Is TV Lowering Its Standard of Decency?

Feb. 2 -- As halftime shows go, this year's was a long way from marching tubas or drum majorettes.

When Janet Jackson's right breast was exposed for all to see during intermission at the Super Bowl, it set off something of a national debate about standards, taste, and the law.

Already, the Federal Communications Commission has announced it will mount an investigation. It's not an idle threat either. The FCC licenses broadcasters and could levy fines against those it finds in violation of FCC rules and regulations.

"When we see such a crass and blatant violation of common standards of decency," said FCC chairman Michael Powell said in an interview with ABCNEWS, "we think it is important to get to the bottom of it and see if it violated the law as well."

Judging from comments across the nation today, there is not much doubt that many Americans, who may have watched the game with their children, believe the exposure of Ms. Jackson was a violation of something.

"'Everybody just kind of stopped and nobody really believed it," said Lisa Kerrigan of Chicago.

Shocking Precedent

And yet there's a real question about whether people should have been shocked at all.

MTV, which produced the half-time show for CBS, had promised a surprising finish.

And because MTV was the network that also gave us last year's infamous lip-lock between pop divas Madonna and Britney Spears, there were expectations that lines would be crossed.

But CBS and MTV both insisted that exposing Jackson was not supposed to be part of the half-time festivities. Both networks have apologized.

Justin Timberlake, Jackson's co-star on stage last night, attributed it all to "a wardrobe malfunction."

That did not satisfy the National Football League, ever protective of its image.

Said NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue: "It was offensive, embarrassing to us and our fans, and inappropriate." The NFL added that we have all seen the last Super Bowl half-time show MTV will ever produce.