PBS deploys dual docus to appease FCC

September 04, 2007 Ken Burns' documentary about World War II will come in two flavors, one with curse words and one without in the hopes that the PBS stations can avoid government fines for indecency. There are four words in the 141⁄2-hour documentary that are causing the heartburn: two instances where the narrator says "fucked" when explaining the military acronyms "FUBAR" and "SNAFU," as well as when former GIs interviewed in the film cuss as they describe combat experiences, saying "holy shit" and referring to an enemy trying to kill them as an "asshole." McNamara said the FCC's ruling that the Steven Spielberg film "Saving Private Ryan" did not run afoul of the rules appear to protect "The War," but she added that the agency's inconsistencies has given the pubcaster pause.

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