Authorities Probing CBS's 'Kid Nation'

CBS on Tuesday defended itself against mounting criticism that the network may have violated child labor laws and placed children at risk during the production of the forthcoming reality show Kid Nation. Following a complaint by one of the 40 children who participated in the series -- in which kids create their own "society" in a town in New Mexico -- CBS sent a statement to the Los Angeles Times disputing the "course of action being taken by one parent in distorting the true picture of the Kid Nation experience." The statement insisted that CBS and the producers had instituted safety procedures "that arguably rival or surpass any school or camp in the country." The network has argued that child labor laws did not apply to the production because the children, ages 8-15, were not employees of the production company. "The cameras are following people through an experience," a CBS lawyer said, adding that the $5,000 that each of them received (plus additional amounts for competitions) was "not tied to specific output or tasks." Nevertheless, today's New York Times reported that the New Mexico attorney general's office sent a warning to producers while the show was being taped that they might be violating child-labor laws.