US Dept. of Education pulls closed-captioning funds for

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The Bush administration has decided that people with bad hearing have bad judgment, too, and need special guidance from the federal government.

So the U.S. Department of Education is declaring about 200 television programs inappropriate for closed-captioning and denying federal grant requests to make them accessible to the hearing-impaired.

The department made its decisions based on the recommendations of a five-member panel. Who the five members are, only the government seems to know, and it isn't saying. But the shows they censored suggest a perspective that is Talibanesque.

The government is refusing to caption Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie, apparently fearing that the deaf would fall prey to witchcraft if they viewed the classic sitcoms.
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A complete list of "disapproved shows"

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 22:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Bemusing.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 22:43 (twenty-two years ago)

um, reading rainbow?

― kephm, Tuesday, 17 February 2004 22:45 (twenty-two years ago)

What??? No Law and Order!!!!

― tokyo rosemary (rosemary), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 22:46 (twenty-two years ago)

And what, pray tell, makes Barney and Corey the Clown approved and Powerpuff Girls and Simpsons disapproved?

And what's with disapproving several PBS shows and all of Nickelodeon?!!!

hmmm

― Orbit (Orbit), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 22:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Approved.
MTV - Fight For Your Rights: Take A Stand Against Discrimination

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

― donut bitch (donut), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 22:49 (twenty-two years ago)

(arched brow) According to that list, deaf kids better start learning to read lips.

As for the rest, what's left, commercials?

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 22:49 (twenty-two years ago)

And what's with disapproving several PBS shows and all of Nickelodeon?!!!

There goes Cartoon Network....

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 22:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Wait why is this a Dept of Ed funding issue?
Does this mean grants for only education-related programming are allowed?

― Orbit (Orbit), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 22:51 (twenty-two years ago)

lotsa sports on the disapproved list too. And "Bed Bug Bible Gang" if that makes you feel any better.

― teeny (teeny), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 22:57 (twenty-two years ago)

I find it horrendous that not only do I know what bed bug bible gang I have seen a number of episodes

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 22:58 (twenty-two years ago)

And "Bed Bug Bible Gang" if that makes you feel any better.

What's that prog about (though I'm picturing a bug version of Fraggle Rock)?

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 22:59 (twenty-two years ago)

That is terrible. As I may have mentioned, my father has lost almost all of his hearing and relies on closed captioning -- I know he watches at least a couple of programs that have been deemed "inappropriate".

― El Diablo Robotico (Nicole), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 23:03 (twenty-two years ago)

I still think the funding agency is key here--does this mean that these are the onlny program the Dept of EDUCATION won't fund, and that non-educational closed caption funding comes from another agency for entertainment programs, like out of US Dept of Health and Human Services or something? More info needed.

― Orbit (Orbit), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 23:09 (twenty-two years ago)

its really cheap puppets and even cheaper 3d animation telling bible stories.

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 23:10 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm with Bush on this one. Surely those deaf kids can surround themselves with hearing-capable people who can let them know what's going on. It is how Bush surrounded himself with thinking-capable people to run his presidency. He is truly the man of the hour.

― dean! (deangulberry), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 23:30 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm with Bush on this one. Surely those deaf kids can surround themselves with hearing-capable people who can let them know what's going on.

Another "faith-based" organization taking the lead?

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 23:43 (twenty-two years ago)

CRIBS?!?!!?

― Viva La Sam (thatgirl), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 23:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Orbit OTM here... what's the scoop?

― donut bitch (donut), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 23:50 (twenty-two years ago)

This is very strange. The story linked at the top uses one source, the National Association for the Deaf. The only other paper who picked this up seems to be the "The Sentinel," based in Carlisle Pennsylvania. It ran an Op-Ed piece on the story from a guy who says he got an "Internet tip." Besides these two, the NAD website is the only source of info about it. I don't see any reason to disbelieve them, but is it possible that this was a Dept. of Ed fuck-up, some mean little abortion of a personal project that somehow squeaked its way out into a world that didn't want it? There's a story there about misuse of funds, I guess. And if any of these shows are indeed denied govt funds for closed-captioning the Dept of Ed's going to have some 'splainin to do. But the Dept of Ed "announcement" sounds weird and bogus. The list of shows isn't even close to comprehensive. And most of those shows are already closed-captioned anyway, especially the re-runs, whose beta tapes have probably had a CC stripe on them for years. "A lot more reporting" would be great. I'd settle for any reporting at all, actually.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 00:23 (twenty-two years ago)

the list is so weird that there needs to be more information.

― anthony easton (anthony), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 00:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah I agree with Orbit and Tracer, does ALL captioning funding come from this dept (I doubt it somehow), if not, then this is probably a bit of a non issue.

There are some militant types in the deaf community (as in all groups of course), so I'm curious as to the agenda behind this. I have a passing interest in deaf culture (having studied a little sign and known some deaf people).

― Trayce (trayce), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 00:42 (twenty-two years ago)

From what I understand most closed-captioning is paid for by companies who are trying to unload tax-deductible money and who like getting a shout out (i.e. "closed captioning paid for by...")

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 01:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Which would make the Dept of Ed announcement even MEANER. i.e. shows that nobody else feels like CC'ing, e.g. the ones that the government takes care of, well if they happen to be on the banned list they won't get CCed. It's not that loco though if you look at the way Bush's administration deals with things like medical aid to poor countries. They yank any money that goes for abortion counselling. "You're either for us, or against us."

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 01:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Meanwhile, the Telecommunications Act Of 1996 mandates 900 hours of programming per channel per quarter by the end of 2003 and 1350 hours of programming per channel per quarter by the end of 2005. Yanking funding for captioning would seem to make this mandate a whole lot more difficult to comply with.

Anyone know how much money these guys donated to politicians?

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 01:37 (twenty-two years ago)

wow. Inside Edition made the cut.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Wednesday, 18 February 2004 01:41 (twenty-two years ago)

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