Cuba can't be seen to win... even in a comedy show
At the moment I'm reading Michael Moore's book 'Adventures in a TV Nation' - based on the TV series he made in the mid 90's called TV Nation (a joint NBC/BBC production).
One of the segements was a 'Health World Cup' type thing that pitted Canada, the US and Cuba against each other. The details are not needed, except to say that on the segement that aired, Canada was seen to be victorious.
At the end of the chapter, Moore writes the following:
"As you know, TV Nation was a nonfiction, documentary show. While we used humor and created situations to illustrate our own point of view, everything seen on the show was recorded as it actually happened.
Except here.
For teh first and only time on TV Nation, NBC censors made us change teh ending of a segment. The truth is, by applying the standards of the competition fairly to each country, Cuba won. It provided the best [health] care in the fastest time and for absolutely no fee to the patient.
The censor told us that politically there was no way we could show Cuba winning on primetime television. We were told to make Cananda the winner. We argued right up to show time that this was both dishonest and also pretty silly. Did NBC think that a new missile crisis would erupt if we showed the commies winning? Did they fear a new set of Boat People - but this time with hundreds of Americans sailing to Cuba for decent, affordable health care?
We lost, and the piece aired with Canada as the winner. It makes you wonder what else is "changed" on TV if something this insignificant cannot even make it on the air in its original form."
Interesting isn't it?
