MIM Urges President Obama’s Pick for FCC Chair To Protect Children
Morality in Media asks for appointee to enforce indecency laws
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 22, 2013) – On the heels of FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski’s resignation announcement, Morality in Media urged President Obama to appoint a new leader that will protect children through the enforcement of indecency law. Genachowski promised to enforce these laws, but failed to act on parents’ requests during his tenure and instead allowed nudity, profanity and heavy sexual content to be aired via the public airways.
“The announced resignation today of FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski gives President Obama an opportunity to appoint a leader who will take seriously his or her responsibility to enforce federal indecency law,” said Patrick A. Trueman, President of Morality in Media. Trueman is the Former Chief of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section at the U.S. Department of Justice where he supervised the prosecution of child sex crimes and child pornography.
“It is time for the FCC to respond to the tens of thousands of parental complaints filled against network TV for shows depicting indecency and using profane language,” Trueman added. “It should be remembered that the public airwaves belong to the public. If networks don’t like the rules, they can move their programming to cable or satellite.”
Instead of fighting for the rights of parents, Genachowski sided with the networks and did not enforce indecency standards, despite U. S. Supreme Court rulings that upheld the public right to decency. As recently as June of 2012 in FCC v. Fox, the Court supported these standards. Genachowski promised to enforce the federal indecency law, 18 USC § 1464, yet he failed to act.
