The Federal Communications Commission and the motion-picture rating board are among the 2005 winners of the Jefferson Muzzle awards, given for perceived squelching of free expression.
The FCC was recognized for ``substantially escalating sanctions for broadcasting 'indecent' material over radio and television airwaves but doing little to define such material,'' according to the Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression.
Other ``muzzles'' announced Tuesday in the 14th annual awards include the Democratic and Republican national parties for allowing authorities to curb protests during the 2004 presidential race; the Virginia House of Delegates for passing a bill criminalizing low-riding pants; and the U.S. Marshals Service for confiscating and erasing journalists' audio recordings of a speech by Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
Each year, the awards mark the April 13 birthday of Thomas Jefferson, the nation's third president and First Amendment advocate.
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