VIOLENCE ON TELEVISION.   Term Paper ID:25832 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Examines theories & debate over effects of televised violence, ratings system, impact on children, First Amendment, possible solutions.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Examines theories & debate over effects of televised violence, ratings system, impact on children, First Amendment, possible solutions. Paper Introduction: Arguments over the effects of the movies and television have been around as long as these two modes of expression. Because they are visual, they are treated somewhat differently than the written word. Because television comes into the home, it is treated somewhat differently from any other medium, including radio which, while it comes into the home, does not bring pictures with it. Television knows the power of the image, and critics of television are aware that the image can be a negative force as well as a positive one. Precisely how to gauge this and to ascertain when the image is too negative is at the center of the issue at hand. The issue of violence on television has been raised in the past and is once more being given considerable attention in the media, by congress, and in the public at large. At the same time, the scope of complaint this time is directed Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. It may be that some people concerned about thegrowing violence in society are seeking a reason, or perhaps a scapegoat,to explain this development. Congress had debated the issue over the summer and hadconsidered technological solutions to the problem of televised sex andviolence. Care must be taken in addressing the issue todaygiven the amount of concern expressed, the draconian measures that might bedeveloped if the problem continues, and the reaction of the public whateverthe network decides to do. An attempt to answer some of these has been made invarious studies, the most prominent of the recent examples being the reportby the UCLA Center for Communication Policy. First, the report was generated in responseto concerns on the part of lawmakers and the public and so suggests thenature of those concerns and the degree to which these concerns will affectnetwork operations into the near future. Tice (1996) refers to the article by Levin and Carlsson-Paige (1996)and also calls for teachers to deal with these issues in the classroom: Somehow such influences on the lives of children, highly important to many of them, have to be constructively dealt with in classrooms, for it can be doubted that much is being done about them in all but a few homes (Tice, 1996, 37).This is a responsible approach and a far cry from demands that televisionviolence be controlled by the government. "TV violence." CQ Researcher, 267-274. Nearly half the respondents blamed TV audiences for the violence because they create the demand. Indeed, the authors of the reportpoint out that everyone has an opinion about television violence preciselybecause television is so accessible and important in people's lives (1).Second, the report notes that the issue has been raised in the public forumand that in the year since nothing had occurred to diminish the importanceof the issue. This report should be closelyexamined for several reasons. Because they are visual,they are treated somewhat differently than the written word. Levin, D.E. Television did not create this point of view--it only reflects it. They see that at the same time that oursociety has become more violent, filmmakers and television producers havebeen pushing the limits of what they can depict and so may have createdmore violent images than were allowed in the past. Theyseem to believe that if television violence were curtailed, violence in thereal world would disappear. The issueof violence on television has been raised in the past and is once morebeing given considerable attention in the media, by congress, and in thepublic at large. National polls clearly demonstrate that this is an issue about which people have strong opinions regarding what should be done (Cole, 1995, 1). America developed as a frontiersociety and never lost that sense of fighting as a way of solving problems. Television knows the power of the image, andcritics of television are aware that the image can be a negative force aswell as a positive one. (1993, March 26). Thisdoes not solve the problem of who does the coding and what criteria theyuse. Cole, J. Arguments over the effects of the movies and television have beenaround as long as these two modes of expression. Precisely how to gauge this and to ascertain whenthe image is too negative is at the center of the issue at hand. Viewers learned from television that conflicts are best resolved through use of violence. crime rates are increasing most rapidly among youth who were in their formative early years when children's TV was deregulated and violent programs and toys successfully deluged childhood culture (Levin and Carlsson-Paige, 1996, 17).Of course, it is a stretch to blame television in this fashion for anincrease in crime rates which could have multiple causes, and it isespecially difficult to prove that linking violent programs with toys isthe reason for this increase. TheUCLA Report assumes much the same thing with certain reservations: The accumulated scientific evidence is compelling, but the complex relationship between violence on television and violence in the real world must not be oversimplified. There remain a numberof unanswered questions as to the relationship between violence on screenand real violence: 1) What is the relationship between violence on screenand violence in the streets?; 2) What is the best way to limit or filteron-screen violence, assuming that should be done at all?; 3) How muchviolence is there in the media?; 4) How much is too much?; 5) Which acts ofviolence can be considered 'gratuitous" and which are essential andappropriate to the telling of a story or to news reporting?; 6) How do weknow?; 7) What is a violent act?; 8) Who decides?; 9) What evidence isthere to the negative effects of watching violence? It is not clear whether this isbecause the public doubts that violence is that damaging or because thepublic fears government intervention even more. President Clinton had identified media violence as a causeof concern, and Senator Robert Dole had attacked Hollywood as a source ofdamaging messages. "Disempowering the'Power Rangers.'" Education Digest, 17-21. The public is accepting of a ratings systembut not of government intervention. This is an important point because in fact when people discusstelevision violence and its supposed link to violence in the real world,they generally do assume that television alone is a sufficient cause. While these questions frame the issue, they are questions that havenot been answered. "Research spotlight." EducationDigest, 36-39.