United States: The Parents' Television Council is a US-based conservative group which seeks to clean up television - a bit like MediaWatch (neé the National Viewers and Listeners Association, i.e. Mary Whitehouse's mob).

A couple of years back, they turned their sights on professional wrestling and claimed that children were killing other children because they imitated the moves they saw on the telly. In particular, they claimed that the well-publicised murder of Tiffany Eunick by Lionel Tate was influenced by his seeing professional wrestling. WWE Entertainment and an organisation called Wrestling Fans Against Censorship sued. A few days ago, the PTC issued a humiliating retraction.

we were told by a source that Lionel Tate was watching a WWE program when he assaulted Tiffany Eunick. In fact, Lionel Tate was watching the "Flintstones" and a cartoon entitled "Cow and Chicken." We were also told, by a source, that Lionel Tate killed Tiffany Eunick while executing a wrestling move unique to a WWE character called the Stone Cold Stunner.

We have since learned that this was not true, nor was there any evidence that it was true. It is now well documented that after the Tate trial concluded, the presiding Judge said it was inconceivable that Tiffany Eunick's injuries were caused by Lionel Tate mimicking wrestling moves.

Indeed, since the trial ended, Lionel Tate's new lawyers have filed court papers in which they admit that the wrestling defense was, in their words, bogus.

Given these facts, WWE was within its rights to be angry at the MRC, PTC, their spokespersons and I for contacting WWE's advertisers to go beyond complaining about WWE content but passing along accusations which we now know were false. Because I feel a simple retraction is not sufficient, I have personally extended my apology to Vince McMahon and the WWE on behalf of MRC, PTC, Dr. Tucker, Mr. Honig and me.

Bozell, PTC apologizes to WWE - The Miami Herald, 4th July 2002 (via Boing Boing).