AT&T "Censored" Anti-Bush Lyrics In Pearl Jam Song

[babylonsister]

http://prod1.cmj.com/articles/display_article.php?id=44047312

Portions Censored From Pearl Jam Webcast
2007-08-08 18:12:42.287,
Story by: Conor McKay

According to Pearl Jam's website, portions of the band's Sunday night set at Lollapalooza were missing from the AT&T Blue Room live webcast. Fans alerted the band to the missing material after the show. Reportedly absent from the webcast were segments of the band's performance of "Daughter," including the sung lines "George Bush, leave this world alone" and "George Bush find yourself another home."

After questioning AT&T about the incident, Lollapalooza was informed that material was indeed missing from the webcast, and that it was mistakenly cut by AT&T's content monitor. Tiffany Nels of AT&T told CMJ that they are working the matter out with the band. "We regret the mistake," she explains. "This was not intended and was an unfortunate mistake made by a webcast editor." She went on to explain that AT&T has a policy for any excessive language, and that it was set up because of its all-ages audience.

"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," the band wrote on their website. "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." The band went on to point out that "most telecommunications companies oppose 'net neutrality' and argue that the public can trust them not to censor."

The full version of Pearl Jam's performance of "Daughter" at Lollapalooza will be available on the band's website in the near future.

[aquart]

1. Does Olbermann know?

Do Colbert and Stewart know?

[PDJane]

2. Uh, guys?

I'd like to remind AT & T that being anti-Bush is kinda mainstream at the moment.

[WillyT]

3. Hell babylonsister... Here's A Micro Example...

I'm playing one of those General Trivia games at the neighborhood tavern. I'm on such a roll,that after accumulating 90 some-odd million points, the game does not give me another round, but instead, puts up a screen to put my name at the top of the list.

Now I've had a few, so I laugh and type in, "Impeach Bush."

And swear to god, the machine flashes back, "Bad Boy. Try Again."

Shocked, I ask a few friends to bear witness, and as they watch as I type in "Fuck Bush".

Again, I get turned down by the video arcade machine.

It apparently was programmed to not criticize GW.

So... anybody wanna trust a voting machine???

:shrug:

[babylonsister]

15. Holy crap! I just woke up and read that. Big Bro's watching!

:scared:

And that's quite a score! :toast:

[progressoid]

17. my guess is that it's programmed to reject any word that may have a sexual meaning...

like, Bush. Or Fuck.

[robinlynne]

23. speechless.

[Missy Vixen]

4. These are the wrong guys to screw with

They won't sit quietly and let it happen. They actually testified before Congress when they had their fight with Ticketmaster.

I know that Pearl Jam used to release a single each year to their fan club as a "thank you" that was available nowhere else. (If you've ever heard their version of "Last Kiss", for instance, it was originally a fan club single.) I'm wondering if this one might make it out there, too.

Julie

[bonito]

5. Say it isn't so

I've noticed satellite go Zzz at most conveniet times as well.

[Dragonbreathp9d]

16. me too!

once during worst person!

[C_U_L8R]

6. It's always a "mistake"

when these republicrooks get caught red-handed

[intheflow]

12. Yes, it's amazing how that works. n/t

[Ready4Change]

7. This is happening TOO often.

I've been surprised, listening to NPR and CSPAN radio, at how technical problems all seem to occur during the presentation of progressive, liberal points of view, while conservative speakers always come through loud and clear. It's clear to me that there are persons along the production chain who are taking it on themselves to 'censor' content via technical 'accidents.'

Oops! Dropped a call. Oops! Lost a feed. Oops! Accidentally censored the only 2 lines in an entire set which were critical of Bush.

Oops, my ass.

I think I'd be firing some people over these kinds of things. Oops.

[AX10]

22. I've noticed it too.

[Warren DeMontague]

8. Thou shalt not speak ill of Glorious Leader. nt

[glitch]

9. K & R for Pearl Jam. "the public can trust them not to censor" caught the liars. nt

[Canuckistanian]

10. Awfully selective "mistakes"

I hope the band is getting their lawyers involved.

[rucky]

11. Why didn't they just let the NSA delete it from Vedder's computer

when he first wrote the lyrics?

[Kurovski]

19. No kidding.

:mad: The bastards.

[AtomicKitten]

13. AT&T should be shunned by all mankind.

Pearl Jam rocks.

[Gelliebeans]

14. I hope PJ sues ATT

I am so tired of the corporate "oopsies" it reminds of the constant problem FAUX has when a repuke commits a crime and that (D) pops up on the screen next to the criminal's name. :mad:

[Kurovski]

18. AT&T is as good as part of the Bush cabal, what with the

cooperation with spying on Americans.

They are criminal pigs and should be disbanded.

[Ezlivin]

20. Use your iPhone with AT&T and they listen for any dissent

Then the appropriate authorities will be dispatched to your location to reeducate you until you are a productive and loyal citizen.

Not that I'm paranoid or anything....

[John Kerry VonErich]

21. Calling it as I see it

This situation was more of an unfortunate situation. Understandably I get pissed too if AT&T censored my material, but be that as it may, there is no violation of first ammendment since AT&T is not the government. BUT, if there is a contract that all bands signed prior to the webcast that made sure all footage from beginning to end, then since portions of Pearl Jam's material was purposely taken out, there is a breach of contract and I hope the band does take legal action if that is the case.

[Bjorn Against]

25. It may not be unconstitutional, but it is still wrong and people should dump AT&T

I am glad to see Pearl Jam taking on media consolidation because when we have such a massive telecom company censoring political materials that poses a serious risk to our democracy. Just because the first amendment does not prohibit corporations from censoring does not mean that corporations should be censoring this type of material, I hope a lot of people switch their phone service because of this.

[John Kerry VonErich]

30. Unfortunately AT&T does....

have the right to censor anything they deemed inappropriate unless there was a unrestricted contract that was signed. They only thing left to do is boycott, and that is very difficult to stick since AT&T has subsidiaries we might noit know about. But all in all yeah you are right.

[XOKCowboy]

27. Enjoy those IPhones folks!

AT$Ts service sucks too.

[HughMoran]

24. AT&T was and always will be a RW corporation

I remember them trying to have me give money to their RW PAC fund back in the day. I said no and was glad when I stopped working at that RW haven. What a hateful place that factory was.

[Tsiyu]

26. AT&T aka BellSouth is running "reverse psychology" ads

showing Americans staking out, spying to see "Who brings the new copy of the Yellow Pages?" - the arrival of which seems to puzzle the binocular-clad and incognito folks who are shown out in the wee hours keeping a close eye on their front stoops.

Um. Some schmuck trying to earn a few dollars drops them off. Real mystery.

But the message seems to be: most people spy. Trust us. We'll deliver your Yellow Pages and your Bill of Rights in shreds on a platter, and you'll never see us do either....

[SalmonChantedEvening]

28. Shades of the 'Overzealous Staffer' defense yet again.

"This was not intended and was an unfortunate mistake made by a webcast editor."

In the immortal words of Col. Sherman Potter:

MULE MUFFINS!

[orleans]

29. some caller on randi's show today called about this

and she said: i have been screaming a lung out about the warrantless wiretapping, etc. for a year and finally people are getting getting upset because someone is messing around with their music?

basically asking: where has your outrage been until now?

[helderheid]

31. mistakenly cut... sure it was.