What’s Really Obscene?

In the US, the federal government imposes larger fines against broadcasters for televising offensive material than it does against employers found guilty of willful actions that cause workers' deaths.

$3,500,000

Total fines imposed by the Federal Communications Commission against VIACOM and affiliated stations who broadcast Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" during the halftime performance at Super Bowl XXXVIII.

$32,158

Average fine imposed by the U.S. Department of Labor in 2006 against individual employers for willful violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act causing injury or death. The maximum allowable fine is $70,000 but the amount is typically lowered. More than 5,734 workers were killed on the job in 2005, the most recent year data is available.