Deciding what we watch : taste, decency, and media ethics in the UK and the USA /

Shaw brings more than 40 years of media experience to his investigation of taste and decency in British and US broadcasting. He combines this experience with extensive research, revealing the workings of those who decide what one can and cannot watch on television. A mixture of history, explanation of laws and codes, cultural analysis, and interviews with those who regulate news and entertainment on a day-to-day basis, this probing and penetrating volume offers a balanced view of the differences between US and British broadcasters' preferences and performances in serving the public's and the nation's interests. Shaw finds that whereas in the UK broadcasters are willing to accept regulation and to set standards of taste and decency the viewing public will support, in the US the broadcaster's concern is to insure the presence of audiences of the size and kind the advertisers seek--and thus let the public set standards of taste and decency through its selection of what it will watch. US broadcasters contend the First Amendment protection of free speech precludes any limitations on their right to determine what is tasteful and decent. Extensive in its coverage, this insightful book will help readers understand US broadcasting--particularly as it is compares with another Western system. Upper-division undergraduates and up. R. Cathcart CUNY Queens College