Mayhem; Violence as Public Entertainment p.102

Addison-Wesley
1 Jacob Way
Reading, MA 01867.
THE MEDIA MAY have a greater role in fostering violence in society than they think, a Harvard researcher believes.
Most would concede that covering violence is a part of the media's responsibility of letting readers know what is happening in the world. But is greed a factor as media look another way when oversized ads hyping the latest violent movie is offered?
Bok suggests that the same philosophy permeating tobacco promotion is also reflected in media movie ads. She argues for "a more careful examination of possible links between revenues from advertisements for violent films and television programs."
She asks: "How influential are tie-ins between newspaper chains, magazines, and TV stations? What pressures arise, for magazines and newspapers, from the fact that advertisements of violent films and TV programs are sources of their daily revenue? To what degree is such advertising immune to criticism, in the same way that revenues from tobacco advertising long hindered reports on the effects of smoking?"
She believes appealing to the First Amendment as a means of instilling fear of censorship, which thus encourages inaction, is misleading. "The First Amendment concerns restriction of speech by government, not by citizens," she says.
"Framing the debate about responses to media violence as solely about censorship is not only inaccurate but damaging to the very values the First Amendment seeks to protect."
She calls for a broader debate on violence in media and mobilizing diverse groups around a common cause. She cites other governments' roles in sponsoring studies, education programs and encouraging volunteer efforts to curb the tidal wave of violence in the media that is sweeping over young people.
She acknowledges the entertainment value of violence, from the early gladiator bouts to modern action movies. But she would like to see ad campaigns develop promoting higher values.
Bok, who has taught philosophy at Brandeis University, is a fellow at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies.
•(Editor & Publisher Web Site: http://www.mediainfo.com) [Caption]
•(copyright: Editor & Publisher June 20, 1998) [Caption]