do it again. The producers and writers of the shows in question were not told of the review and were quite upset when they found out.
gEEk
Is your friend perhaps refering to that controversy a few weeks ago when it was disclosed that the networks were trading anti-drug messages in scripts in exchange for more commercial time?
If so, the DEA did review those scripts to judge the anti-drug message, but I don’t specifically remember that those two shows were mentioned. Even if that were the case, the networks pulled out of the program after the bad publicity.
I understand all the words, they just don’t make sense together like that.
The networks can however submit scripts with anti-drug themes to the government for approval. If approved the networks get some of their PSA obligations waived.
My post was the shortest and I still came in third. sigh.
IIRC, what the OP is referring to is an anti-drug program. TV stations have to show a certain amount of public service announcements. The drug czar 's (tsar?) office said that if a show had anti-drug content, then they could use that towards their PSA requirement (thereby freeing it up for lucrative ad time). To ensure compliance, the czar’s office reviewed the scripts.
That being said, I do not know if this program is still in effect or if ER and 90210 were a part of this program.
Must type faster, ignore co-workers in future.
Thanks Mojo! At least I didn’t come in last.
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- This was entirely a Clinton administration innovation - a financial incentive to allow government control of program content. Interesting that the liberal press that praised him for attacking the second amendment, had little comment on his attack on the first. - MC
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Save it for GD, MC.
Gypsy: Tom, I don’t get you.
Tom Servo: Nobody does. I’m the wind, baby.
Well MC, the journalists who did the original investigative reports on this were from Salon, which is about as liberal as they come.
Check out my second to last post in this old thread for the articles.
(hopefully the links still work)