Self-Censorship The FCC is rarely involved with specific
cases of censorship. When broadcasters complain that their ideas have
been rejected as being unacceptable, they are usually complaining
about the major television networks, which set their own standards for
what is acceptable and in good taste. In the 1950s, for instance, Lucy
Ricardo was never allowed to refer to herself as being “pregnant” on
I Love Lucy, even though there was little doubt she would soon be a
mother. Times have changed. Almost 50 years later, the cast of Saturday
Night Live went out of its way to show off a new attitude toward censor-
ship. In a skit set at a nudist club, the cast stood behind a bar, appar-
ently undressed, and discussed the human anatomy in graphic terms.
But not everything is acceptable. MTV, the all-music channel, has
rejected videos that were too explicit. The networks all observe some rules
of thumb about what should be shown during prime time (8 to 11 p.m.,
BROADCAST NEWS 449
he was MTV’s top
political reporter. Wait
a minute. MTV’s what?
Ta b i t h a S o r e n , yo u t h f u l ve t-
eran of two presidential elec-
tions, brightened the some-
times mundane campaign trail
in the 1990s with her unique
brand of personal reporting,
a style well suited to MTV’s
young and restless audience.
A novelty when she covered
the Clinton-Bush race in
1992 at the age of 24, Soren
became an accepted member
of the mainstream media in
the Clinton-Dole race in 1996.
“Politicians, because they
notice us getting noticed,”
Soren explained, “are now
making an effort to appeal to
this voter block.” MTV viewers
are primarily those in the 16-
to 30-year-old age bracket.
In 1992, President George
H. W. Bush noted that he
was not a “teeny bopper” and
therefore had no business
being on MTV. He changedhis mind only days before the
election, but by then he was
already trailing MTV regu-
lar Bill Clinton. By contrast,
Republican senator Bob Dole,
at age 72 one of the old-
est candidates for president,
appeared on MTV’s Choose
or Lose election program to
be interviewed by Soren.
Soren grew up in a military
family that moved frequently.
She developed an early inter-
est in foreign affairs. She
came to MTV from a televi-
sion station in Vermont, where
she anchored the late news
and served as statehouse
correspondent. At MTV,
she became a new kind of
reporter. She deliberately
avoided the sort of glamour
sometimes projected by other
major network reporters.
Indeed, her fingernails were
sometimes painted purple.
“I think I act differently than
a lot of reporters,” Soren said.
“When I interview someone,it’s more casual and there’s not
a lot of posturing. I ask differ-
ent questions, they are caught
off guard, and they act more
human because they have to
think of an answer on the spot.”
During an interview in the
Oval Office, for example, Soren
asked President Clinton what
he thought about the death of
Jerry Garcia, the lead singer
for the Grateful Dead. That
kind of reporting may not lead
to major scoops, but it can
reveal the person behind the
pose, a Soren specialty.
Soren continued to work as
a journalist after her years at
MTV and produced a number
of documentaries and reports
on such topics as women in the
military and teen pregnancy.
Source: Adapted from “Prime Time” by
Frazier Moore. Star Express, Lincoln, Neb.Portrait of a Young Journalist
Tabitha Soren