More than two weeks after CBS late-night host Craig Kilborn outraged
countless Americans by
flashing a photo of Gov. George W. Bush
accepting the Republican presidential nomination -- with the words
"SNIPERS WANTED" printed underneath -- a member of the Federal Communications Commission has weighed in with a scathing indictment of CBS.
Still frame from the video parody depicting GOP presidential nominee George W. Bush and the words "SNIPERS WANTED" at the bottom of the TV screen. |
FCC Commissioner Gloria Tristani released a
letter addressed to Mr. Leslie Moonves, President of CBS Television, Monday.
"I am writing to advise CBS that many Americans have written to me about the above-referenced appalling broadcast demanding government action. They believe violence suggested on television too easily and too often becomes violence attempted."
Kilborn, host of "The Late, Late Show" on CBS, aired the video clip Friday night, Aug. 4, one night after the close of the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia.
Craig Kilborn, host of CBS' The Late, Late Show |
"Perhaps there is no government solution for bad taste or the thoughtless broadcast of misguided humor," said Tristani. "However, America's patience with gratuitous violence on her airwaves is perilously thin. Calls for voluntary codes of conduct are changing to calls for enforceable regulatory standards. I urge CBS to meaningfully respond to these citizens and use this incident to assess its public interest obligations."
In her letter, Tristani also referenced an Aug. 15 incident in which 23-year-old New Yorker Lawrence Christian Franco was arrested within 24 hours by the Secret Service for making death threats against Democratic vice presidential nominee Joseph Lieberman on the Howard Stern radio program, also a CBS property.
"The New York Times reported a caller on the Howard Stern radio show threatened to kill Senator Lieberman," wrote Tristani. "After the caller's arrest, the caller's uncle reportedly said it was just a 'joke gone bad.' A joke gone too far is not a joke. The graphic reading 'snipers wanted' below the picture of Governor Bush was similarly not a joke."
Franco, who works in the paper distribution department at Newsday in Long Island, was arraigned in federal court the next day and sentenced to house arrest and made to wear an electronic tracking device. If convicted, Franco faces up to three years in prison.
During the Stern program, Franco allegedly telephoned in at about 6:25 a.m. during the Aug. 13 show and identified himself as "Nazarene." He later told authorities he called Stern's show because Lieberman had been a hot topic in the previous days; the Connecticut senator had been selected by Vice President Al Gore, now the Democratic presidential nominee, as Gore's running mate the previous week.
According to published accounts and the Secret Service, Franco allegedly said that he "hates that Jesus crap," alluding to Lieberman's Jewish orthodoxy. "So that Lieberman guy is gonna go. He is gonna take my bullet. He's going to take it."
Stern reportedly warned his caller that it was illegal to make threats against a presidential or vice presidential candidate, and that he could expect a visit from the FBI if he was serious. Franco kept insisting that he was, and within a day Secret Service agents showed up at his Farmingdale, N.Y., home.
Meanwhile, on Aug. 2, a homeless man was arrested in Austin, Texas, for allegedly shouting threats against Bush outside the governor's mansion. An Austin American-Statesman article said the Secret Service located the man, Winfred Ener, Jr., 44, the next day and took him in for questioning.
Authorities said that among the contents of his bag were writings stating, "Die, pig" and "I'll cut the FBI's head off and stick it on the gate." If convicted, Ener, too, could face up to three years in prison.
Since the "SNIPERS WANTED" incident, the Secret Service has said in published reports that it is continuing to investigate the incident, but has yet to make any arrests.
The Secret Service contacted CBS shortly after the Kilborn incident, the federal police agency told WorldNetDaily a few weeks ago, saying only that an investigation was "ongoing."
CBS officials have apologized for the incident.
"This graphic, which was not accompanied by any remarks from Mr. Kilborn, should not have been included in the telecast and is not consistent with our broadcast standards," the network's statement said. "We are now concluding a review of this matter and will take appropriate action when this process is complete."
Tristani concluded her letter by telling the network: "Two concerns dominate the calls I have received: the misuse of the public's airwaves to suggest that violence solves problems and the implicit endorsement of vigilante action against those with different opinions."
Despite the fact that the Bush campaign has reportedly accepted CBS' apologies, Tristani told Daily Variety she has continued to receive viewer complaints, indicating the apologies weren't sufficient.
"This (picture) was something that could incite anyone to violence," she said.
Related stories:
SNIPERS WANTED -- CBS show threatens Bush