AT&T says "sorry" for censoring Pearl Jam

Nick Farrell
The Inquirer
Aug. 11, 2007

GIANT FIRM AT&T admitted that the company it hired to handle the cybercast of a live concert by US rock band Pearl Jam censored lyrics criticising the king of the US, George Bush.

According to Reuters, the censored lyrics, "George Bush, leave this world alone" and "George Bush, find yourself another home", were sung to the haunting melodies of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall".

The Chicago performance was carried on AT&T's "Blue Room" Web site, which is here. But the combo was furious when it discovered that the Anti-Bush lines had been removed.

On its website, the rocksters said that the censorship troubled them as citizens concerned with the censorship and the increasingly consolidated control of the media.

They said that AT&T's actions struck 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.

AT&T said it had all been a terrible mishtake and the lyrics "in no way, shape or form" were something that should have been edited.

A spokes AT&T called M****** C** regretted this happened and he was upset too. He aid that AT&T was working with its vendors to ensure it doesn't happen again.

C** added that AT&T was trying to work with the band to get its permission to post the song in its entirety on the "Blue Room" site.

More here.