On August 8, William Donohue wrote to President Clinton asking him to respond to “Nothing Sacred.” On August 15, the President wrote to Donohue stating that “I share your concern regarding negative or irresponsible television portrayals that send our children the wrong message.” He went on to say that “I assure you that my Administration remains committed to encouraging quality programming that both educates and entertains viewers.”
The league appreciates President Clinton’s letter. However, the league’s complaint about “Nothing Sacred” had nothing to do with protecting children from an irresponsible show. Instead, the league objected to “the exploitative and highly politicized depiction of Catholic priests in ‘Nothing Sacred.’” The league also wants “quality programming that both educates and entertains viewers,” but it also wants programming that doesn’t educate viewers to look askance at Catholicism.
