American public affairs network C-SPAN is considering placing a five-second delay on call-in programmes, according to the New York Times.

As the debate over profanity on American airwaves continues, it seems that even C-SPAN, which generally features coverage of events in the governmental bodies of the US, Britain and other countries, is not immune.

Apparently a growing proportion of callers to C-SPAN's call-in segments, in which hot-button issues are scrutinised, are using strong language to express themselves.

C-SPAN was created in 1979 by the US cable industry as a public service. Its mission is to "provide public access to the political process."