barry@ames-lm.UUCP (Kenn Barry) (06/05/84)
[*************=8>:) (snort)]
I remember hearing about the exclusion of the "Seventeen" episode
at the time the series first aired. There was an article about it in,
I believe, TV Guide. The gist of this article was that the episode was
pulled due to the objections of the Muncie-ites themselves, who felt it
showed them in a bad light. Though they had originally approved the filming,
it was subject to their review of the final footage, and when they saw
the final cut of "Seventeen", they didn't like what they saw.
I do not assume this is the true story. Indeed, both stories
may be true - perhaps the townspeople pressured Xerox, who in turn pressured
PBS. But I'd like more information before I cast Xerox as the villain
of this piece. If it was in fact the townspeople (i.e. the parents of
the teenagers portrayed) who demanded it be pulled, I wouldn't call this
censorship. They're not actors, and should have some say in how they're
portrayed on TV. Would you want all your dirty laundry aired in public?
Kenn Barry
NASA-Ames Research Center
Moffett Field, CA
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