-Caveat Lector- Radio Sings Self-Censorship Tune http://www.wired.com/news/print/0,1294,46925,00.html By Brad King Sep. 18, 2001 Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust." Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven." They are rock classics, heard on radio stations across the country for more than two decades. But now they're on a list of about 150 songs that a group of radio programmers deemed too offensive to play on the airwaves in the wake of last week's terrorist attacks. Executives within the radio division at Clear Channel Communications -- one of the nation's largest radio conglomerates -- denied any list had been developed. But sources familiar with the situation said an informal list of songs -- with lyrics and/or themes that might seem inappropriate to some -- had been delivered throughout the music industry. Although there doesn't appear to be any direct censorship involved, entertainment groups -- long the whipping boys of child watchdog organizations and some in Congress -- believe this is an overreaction brought on during a time of national tragedy. They fear that Congress may be too quick to curtail civil liberties. "There is massive self-censorship that is going on," said John Perry Barlow, an Electronic Frontier Foundation board member. "I was worried about this because that censorship is (the) most insidious thing. "This is what totalitarianism is. It's not the will of someone inserting their will on the populace. It's the will of the populace exerting its will on the populace." The entertainment industry has been wary after last week's attacks, taking protracted first steps toward limiting images being promoted after facing congressional scrutiny over advertising practices and parental advisory labels in the last year. But the list of songs wasn't meant as a way to censor stations. Radio programmers with Clear Channel -- parent company to 1,170 stations across the United States -- began developing a list of songs, apparently through e-mail, with lyrics that some might consider offensive in the wake of the attacks. As the list was forwarded from station to station, people continued to add songs. Eventually, the list had over 150 songs. The list was then sent out to managers, artists and radio stations across the country, according to sources familiar with the events. However, the move was meant as an informational campaign for programmers not familiar with all of the songs. On the list were rather obvious songs to be avoided like Steve Miller's "Jet Airliner," Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" and Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven." But the list was meant to help programmers who might not envision that Everclear's "Santa Monica" might offend some listeners, said sources familiar with the list. Without knowing the lyrics to the song, programmers might have played the song that contains the lyrics "swim out past the breakers/watch the world die." Even the BBC's Radio 1 has put a brief ban on certain songs, including ex-Spice Girl Geri Halliwell's remake of "It's Raining Men," according to NTK.net. Of course, not all artists were happy to hear about the list that was circulated around the Clear Channel stations. Former Too Much Joy front man Tim Quirk said that developing a list of songs that might upset people was an overreaction, since some of those on the list had messages of hope and love. "The blanket decree from Clear Channel was frightening in its apparent assumption that all station employees and potential listeners are insensitive morons, and the inclusion of songs of peace and wonder (such as 'What a Wonderful World' and 'Imagine') was particularly sad and unhelpful," Quirk said. Major conglomerates weren't the only stations worried about repercussions from programming. Tazy Stein's was scheduled to broadcast his show SP Radio One from New York during the College Media Journal music conference. Built around live performances from emerging bands, Stein was set to feature Swedish band, The (International) Noise Conspiracy. After the terrorist attacks scuttled the conference, Stein had to reconsider the content on his show, which airs on San Diego's independently owned KFSD. "I'm a fan of their band, but it wasn't the right timing," Stein said. "The first song in their set list was called 'The Reproduction of Death.' That obviously wasn't appropriate for my show, after those events in New York." Reality also forced California hip-hop group The Coup to recall a recently released CD that featured a picture of the World Trade Center towers on fire. While the events in New York and Washington have forced entertainment companies of all types to reconsider their content, some Internet sites have pushed forward with gruesome pictures and images. Rotten.com has continued its daily mission of publishing photographs and video clips of dead people and animals, along with graphic sexual encounters. Although it's announced no plans to publish photos from the attacks, the company -- which published a fake picture of Princess Diana's accident scene and asked for real submissions to publish -- has no plans on scaling back its content. "Some of the images may be offensive, but that has never been a crime," the site's editors wrote in the description of the site. "Life is sometimes offensive. You have to expect that. The images we find most obscene are those of book burnings." Television stations have largely backed away from controversial programming decisions over the last week by substituting family-friendly movies in place of such hits as Independence Day, which features a scene where aliens destroy the Empire State Building and the White House. The major networks -- ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX -- also postponed the start of the new season by a week because of the 24-hour news coverage. But questions remain about several shows, particularly the three that feature the CIA integrally in the plots. Movie studios have faced difficult choices as well. Two potential blockbusters -- Arnold Schwarzenegger's Collateral Damage and Tim Allens' Big Trouble -- have been shelved over concerns that content in the movie might mirror reality too closely. Both films feature bombs and terrorists as part of the plot. 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