jenninshelby
February 25th, 2004, 9:52pm
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/auto/epaper/editions/sunday/opinion_0442326e064c624b0099.html
Censor 'Scooby-Doo'? Words fail
By Dan Moffett, Palm Beach Post Editorial Writer
Sunday, February 8, 2004
The Bush administration has decided that people with bad hearing
have bad judgment, too, and need special guidance from the federal
government.
So the U.S. Department of Education is declaring about 200
television programs inappropriate for closed-captioning and denying
federal grant requests to make them accessible to the hearing-
impaired.
The department made its decisions based on the recommendations of a
five-member panel. Who the five members are, only the government
seems to know, and it isn't saying. But the shows they censored
suggest a perspective that is Talibanesque.
The government is refusing to caption Bewitched and I Dream of
Jeannie, apparently fearing that the deaf would fall prey to
witchcraft if they viewed the classic sitcoms.
Your government also believes that Law & Order is too intense for
the hard-of-hearing. So is Power Rangers. You can rest easy knowing
that your federal tax dollars aren't being spent to promote Sanford
and Son, Judge Wapner's Animal Court and The Loretta Young Show
within the deaf community. Kids with hearing problems can forget
about watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, classic cartoons or
Nickelodeon features. Even Roy Rogers and Robin Hood are out.
Sports programming took a heavy hit, too. The government has decided
that people with hearing problems don't need to watch NASCAR, Major
League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National
Football League or Professional Golf Association tournaments.
The National Association of the Deaf says the government used to
caption these shows but abruptly changed course, deciding that the
shows don't fit the required definition of "educational, news or
informational" programming.
"They've suddenly narrowed down the definition of those three kinds
of programming without public input," says Kelby Brick, director of
the NAD's law and advocacy center. "Basically, the department wants
to limit captioning to puritan shows. The department wants to ensure
that deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals are not exposed to any non-
puritan programming. Never mind that the rest of the country is
allowed to be exposed."
How imperiled the nation might be if The Simpsons and Malcolm in the
Middle reached into the living rooms of the impressionable hard-of-
hearing. Or, for that matter, Scooby-Doo.
The censorship raises baffling questions about who gets in and who's
left out. The government has rejected Nancy Drew but is accepting
Andy Hardy. Cory the Clown has won approval, but the Cisco Kid is
toast. Charlie Rose and Rod Serling are worthy of captions, but
Catherine Crier and Dominick Dunne aren't. Go figure.
The Department of Education is refusing to reveal the names of the
panel members whose opinions determined the caption grants and also
won't disclose the new guidelines. By every appearance, the
government has changed its definition of what constitutes a caption-
worthy program. But it's keeping the new rules secret.
"They apparently used a panel of five individuals and then made the
censorship decisions based on the individuals' recommendations," Mr.
Brick says. "We have found the identity of one of the panelists.
This individual tells us that he never knew he was on such a panel
and that his views would be used for censorship. No panel was
convened. The five panelists were contacted individually and
separately."
It could be that people with bad hearing are new casualties of the
Bush administration's budget priorities. Paying the Halliburton
bills and sending a man to Mars will be costly, perhaps equally so.
It could be that missing Bewitched and Law & Order is just one
sacrifice the deaf will have to make to advance homeland security
and fight terrorism.
The education department makes promises about "No Child Left
Behind," but it didn't say anything about leaving behind people with
bad hearing. Maybe they should have seen this coming.
The NAD is lobbying Congress to change the policy. Some networks and
sponsors are stepping in and providing captions for some of
the "inappropriate" shows. But the government's dismissive treatment
of 28 million Americans defies words.
"We are outraged the department has taken paternalistic steps to
exclude deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals," Mr. Brick says. "Such
censorship is offensive and insulting."
dan_moffett@pbpost.com
Censor 'Scooby-Doo'? Words fail
By Dan Moffett, Palm Beach Post Editorial Writer
Sunday, February 8, 2004
The Bush administration has decided that people with bad hearing
have bad judgment, too, and need special guidance from the federal
government.
So the U.S. Department of Education is declaring about 200
television programs inappropriate for closed-captioning and denying
federal grant requests to make them accessible to the hearing-
impaired.
The department made its decisions based on the recommendations of a
five-member panel. Who the five members are, only the government
seems to know, and it isn't saying. But the shows they censored
suggest a perspective that is Talibanesque.
The government is refusing to caption Bewitched and I Dream of
Jeannie, apparently fearing that the deaf would fall prey to
witchcraft if they viewed the classic sitcoms.
Your government also believes that Law & Order is too intense for
the hard-of-hearing. So is Power Rangers. You can rest easy knowing
that your federal tax dollars aren't being spent to promote Sanford
and Son, Judge Wapner's Animal Court and The Loretta Young Show
within the deaf community. Kids with hearing problems can forget
about watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, classic cartoons or
Nickelodeon features. Even Roy Rogers and Robin Hood are out.
Sports programming took a heavy hit, too. The government has decided
that people with hearing problems don't need to watch NASCAR, Major
League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National
Football League or Professional Golf Association tournaments.
The National Association of the Deaf says the government used to
caption these shows but abruptly changed course, deciding that the
shows don't fit the required definition of "educational, news or
informational" programming.
"They've suddenly narrowed down the definition of those three kinds
of programming without public input," says Kelby Brick, director of
the NAD's law and advocacy center. "Basically, the department wants
to limit captioning to puritan shows. The department wants to ensure
that deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals are not exposed to any non-
puritan programming. Never mind that the rest of the country is
allowed to be exposed."
How imperiled the nation might be if The Simpsons and Malcolm in the
Middle reached into the living rooms of the impressionable hard-of-
hearing. Or, for that matter, Scooby-Doo.
The censorship raises baffling questions about who gets in and who's
left out. The government has rejected Nancy Drew but is accepting
Andy Hardy. Cory the Clown has won approval, but the Cisco Kid is
toast. Charlie Rose and Rod Serling are worthy of captions, but
Catherine Crier and Dominick Dunne aren't. Go figure.
The Department of Education is refusing to reveal the names of the
panel members whose opinions determined the caption grants and also
won't disclose the new guidelines. By every appearance, the
government has changed its definition of what constitutes a caption-
worthy program. But it's keeping the new rules secret.
"They apparently used a panel of five individuals and then made the
censorship decisions based on the individuals' recommendations," Mr.
Brick says. "We have found the identity of one of the panelists.
This individual tells us that he never knew he was on such a panel
and that his views would be used for censorship. No panel was
convened. The five panelists were contacted individually and
separately."
It could be that people with bad hearing are new casualties of the
Bush administration's budget priorities. Paying the Halliburton
bills and sending a man to Mars will be costly, perhaps equally so.
It could be that missing Bewitched and Law & Order is just one
sacrifice the deaf will have to make to advance homeland security
and fight terrorism.
The education department makes promises about "No Child Left
Behind," but it didn't say anything about leaving behind people with
bad hearing. Maybe they should have seen this coming.
The NAD is lobbying Congress to change the policy. Some networks and
sponsors are stepping in and providing captions for some of
the "inappropriate" shows. But the government's dismissive treatment
of 28 million Americans defies words.
"We are outraged the department has taken paternalistic steps to
exclude deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals," Mr. Brick says. "Such
censorship is offensive and insulting."
dan_moffett@pbpost.com