Thursday, August 09, 2007

AT&T censors Pearl Jam’s criticism of Bush.

Another free speech issue..

From Thinkprogress:

During their performance at Lollapalooza on Sunday, fans at the venue heard grunge rockers Pearl Jam insert the words “George Bush, leave this world alone” and “George Bush find yourself another home” into their song “Daughter.” Fans watching AT&T’s “Blue Room” Live Lollapalooza Webcast, however, did not, as singer Eddie Vedder’s voice was muted:

When asked about the missing performance, AT&T informed Lollapalooza that portions of the show were in fact missing from the webcast. […]

This, of course, troubles us as artists but also as citizens concerned with the issue of censorship and the increasingly consolidated control of the media.

AT&T’s actions strike at the heart of the public’s concerns over the power that corporations have when it comes to determining what the public sees and hears through communications media.
More on AT&T and other telecoms power to “mute” voices here.

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