First, there were the inane indecency complaints about the Olympics and about “Saving Private Ryan.” Then some wackos went after “SpongeBob SquarePants.” “SpongeBob” is a cartoon.
Now, PBS, wary of fines from the Federal Communications Commission, has told its local stations it would not protect them if they want to air the original version of a “Frontline” documentary Tuesday night (9 p.m.; Ch. 11-WTTW) that follows American soldiers in Iraq.
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WTTW said Monday that it would wait until Tuesday to decide whether to air the original or an edited version.
Seven months ago, “Frontline,” probably the most consistently excellent documentary unit on broadcast television, started following the U.S. Army’s 8th Cavalry Regiment stationed in Baghdad to look at the dangers American soldiers are facing.
It produced an hour documentary called “A Company of Soldiers” for “Frontline’s” regular spot on Tuesday nights. Through the hour, there are 13 expletives uttered by soldiers.
“As we edited the program, we were judicious, but came to believe that some of that language was an integral part of our journalistic mission: to give viewers a realistic portrait of our soldiers at war,” “Frontline” said. “We feel strongly that the language of war should not be sanitized and that there is nothing indecent about its use in this context.”
“Frontline” also produced a version of the documentary with the 13 words edited out, because producers understand local sensitivities.
To air the original documentary, stations must sign a statement accepting the entire risk of an FCC fine, Jacoba Atlas, PBS senior vice president and co-chief program executive, told the Associated Press.
“It’s a financial decision,” Atlas told AP. “It’s not a decision that reflects on the merit that we think the film has.”