Greg Strangis
04-29-2010, 12:15 PM
17 Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonists (http://interact.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-editors-desk/the-editors-desk/2010/04/cartoonists-condemn-threat-that-led-to-south-park-censorship/)have joined to condemn an extremist group’s apparent death threat against the creators of the Comedy Central show “South Park” because of the way it depicted the prophet Muhammad, the Washington Post reports (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/comic-riffs/2010/04/17_pulitzer-winning_cartoonist.html) today.
If you're wondering (http://www.seattlepi.com/tvguide/418939_tvgif23.html)if the creators of South Park (http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/south-park/100402?rss=news&partnerid=spi&profileid=05) added a series of bleeps (http://www.tvguide.com/news/south-park-censored-1017677.aspx?rss=news&partnerid=spi&profileid=05)to their latest episode as a joke, they say no.
"In the 14 years we've been doing South Park we have never done a show that we couldn't stand behind. We delivered our version of the show to Comedy Central and they made a determination to alter the episode," they said in a statement on SouthParkStudios.com (http://www.southparkstudios.com/news/3878). "Comedy Central added the bleeps. In fact, Kyle's customary final speech was about intimidation and fear. It didn't mention Muhammad at all but it got bleeped too. We'll be back next week with a whole new show about something completely different and we'll see what happens to it."
Wednesday's episode of South Park aired with several long bleeps and a black "Censored" box over the depiction of Muhammad, whose physical representation is considered sacrilegious by Muslims.
Comedy Central altered the episode after Revolution Muslim, a New York-based radical Islamic group, posted a message on its website to Stone and Parker about the depiction of Muhammad as a man wearing a bear suit in the two-part episode.
"We have to warn Matt and Trey that what they are doing is stupid and they will probably wind up like Theo Van Gogh for airing this show," the post, written by Abu Talhah Al-Amrikee, said. "This is not a threat, but a warning of the reality of what will likely happen to them."
Van Gogh was a Dutch filmmaker who was shot and stabbed to death in 2004 over his documentary about Muslim women.
Now "South Park" (http://livefeed.hollywoodreporter.com/2010/04/south-park-censorship-.html) can't even say the words "Prophet Muhammad."
After last week's episode of the Comedy Central series sparked a threat (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i76c0f8a6ea10f504b27bd5cf5def774c) (and yes, it was certainly a threat) from a radical Islamic website, the network has cracked-down-for-their-own-good on creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone during last night's continuation of the show's storyline.
The opening paragraph of the Caucus's Mission Statement reads:
Our mission is to protect and actively promote the artistic rights of Producers, Writers and Directors. We actively oppose any interference with these creative rights whether they originate from Government, Studios, Networks, or Special Interest pressure groups.
The Caucus believes that corporations and broadcasters like Comedy Central and its parent company have a responsibility to protect free speech. Comedy Central's recent censorship of an episode of a "South Park" is an apparent failure to defend American artists and their 1st Amendment rights.
Tell us what you think?
If you're wondering (http://www.seattlepi.com/tvguide/418939_tvgif23.html)if the creators of South Park (http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/south-park/100402?rss=news&partnerid=spi&profileid=05) added a series of bleeps (http://www.tvguide.com/news/south-park-censored-1017677.aspx?rss=news&partnerid=spi&profileid=05)to their latest episode as a joke, they say no.
"In the 14 years we've been doing South Park we have never done a show that we couldn't stand behind. We delivered our version of the show to Comedy Central and they made a determination to alter the episode," they said in a statement on SouthParkStudios.com (http://www.southparkstudios.com/news/3878). "Comedy Central added the bleeps. In fact, Kyle's customary final speech was about intimidation and fear. It didn't mention Muhammad at all but it got bleeped too. We'll be back next week with a whole new show about something completely different and we'll see what happens to it."
Wednesday's episode of South Park aired with several long bleeps and a black "Censored" box over the depiction of Muhammad, whose physical representation is considered sacrilegious by Muslims.
Comedy Central altered the episode after Revolution Muslim, a New York-based radical Islamic group, posted a message on its website to Stone and Parker about the depiction of Muhammad as a man wearing a bear suit in the two-part episode.
"We have to warn Matt and Trey that what they are doing is stupid and they will probably wind up like Theo Van Gogh for airing this show," the post, written by Abu Talhah Al-Amrikee, said. "This is not a threat, but a warning of the reality of what will likely happen to them."
Van Gogh was a Dutch filmmaker who was shot and stabbed to death in 2004 over his documentary about Muslim women.
Now "South Park" (http://livefeed.hollywoodreporter.com/2010/04/south-park-censorship-.html) can't even say the words "Prophet Muhammad."
After last week's episode of the Comedy Central series sparked a threat (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i76c0f8a6ea10f504b27bd5cf5def774c) (and yes, it was certainly a threat) from a radical Islamic website, the network has cracked-down-for-their-own-good on creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone during last night's continuation of the show's storyline.
The opening paragraph of the Caucus's Mission Statement reads:
Our mission is to protect and actively promote the artistic rights of Producers, Writers and Directors. We actively oppose any interference with these creative rights whether they originate from Government, Studios, Networks, or Special Interest pressure groups.
The Caucus believes that corporations and broadcasters like Comedy Central and its parent company have a responsibility to protect free speech. Comedy Central's recent censorship of an episode of a "South Park" is an apparent failure to defend American artists and their 1st Amendment rights.
Tell us what you think?