A bill to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to provide for more reliable news and public affairs programming.

Summary

Provides that no licensee under the Communications Act of 1934 may broadcast any program which contains a filmed or video-taped sequence purporting to be factual reporting if the event shown has been staged, edited, or altered in any way, or if interviews have been rearranged, edited, or altered so that questions and answers are no longer in their original context, unless such sequence is explicitly labeled throughout its entire showing as having been staged, edited, rearranged, or altered as the case may be. Provides that no such licensee may broadcast by radio any recorded, audio-taped or otherwise audio-transcribed sequence purporting to be factual reporting if the event has been staged, edited, or altered in any way, or if interviews have been rearranged, edited, or altered so that questions and answers are no longer in their original context, unless such sequence is explicitly described by an announcer both before and following the broadcast of the sequence as having been staged, edited, rearranged, or altered. Provides that any live sequence, whether for television or radio broadcast, that is staged or is a dramatization purporting to be factual reporting must be clearly identified as a staged or dramatized sequence in accordance with the methods described in this Act. Provides that whenever a broadcast station presents one side of a controversial issue of public importance, such station shall afford reasonable opportunity for the presentation of contrasting views.

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Documents

1 official file

• Introduced in House

  summary · EN · 3 January 1973

  Open at official source

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