Top Stories of 2004: Decency Advocates Believe CBS Knew About Super Bowl Strip Show Well Before Halftime
by Allie Martin, Bill Fancher, and Jenni Parker
December 21, 2004
(AgapePress) - Pro-family forces are saying there is no doubt CBS knew in advance that pop singer Janet Jackson was planning to make nudity a part of the act at the MTV-produced Super Bowl halftime show. Just before the end of the halftime entertainment segment, performer Justin Timberlake suddenly ripped open Jackson's clothing and exposed her breast to an audience of millions. The suggestive lyrics of his song "Rock Your Body" virtually predicted the act, promising an instant before the shocking stunt: "...Gonna have you naked by the end of this song."
The incident was only the finale of a grossly indecent halftime show that has sparked outrage among Christian groups and family values advocates nationwide. In addition to Timberlake's undressing of Jackson, the two also danced together, engaging in all sorts of suggestive groping.
According to AP reports, Daniel Weiss of Focus on the Family called the program "a high-tech striptease" foisted on unsuspecting Americans, while Family Research Council president Tony Perkins described the entire program as "tasteless and not family friendly." And Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention called the show "an R-rated, hedonistic exhibition of human depravity."
Meanwhile, officials at CBS and MTV have responded with the claim that Jackson's exposure was accidental and the flash of nudity was not part of the planned "entertainment." Those officials, along with the NFL leadership, have apologized profusely for the incident. And even the performers are doing their small part for damage control, with Timberlake calling the incident a "wardrobe malfunction" and an apologetic Jackson saying it was "a last-minute stunt" that was not intended "to go as far as it did."
Not Buying the Hype
But many broadcast decency advocates and pro-family leaders simply are not buying the apologies and disclaimers. Internet commentator Matt Drudge has reported what many critics already suspected -- that, according to his sources, CBS officials approved of Jackson's exposure as part of the show in advance.
American Family Association chairman Don Wildmon believes the indecent act was definitely intentional, despite MTV's apologies. "Given their history of sexual performances, this type of incident is standard fare. No one, especially those in charge of the show, was surprised," Wildmon says.
And AFA special projects director Randy Sharp says CBS could easily have taken steps to prevent the lewd exhibition if the network had really wanted to. "They could have stopped this with a ten-second delay, which is available to every national broadcaster in America," Sharp says. "They could have cut this out from coming into homes where millions of children were exposed to this kind of indecency."
Traditional Values Coalition executive director Andrea Lafferty is another pro-family leader who says she is angered but not at all surprised at what went on. She says CBS, MTV, and the NFL have betrayed the American public.
"If the Drudge Report turns out to be true," she says, "we believe that heads should roll at CBS for exposing millions of children to the pornographic antics of Jackson and Timberlake. The Super Bowl is supposed to be a family affair, not a peep show or an MTV music video featuring half-naked women engaging in mock sex acts with their male partners."
Lafferty describes the Super Bowl as "an American institution" that ought to be safe for families to watch, and says the NFL leadership should have known MTV would produce a sleazy show.
And Eric Whittington of the group Rock For Life agrees. He says MTV has always depicted America's youth as animals with no sexual control. "I highly doubt MTV is sorry, and I think this is just another way for MTV to thumb its nose at parents while raising the sexual curiosity in teen boys," he says.
Whittington also contends that performers who are secure in their talent would not need to revert to lewd acts on stage in front of millions of unsuspecting viewers. He says Rock For Life commends the NFL for promising never to let MTV produce another halftime show.
Taking Action
Parents Television Council president Brent Bozell says all the apologies and disclaimers are irrelevant. "We do not accept the apology of CBS, nor do we accept the statements of regret by MTV. It is absolutely reckless for CBS to claim it had no prior knowledge that such activity was likely to take place," he says.
Bozell points out that both MTV and CBS are commonly owned by Viacom. He says whether or not CBS executives knew in advance does not matter. "Viacom executives had the duty to know," he says.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell has issued a statement expressing personal outrage over what he called the "classless, crass, and deplorable stunt" at the Super Bowl halftime show. He has instructed the FCC to open an immediate investigation into the broadcast.
But Gary Bauer of the Campaign for Working Families notes that "words are cheap." He says the FCC has been "AWOL for years" when it comes to protecting American families from filth on the public airwaves. He is calling on the FCC to fine CBS and MTV a hefty portion of the advertising fees they collected during the Super Bowl.
Bauer and other pro-family leaders are encouraging citizens to put pressure on the FCC as well as on U.S. lawmakers, in order to send the message that indecency in broadcasting must not be tolerated. OneMillionMoms.com and OneMillionDads.com are encouraging their members to file formal complaints with the FCC against their local affiliates, and to write their congressmen, demanding that laws against indecency be strengthened.
Bozell says advertisers like those who purchased time during the Super Bowl deserve to have their sponsorship dollars fully refunded as long as indecent material is included in network programming.
The PTC's president welcomes the FCC investigation into the broadcast, and is urging the commission to impose the maximum fine allowable under the law on every CBS affiliate that aired the offensive material. And Bozell says the FCC should consider the revocation of licenses as a real option should broadcasters ever repeat the outrage.
