ABSTRACT
This chapter examines censorship, diversity and consolidation from an ethical point of view. It also examines the role ethics play in the way Broadcast Standards and Practices (BS&P) departments make their decisions. The BS&P censors' mission was to protect the networks from embarrassing displays of poor judgment on the part of advertisers and producers. The censorship refers specifically to the duties of BS&P departments at the networks, cable channels and streaming services. Over time, the BS&P departments became the guardians of morality, monitoring sexual content, controversial issues, and medical information, among other duties. BS&P departments make value judgments on a case by case basis, judgments that are dependent on ethical considerations. In times of national crisis, BS&P executives, working in concert with other divisions, such as sales, programming and upper management, must decide whether or not certain types of programming are appropriate in light of developments in the news.
