LIFE INSPIRES ART

The January 15th episode of the t.v. drama "Family Law" featured a storyline inspired by the real-life assault on over 60 women in New York's Central Park last June. In the episode, "Film At Eleven," family law attorney Lynn Holt is publicly molested by a violent mob and her assault is caught on tape, she sues the local news station that broadcast the footage for exploitation.

Kathleen Quinlan, Christopher McDonald, Dixie Carter, Julie Warner and Tony Danza star in FAMILY LAW, the compelling one-hour drama from Columbia TriStar Television that tackles the hard cases where families are in crisis, where the stakes are always personal, and where hope comes from places you would never have imagined. The series airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

#212 "Film At Eleven"

Lynn leaves the courthouse during a union rally. Even though the crowd is unruly, she pushes her way through. But within seconds, the crowd turns from innocent to angry, trapping Lynn in a full-scale riot. In the ensuing fray, Lynn’s shirt is ripped off. Her attack is caught on tape and then aired on the nightly news. Lynn feels that the news station did nothing to protect her safety during the assault. In addition, she claims they violated her privacy when they failed to obscure her face during the broadcast. But Lynn is up against an unbeatable opponent. She is fighting the First Amendment. She is fighting the Freedom of the Press. She believes she was violated, but the other side argues they were just reporting the news. Lynn convinces the man who assaulted her to testify that the cameramen incited the crowd to rip off women’s blouses. After showing the video footage in court, the jury decides in Lynn’s favor. It is a short victory, because the judge overturns the decision. Lynn feels somewhat vindicated by the case, at least she convinced 12 people that she was right. Back at the office, Patricia tells Viveca the wrong court date. When Viveca’s client calls from the courthouse in a complete panic, Patricia ends up pretending to be Viveca and argues the case. Her client is suing her seamstress, because on the day of the wedding, the seamstress attempted some last minute alterations and ended up ripping the dress, leaving the bride with nothing to wear. Patricia’s flair and quick thinking convince the court that her client in the right. Also, she proves to Viveca, she could also be a pretty good attorney if she wanted.

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In "Film At Eleven," at a public demonstration that deteriorates into a riot, Lynn Holt is groped by a gang of men, who tear off her clothing. A news crew films the attack and runs it, unedited. The episode explores the legal tension between two competing rights, the right to privacy and freedom of the press, both of which are fundamental to our society.

The right to privacy is based on the premise that certain information about a person is so personal or offensive, and of so little legitimate public interest and concern, that the law recognizes the individual's right not to have such information made public. Known as "Public Disclosure of Private Facts," this tort is designed to protect individuals from the embarrassment that would result from public disclosure of intimate photographs or facts.

The media has effectively used the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of the press, to protect its right to report any incident it reasonably considers "news." News outlets have been vigilant in guarding this freedom, believing that once the right is successfully challenged and limited, a slippery slope leading to control of the press will be the result. As Lynn discovers, courts are inclined to be very wary of limiting the rights of the press in any way.

The public on the whole supports the idea that legal remedies are available for invasions of personal privacy; but, on reflection, they are equally supportive of and recognize the need for free press. When these two rights are at odds, courts (and juries) are required to make difficult judgments as to the individual's rights to keep certain facts private versus the legitimacy of the public's interest in such information.

The longest-running drama series on television, based on true stories "ripped from the headlines,"

1/24/01 • SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH JORGE

PARADE AFTERMATH LEAVES WIFE OF DOT-COM MILLIONAIRE DEAD -
In a story inspired by the Central Park wildings that occurred following a Puerto Rican Day Parade, Detectives Briscoe and Green are called to the park to investigate the murder of a woman found in the lagoon. The victim's husband, Ethan Capp (guest star Ben Weber), is not forthcoming about his marriage difficulties, which leads the detectives to suspect that his wife's death may have had more to do with preserving his company than with an out-of-controlmob. But as A.D.A.'s McCoy and Carmichael argue that this murder was about jealousy and money, evidence continues to accumulate which points toward a more random senselessness as motive.

videoNY1

Bowing to Latino Activists, NBC Apologizes for Controversial Law & Order Episode
Veteran producer Dick Wolf says he's "extremely disappointed" with network's vow never to air it again. But executives promise changes in NBC's standards & practices department.
by Scott Collins

Thursday , January 25, 2001 07:39 p.m.

NBC and producer Dick Wolf are at odds over a controversial episode of the hit drama Law & Order.
Activists complained to the network about Wednesday night's episode, in which a murder takes place at the annual Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York. A story in the New York Post revealed that activists were especially sensitive about the subject due to a heavily publicized wilding spree at last year's event. Although protest leaders reportedly asked the network not to air the episode at all, it was broadcast last night as scheduled.

But following a meeting Thursday in New York with representatives from the National Puerto Rican Coalition and other groups -- with NBC West Coast president Scott Sassa and entertainment president Jeff Zucker patched in by telephone from Los Angeles -- the network reversed course, promising never again to air the episode, Sunday in the Park with Jorge.

