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Pearl Jam Accuses AT&T of Censorship

HeadlineAug 10, 2007

The rock band Pearl Jam has accused AT&T of censorship after the company removed comments the band made about President Bush during a recent concert that AT&T aired in an online webcast. During the concert, the band’s singer, Eddie Vedder, said, “George Bush, leave this world alone,” and “George Bush, find yourself another home.” For viewers watching the concert via AT&T, the remarks were edited out. The group wrote on its website, “AT&T’s actions strike at the heart of the public’s concerns over the power that corporations have when it comes to determining what the public sees and hears through communications media.” Media activists say AT&T’s actions are a sign of why net neutrality is vital to keep the Internet open. Tim Karr of the SavetheInternet campaign said “[AT&T] acts in bad faith toward the public interest and will do whatever it can to pad its bottom line — including sacrificing its users’ freedom to choose where they go, what they watch and whom they listen to online.” AT&T said the editing was not intentional and was a mistake by an outside vendor.

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