Censorship at the Emmys

Since the Janet Jackson Superbowl incident, media broadcasters have been granted the ability -- backed by a degree of public approval -- to censor live shows.

Unlike the controversial "nipple" incident, however, Sunday's Emmy censorships were invoked for political and religious reasons.

Sally Field was censored during her acceptance speech for decrying the war in Iraq.

She said: "If mothers ruled the world, there would be no Goddamn war in Iraq," but the television audience heard only: "If mothers ruled the world, there would be no God..." before she was cut off- which significantly misconstrued the crux of her speech and left the audience in awe of what she could have possibly said.

And comedian Kathy Griffin was censored on the Fox network during a speech in which she declared "Suck it Jesus. This award is my God now."

If we enter an era in which broadcasters decide what to air in the name of good taste we are treading a dangerous new ground toward limiting free speech, further blurring the already artificial line between reality and what the media depicts as reality.