When Is It OK to Swear on the Air?

I am not a patron of the Fox News channel, but I do enjoy a 5-minute session replaying their on-air bloopers. As I floundered around YouTube, I came accross yet another episode of questionable journalism. News anchor Ernie Anastos boasted a little too much well-wished enthusiam onto a colleague during a news segment this past Thursday. In the last week, we have also ripped a celebrity apart for stealing another's thunder, wondered if the President's reaction to said event was acceptable, discussed whether it was OK to fist-bump the Dalai Lama, and implored the media gods to just let Anna Nicole rest in peace. But when it comes to the use of profanity in (especially, televised) journalism, are we too quick to judge?

In a nation that censors audio and visual material to children and teens, it is no wonder that audiences become enraged when a reporter lets one slip on a family-oriented network. However, this is also the same society that has no short supply of diarrhea-mouthed teenagers, and adult role models to match. In a world caught between both tangents, when is it acceptable to swear on the air? When is an intended gesture of support a slip-up, when does a remark taken out of context become grounds for a full-on brawl?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ss8LDBNcsWc