Censoring South Park on Comedy Central

The Volokh Conspiracy:

Did Comedy Central Censor South Park?

Did Comedy Central censor tonight's episode of South Park? The answer would appear to be YES.

In Wednesday's episode, part II of "Cartoon Wars," Kyle (one of the boys of South Park) persuades the President of Fox TV to run a Family Guy episode with a short scene including Mohammed. Kyle lectures the head of FOX about the importance of free speech:

"You can't do what he wants just because he's the one threatening you with violence. . . .

Yes, people can get hurt. That's how terrorism works. But if you give in to that, Doug, you're allowing terrorism to work. . . .

Do the right thing, Mr. President. . . .

If you don't show Mohammed, then you've made a distinction between what is OK to make fun of and what isn't. Either it's all OK or none of it is. Do the right thing."

At the point in the South Park episode where Mohammed is about to be shown handing a football helmet (with a salmon on top of it) to the Family Guy, the screen shows these words:

"In this shot, Mohammed hands a football helmet to Family Guy."

The next screen shows these words:

"Comedy Central has refused to broadcast an image of Mohammed on their network."

...

There is more.

Captain's Quarters gives the show a rave review:

The final episode of the Cartoon Wars satire aired tonight, and it started off by faking the audience briefly into thinking that Matt Stone and Trey Parker had satirized Comedy Channel by announcing that Part II had been pre-empted by a Terrence & Phillip episode. When the flatulent duo encountered a censored Mohammed on horseback, we knew that the game was most certainly on.

This was a worthy follow-up to last week's hilarious and provocative episode. South Park brought in Bart Simpson as a foil for both Kyle and Cartman and continued using George Bush to score points on the media. Check out the show's dead-on rendition of a White House press conference, complete with the gaggle accusing Bush of sneaking a previously unknown right to free speech on them.

Does Cartman succeed in stopping Family Guy from airing its Mohammed episode? You can bet that in the end, Kyle will argue for freedom and common sense, but the results will surprise you. And wait until you see what Osama and Ayman have in mind for retaliation against the US if Fox actually airs the image of Mohammed.

...

Joe's Dartblog and Ann Althouse also comment.

Update: The Fire says South Park mirrors life. I am not sure, about the black out screen. If Comedy Central really was responsible for blanking Mo, it does not making them look very smart.

Update II: Stephen Spruiel confirms that the network was responsible for the black screen. Michelle Malkin is told that the missing scene is available on some sites. And the AP reports that the South Park creaters skewer their own network. It is a pretty compleat story.

Update III: Gateway Pundit reacts to the comedy Central wuss out.