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Follow on Google News | Legal Challenge to "Redskins" Name at FCC BeginsA dozen former FCC officials have attacked the use of the term "redskins," which has repeatedly been held derogatory and racist, by threatening to challenge the license renewal of broadcast stations which unnecessarily use the term on the air.
The tactic was first announced, and then developed and promoted, by public interest law professor John Banzhaf, the man behind the ban on cigarette commercials, and the lawyer who used a similar tactic to force broadcasters to begin using African Americans on the air in significant roles for the first time. http://leagueoffans.org/ The dozen officials wrote to Redskin's owner Dan Snyder, suggesting that he change the name before they are forced to take legal action at the FCC. Their letter cites many other situations where action has been taken when derogatory and/or racist words have been used on the air. http://www.washingtonpost.com/ Banzhaf recently pointed out the problems with the one existing legal action directed against what Indians call the "R-word" [similar to the N-word]. This trademark action has gone on more than 20 years, shows no signs of producing any concrete results in the near future, and faces major legal obstacles, Banzhaf noted. http://www.washingtonpost.com/ In contrast, the filing of a legal challenge to a broadcast license is likely to provoke an immediate response - as it did in the case of African Americans - because it hangs over the head of the station, weakens its credit rating, and many interfere in many other ways with its operations. JOHN F. BANZHAF III, B.S.E.E., J.D., Sc.D. Professor of Public Interest Law George Washington University Law School, FAMRI Dr. William Cahan Distinguished Professor, Fellow, World Technology Network, Founder, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) 2000 H Street, NW Washington, DC 20052, USA (202) 994-7229 // (703) 527-8418 http://banzhaf.net/ End
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