No fine for ‘wardrobe malfunction’ after all

wardrobe.jpgThe Justin Timberlake-Janet Jackson “wardrobe malfunction” was hardly a proud moment for free expression or even entertainment. But it was a relief to see the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals conclude that the Federal Communications Commission “acted arbitrarily and capriciously” in fining CBS $550,000 for the incident during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, because “the nine-sixteenths of one second glimpse of a bare female breast” didn’t meet the FCC’s long-held standard of what merits a fine – something so “pervasive as to amount to ‘shock treatment’ for the audience.” If there must be such punishments for broadcasters, they should fit the crime and the FCC’s own guidelines.

8 Comments

  1. TomPaine
    Posted July 21, 2008 at 12:51 pm | Permalink

    FCC shouldn’t be in the content regulation business anyways

  2. corporalsthilaire31st
    Posted July 21, 2008 at 1:06 pm | Permalink

    Until it was reported and talked about on t.v. after the fact I would have never known the “incident” had happened. In all fairness unless you were watching with a magnifying glass or freeze framing every second of it with your dvr you really didn’t see it. It happened so fast and unintentional, I mean it is live television something is bound to go wrong somewhere.

  3. Regular
    Posted July 21, 2008 at 1:54 pm | Permalink

    Thanks for keeping me abreast of the situation.

  4. CapnAmerica
    Posted July 21, 2008 at 4:04 pm | Permalink

    Thank goodness there’s still a few courts untouched by Bush idiocy.

  5. Maggotpunk
    Posted July 21, 2008 at 4:16 pm | Permalink

    Nice to know CBS can know send in a fake check to pay for the fake outrage caused from an unnoticable, pixelated nipple.

  6. Boxlock
    Posted July 21, 2008 at 10:44 pm | Permalink

    Regular,
    You’re too funny!
    But who cares about keeping ‘abreast’ or ‘a breast’ about Janet Jackson.
    Ah…boring!
    Next subject.

  7. Rage
    Posted July 21, 2008 at 10:51 pm | Permalink

    550,000 dollars: How many microns to the dollar does that equal?

  8. Scarlett Finley
    Posted July 23, 2008 at 4:02 pm | Permalink

    do u think it was true or what? RGDS