----------------------- 1 . References Clark, C.S. Overall, they concluded that violence was shown as a useful means of resolving problems and achieving goals. While the use of such a system might be challenged in court on FirstAmendment grounds--and probably will be by someone who is not happy withhow their show is rated in the future--and while such a challenge mightsucceed depending on the circumstances, the public mood is such that thenetwork joining such a suit could lose in the court of public opinion evenif it won in the legal system. A proposal that is about to goforward is the inclusion in television sets of the so-called V-chip, acomputer chip that will block out programming coded for violence. The Report by the UCLA Center synthesizes the issues as follows: Media violence is a subject of passionate concern to many parents, Congress and the television industry itself. One of the driving forces behind the current concerns over televisedviolence is the fact that the public perceives American society as itselfbecoming more violent. Tice, T.N. While it may be true that the greatestoffenders are the local news programs, we have to recognize that viewers donot always make a distinction between what is of local origination and whatis from the ABC network. There was a notable absence of alternative means of conflict resolution, such as debate, cooperation and compromise (Cole, 1995, 5).Gerbner came to the same conclusions when he conducted another study forthe Surgeon General's Report in 1969. At the same time, the scope of complaint this time isdirected not just at violent entertainment shows but also at the way thenetwork presents the news. We also have to realize thatsome of the violence in American society is a consequence of the structureand nature of American society itself. There is no doubt that broadcasters are beingblamed by many for a wide variety of ills over which they have no controland for which they are not responsible, and one of the effects of theseills is an increase in societal violence. The link does show the concerns raised andhow some people are viewing the issue. Scientific evidence strongly suggests that there is a link between violence on television and that in the real world. When the impact of television is discussed or when television is blamed for having caused something to happen, it should never be suggested that television alone is a sufficient cause (Cole, 1995, 1 ). Becausetelevision comes into the home, it is treated somewhat differently from anyother medium, including radio which, while it comes into the home, does notbring pictures with it. As governmental leaders consider whether toregulate violence on television, the people have to ask themselves whetherthey want such regulation or whether it would go against some of their mostcherished beliefs and freedoms. At the same time, studies show that the public is ambivalent abouttelevision violence. . But that hasn't prevented huge disagreements over what constitutes censorship and the degree to which the television industry should be free to determine its own treatment of violence (Clark, 1993, 273).The National Coalition on Television Violence has called for passage of anine-point program for federal regulation of violence on television, and itincludes the following: --a television rating system --warning labels before programs telling viewers of violent content --each broadcast or cable channel to have a staff psychiatrist orresearcher --public service announcements to be produced and broadcast about theeffects of television violence --a ban on violent programming in government institutions such ashospitals and jails --tax breaks for television networks, cable channels, and productioncompanies that spend money for research on violence --a public health campaign in schools to teach about violence (Clark,1993, 273-274). But 71 percent favored a violence rating (Clark, 1993, 274). The UCLA television violence monitoring report.Los Angeles: UCLA Center for Communication Policy. When we consider violence in broader terms and not merely in terms ofits effect on children, the issues become more problematic. However, while researchers have wanted to show a causal connectionbetween televised violence and aggressive behavior, some doubt that such alink can be shown given the mixture of variables involved in that sort ofstudy and in the real world. (1995). Those seeking government intervention cite a number of reports andstudies showing the harmful effects of television violence. Protecting the rights of adults is not without controversy,either: All the players in the violence debate profess respect for First Amendment rights to free speech. (1996, February). Levin and Carlsson-Paige (1996) find that the deregulation ofchildren's television produced more marketed violence on the screen, andthey cite the program The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers as an example,though other shows are involved as well: As soon as children's broadcasting was deregulated in 1984-- letting manufacturers make TV shows to sell program-linked toys--teachers began noting increased violence among children in their classrooms. . and N. One studygiven particular attention is that of Professor George Gerbner of theAnnenberg School for Communications at the University of Pennsylvania: From Gerbner's content analysis, the media task force established what it saw as the basic messages or norms in regard to violence that were portrayed on broadcast television. The FirstAmendment affords protections to broadcasters as it does to publishers inother media. Yet we have to admit that the public at largebelieves there is such a link, whether it can be demonstrated or not. . Today, U.S. Levin and Carlsson-Paige (1996)as well are not calling for government control of violence as such but areasking that the government reconsider its position with reference toderegulation of children's programming and to change the law back to whereit was when sponsors could not link their product directly with a program(Levin and Carlsson-Paige, 1996, 21). While many are concerned that it is increasingviolence in society at large, this does not translate into a desire forgovernment control: A solid majority of the public, according to a 1989 Los Angeles Times poll, opposes a government crackdown on TV violence. Carlsson-Paige (1996, May). Television has long resisted any ratings system because we would befaced with the problem of who does the rating, and while a ratings systemfor the movies has been effective, the number of movies to be rated eachyear is miniscule when compared with the number of television showspresented over the same period of time. The degree and nature of that link is not so clear. Concerns about television violence have the most power when referringto the effects this violence may have on children, and this can beespecially important given the amount of violence found on children'sprograms. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.