''We sincerely apologize for offending members of the Latino community,'' the network said in a statement issued late Thursday. ''We had an extremely productive meeting . . . and given the context in which the program was aired, we have agreed not to repeat the episode on NBC.''

Wolf, who has presided over the hit legal drama since its 1990 premiere, blasted the network for its decision.

''The network has caved in to the demands of a special interest group,'' Wolf said in a statement, ''and I am extremely disappointed with this decision, about which I was not consulted, as I think it sets an extremely dangerous precedent.''

Activists argue that NBC has demonstrated insensitivity to the Hispanic community more than once in recent years. A Seinfeld episode featuring the burning of a Puerto Rican flag drew flak from activists, as did an episode of Will & Grace in which one of the characters referred to a Spanish-speaking maid as a ''tamale.''

The Puerto Rican Day Parade earned national headlines last June, after more than 50 women reported being stripped and terrorized by gangs of men during a post-parade melee in and around Central Park. Much of the activity was caught on videotape -- and later broadcast on national television -- which led to a number of arrests. The Law & Order episode used the wilding incident as a backdrop for a fictionalized murder case.

Sources close to the network said attorneys for some of the parade defendants sought an injunction barring NBC from airing the Law & Order episode, on the grounds that it could prevent their clients from receiving a fair trial. A judge on Tuesday refused to grant the request, these sources said. No further information about the case was available, and neither the activists nor the lawyers involved could be reached for comment.

At Thursday's meeting, network executives told the activists -- who also included representatives from the Puerto Rican Legal Defense Fund and the Puerto Rican Day Parade -- that they were in the midst of reorganizing NBC's standards and practices department, partly to address concerns about portrayals of minorities on network shows. Sassa later called Wolf to tell him the network had agreed not to repeat the episode.

One insider said that network executives had decided not to re-broadcast the episode even before Thursday's meeting, prompting speculation that NBC may have been searching for middle ground between mollifying the activists and the producer of one of its most profitable shows.

Wolf -- who carries considerable clout within the network thanks to Law & Order's long run -- pointed out that the drama ''reflects real life'' and is thus often a magnet for controversy.

''Law & Order has been ripped from the headlines for 240 episodes,'' he said. ''Over the past 11 years, the series has offended the sensitivities of a variety of special interest groups.''

•

Here's a copy of the AP story:

By LYNN ELBER, AP Television Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A "Law & Order" episode about violence during New York's Puerto Rican Day parade provoked angry complaints from Hispanic groups and a promise from NBC never to air the hour again.

"We sincerely apologize for offending members of the Latino community regarding the portrayal of Latinos and the Puerto Rican Day parade ... we have agreed not to repeat the episode on NBC," the network said Thursday.

The episode that aired Wednesday depicted a parade day rampage by Puerto Rican youths in which women are molested and one is killed. A Brazilian youth is shown convicted in the death.

NBC made the decision after a meeting in New York with Hispanic representatives, including Manuel Mirabal, head of the National Puerto Rican Coalition, and Maria Roman, parade president. Mirabal said he was pleased with the decision and apology but that more would be expected. "We're no longer going to allow the networks to shrug off their responsibility to ensure this doesn't happen again," he said.

In a statement, NBC said that "we realize we still have further improvements to make" and will do so.

The network's action was swiftly criticized by Dick Wolf, executive producer of the long-running legal drama.

"The bedrock of American democracy is free speech and lack of censorship," Wolf said. "The network has caved in to the demands of a special interest group and I am extremely disappointed with this decision, about which I was not consulted, as I think it sets an extremely dangerous precedent."

Mirabal said the drama distorted a real occurrence on parade day last year in which groups of men sexually assaulted women in Central Park. The attacks occurred after, not during, the parade and the majority of those arrested were not Latino, Mirabal said.

"Every Puerto Rican shown in that show was portrayed negatively as a criminal, as a delinquent, as someone who abuses women," he said in a telephone interview from New York.

Such depictions reflect negatively on all Hispanics because many viewers fail to distinguish between different groups, he said.

Wolf said in its 11 years of "ripped from the headlines" stories his series has offended many ethnic and political groups.

"The show reflects real life," he said.

Shall we go through the article and find mistakes?

1st and biggest: "A Puerto Rican youth is shown convicted in the death." - The youth WAS NOT Puerto Rican!
2nd: "Every Puerto Rican shown in that show was portrayed negatively as a criminal, as a delinquent, as someone who abuses women." - The case hinged on a Puerto Rican family man who had a job and had never been in trouble with the law.
(2b.) The woman who testified that she was assalted was herself Puerto Rican. I think it's truely sad that NBC caved on this. How many episodes of L&O have been produced? How many had Puerto Ricans (or even Latinos) as the perp?
The stories are "ripped from the headlines." The riot happened. Fair game.

I like to think I'm a pretty tolerant guy, and I try to respect all cultures and their beliefs...but maybe the Latino community should be offended by the actions of their own people, and not by a television show. Dick Wolf was just turning the mirror to them, and they didn't like what they saw. That's no reason for censorship.

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