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konbit
03-27-2003, 02:10 PM
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,922494,00.html

Jason Deans
Thursday March 27, 2003


MTV: 'Content should reflect audience sensitivities at this time of war'
*MTV has banned music videos with war-related titles, lyrics or images, including Paul Hardcastle's 19 and Outkast's Bombs over Baghdad, for the duration of the conflict in Iraq.

The leading music channel will not show pop promos that feature "war, soldiers, war planes, bombs, missiles, riots and social unrest, executions and other obviously sensitive material", according to an internal memo seen by MediaGuardian.co.uk.

Songs removed from the MTV playlist include Boom! by System of a Down, an anti-war video containing facts and figures about predicted Iraq war casualties.

Aerosmith's Don't Want to Miss a Thing, which features footage from the asteroid disaster movie Armageddon; Radiohead's Invasion; You, Me and World War Three by Gavin Friday and anything by the B52s has also been deemed inappropriate for the duration of the Gulf conflict.

Billy Idol's Hot in the City and Armand van Helden's Koochy will not be shown because they feature images of atomic explosions.

"MTV, like many other broadcasters, feels content should reflect audience sensitivities at this time of war," an MTV spokeswoman said.

"Any changes to playlists are only a temporary measure," she added.

The memo was issued on the day the conflict began and reminded all MTV staff to be aware of independent television commission guidelines.

"There will be heightened public sensitivity to representations of war, soldiers, bombing, destruction of buildings and public unrest at home," stated the memo from Mark Sunderland, the broadcast standards manager of MTV Networks Europe.

"The ITC programme code requires us not to broadcast material which offends against good taste or is offensive to public feeling," Mr Sunderland added.

BBC Radio 1 also removed potentially contentious songs from its playlist when the war began.

These include Diamonds and Guns by the Transplants and Bandages by Hot Hot Heat.

Radio 1 producers have been asked to play music with a "light, melodic" feel before and after news bulletins, especially if they contain distressing news.

mhd
03-27-2003, 02:15 PM
we are witnessing a revolution

konbit
03-27-2003, 02:22 PM
I've always been against this sort of censorship. I understand the concern for sensitivity, but one of the reasons that music and film are created is to help us see the world better, to create dialog and stimulate thought. I wonder what house songs would get banned....Bucketheads, "The Bomb"?

RX
03-27-2003, 02:28 PM
Originally posted by mhd:
we are witnessing a revolution rev·o·lu·tion ( P ) Pronunciation Key (rv-lshn)
n.
Geology. A time of major crustal deformation, when folds and faults are formed.

i like this definition better...(hi, mark!)

daniel
03-27-2003, 02:28 PM
they still play 19? i love that video.

Balactus
03-27-2003, 02:31 PM
ain't no thang really anyway it ain't like Mtv plays anything good.

a lot of that stuff they don't play anymore i mean when was the last time you saw a b-52's video.

w

Nicholas
03-27-2003, 02:36 PM
This always happens. It happened in 1991 for sure.

When Massive Attack first released their album, they changed their name to Massive for a while. I have that CD.

Also Bomb The Bass did not get any airplay.

In the UK your probably glad to have that AWFUL George Michael song off the airwaves.

mhd
03-27-2003, 02:46 PM
you have to realize how huge an impact mtv has on culture, not just us but worldwide. the people who censor certainly do and they have no incentive to stimulate thought dialogue or a wider world view.

i always thought revolution would come from the left, if at all...

wassup rickey, how is the fam?

darrow
03-27-2003, 02:55 PM
interesting

I think I saw Michael Moore's video, "Boom!", on MTV this morning at the gym. It was actually cool to see a video protesting the war on mainstream tv. Maybe it wasn't MTV.