Amid station preemptions of ABC's Saving Private Ryan for fear of Federal Communications Commission reprisal over profanity, Vietnam veteran and former POW Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who is introducing the film, told Broadcasting & Cable it "comes nowhere near indecent."
McCain said of the special, Veteran's Day broadcast Nov., 11: "Saving Prviate Ryan is a powerful and important depiction of the sacrifices made for our country and for freemdom during World War II," McCain said. "While it contains violence and profanity, these are not shown in a gratuitous manner."
McCain conceded the FCC faces "the dificult task of determining when content is indecent," so he was willling to give it a helping hand.
"In my estimation, the content of this film, aired in the context of a national holiday, paying tribute to our veterans, and with appropriate warnings to parents, does not come close to crossing that line."
