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PTC Strikes With 'Gossip Girl' As Their Target… Again…

Posted by Mark O. Estes on November 4th, 2009 - Comments

God has Satan. Luke Skywalker has Darth Vader.

TV Viewers have the Parent Television Council.

Various news outlets are reporting that the PTC has called for The CW to pull the upcoming Gossip Girl episode, "They Shoot Humphreys, Don't They?", which depicts a threesome between some of the show's characters. The website, TheWrap.com, obtained the letter that PTC Chief Timothy Winter wrote which clearly talks down to any station that airs the episode. Winter declares hellfire and brimstone on whoever airs the episode saying that the FCC will get involved and that it is not only the TV affiliates right, but their "obligation" to preempt programing that "doesn't meet local community standards." Here is a link to the letter in full if you so must read it.

Another thing to note: Winter has not even seen the episode. He only read about it in Entertainment Weekly and other press releases. So basically he is causing panic about something he hasn't even seen ever and wants to take away the public's right of turning the channel from free-thinking people, because of his own personal beliefs. This, people, is an example of the dangers of censorship and the PTC should be reprimanded for such an atrocious act of trying to throw fear into the affiliates of they decide to go against the PTC wishes.

I never hate many things, but PTC is up there on that short list. When will we realize that America is a free country and that people are free to watch what they want? But even more, when will we be able to decipher freedom of speech from harmful censorship?

What do you guys think?

Source: TheWrap.com, Zap2it.com, E! Online

About the Author:
TV, movies, and writing are my life and I will combine the trinity till the day I die. I also am a budding filmmaker as well. Find out more @ The Anti-Critic

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XxxXxx

this will be when you people stop being such ignorants and realize 'America' will never be a free 'country' since 'America' is actually a continent.

Mark O. Estes

Um... Ok.

ebonyrose

Actually, "America" isn't a continent. "North America" and "South America" are continents.
Just for the record.

AA_Williams

Why do they HAVE to put things like this on television though? What is the point? Some of the most memorable and classic shows of the last 50 years did not need to boost their ratings by being sexually explicit. Just goes to show you the direction society is heading in. Doesn't matter what the "target audience" is....teenagers can still see it. And while I believe parents are ultimately responsible for raising their kids, censoring what they watch, and making sure they know right from wrong...I still see NO point in Hollywood continually pushing the envelope and seeing how far they can go with vulgar and inappropriate storylines. It's sad.

Pixie Wings

While I don't agree with censorship- I think that the CW does at times push as far as they can, and then some. Is it for ratings or to enhance the storyline? I haven't seen the episode, so I don't know. I guess what concerns me is that it is on so early out here- 6pm, just when kids are getting home from activities and sitting down to supper. I think if I had young children that might upset me a bit. That said, IF parents are upset about a show's content, THEY should be the ones making sure their kids don't watch it- not some parents' council that wants to speak for *all* parents.