For my example I will use two shows. One of which is jackass. Now I know that they have run into many legal problems but most of those have been because of kids trying to do what they see on TV. I have to guess that a grown man getting in a shopping cart wearing nothing but a thong and surfing it down some stairs whilst bottle rockets are going off has to be illegal somehow. Whether it being removing the cart from the store grounds or indecent exposure or even some type of community noise ordinance. But these people do it and film it and then show it for profit. How are they allowed to get away with this? Does the FCC just not care? I couldn’t record myself shooting someone then showing it on TV for a profit.
Another example I just saw last night is Mythbusters. They did a bit on if you can shoot a hole in a silver dollar…I know they get permits for all there explosions and stuff but shooting a hole in a silver dollar? Defacing money? Isn’t that a felony? I cant think they got permission to do it. Is it just no one caring enough to do anything about it?
Little to no evidence, no complaining witnesses, and no charges filed. First, there’s no evidence of theft. How do you know it wasn’t legally obtained by the prop department? If it was stolen, from where? How do you prove it? Noise violations and disorderly conduct generally require some evidence of a breach of the peace, and it’s very hard to prove that there was a breach of the peace about a year or so ago when the movie was filmed that nobody saw, heard or complained about. Indecent exposure often requires an element of intent to arouse sexual gratification in oneself or others, or at the very least that somebody saw you and complained to the police. Now, when Jackass shoots somebody, I predict there will be trouble.
This comes up regularly on the boards. The short answer is “how do you know they did something illegal?” Just because it looks like something illegal happened doesn’t mean much, considering that many blatantly illegal actions depicted on TV and movies are obviously not actually happening.
I happen to have a genuine shopping cart which I obtained completely legally (I bought it from a store that was going out of business) AND a set of stairs.
If you’d like to rent my shopping cart and stairs I won’t ask too closely about what you want them for.
In CA at least the Police have to personally witness a Misdomeaner in most cases. Also movies show a lot of murders- obviously they are faked. So maybe the lesser crimes are faked could be a defense.
First, it has no jurisdiction at all over cable, just over network television and radio.
Second, even if it had jurisdiction over cable, any illegalities committed in a show would be a matter for a different enforcement agency. The FCC can’t regulate content (although it can fine stations that broadcast certain types of content) and it doesn’t scan the airwaves for illegal acts. The FCC only responds to formal complaints made to it. If no one complains it doesn’t initiate matters.
Third, nothing you mentioned has been shown to be illegal.
For all the uproar about television regulation, the truth is that almost zero government regulation occurs in the U.S… 99.9% of all content regulation is done to keep sponsors happy, not because the government requires it.
Only if they want to make a warrantless arrest. If they get a warrant they certainly can arrest you for a misdemeanor they did not witness. They can also cite you to appear or they can ask the person who did witness the crime if they are willing to sign a citizens arrest form then they take the perp into custody. So in most cases you will not get away with a misdemeanor simply because a cop did not personally witness it. (in CA)
I always wondered about that show Intervention on A&E they show actual drug use and purchase. They often show the outside of some dealers house. Seems a local cop could recognize it get a warrant based on the footage and bust everybody…
There are few things more carefully organised and controlled than a TV show. The assumption often seems to be that “I can’t believe they’d go to so much trouble just for some dumb TV show” but the truth is, they do go to all that trouble, every time.