The UCLA Television Violence Monitoring Report found that of the 121 television series that aired during the 1994-95 season, 10 raised frequent concerns about violence, and about 14 percent of television movies raised similar concerns. However, serious concerns about violence persist in nearly half of the theatrical films shown on network television, in Saturday morning shows that depict "sinister combat violence," and in on-air promotions. The study also raised questions about the inconsistent use of parental advisories.
"We see positive signs that some important issues of television violence -- particularly in series and television movies -- are being addressed," said Jeffrey Cole, director of the UCLA Center for Communication Policy, which conducted the study. "But at the same time, important problems still remain and need to be confronted.
"Many television series consistently deal with the violence, by using violence that is always in context," said Cole. "A few series sometimes cross the line with violence that is more graphic, prolonged or intense than the story requires. Television movies generally handle violence well, but about 15 percent raised concerns because of a variety of factors, such as the lack of advisory, violent themes or inappropriately graphic scenes."
The UCLA Television Violence Monitoring Report, probably the most comprehensive and detailed examination ever conducted of violence on television, was designed to monitor the context in which televised violence occurs. The report was initiated by Sen. Paul Simon (D-Ill.), based on an agreement between the four television networks that funded the study.
The study monitored all network prime time and Saturday morning entertainment programming during the 1994-95 television season, including series, television movies, theatrical films, on-air promotions, specials and advertisements.
For comparison purposes, the study also examined violence in local and syndicated television, public television, basic and pay cable, home video and video games played on television.
"Violence can be an important part of much story telling," Cole said. "If parents could preview television for their children, they would not ban all violence. What does concern parents is programming that sends the message that violent behavior does not have consequences or goes unpunished, or images that are more graphic and disturbing than the story requires. This study identifies that programming."
There was a group of Emory faculty members who were prepared to comment on television violence in response to the study. Here is a sampling of just four of those:
An historical perspective on government regulation
According to sociologist Tim Dowd, the federal government always has been
skittish about mandating television content, but has traditionally
maintained
that the airways are owned by the public and broadcasting must serve the
public
good. "That emphasis has declined somewhat during and since the 1980s,
and
there has been a feeling that the market should determine whether the
public
good is being served," said Dowd, who is an assistant professor of
sociology.
The myth of redemptive violence
Fred Smith, assistant director of the Interfaith Health Program for
Violence
and Substance Abuse Initiatives at The Carter Center, said that
television has
been called America's new religion and that all religions have myths. "TV
has
created a myth of redemptive violence," said Smith. "Violence is seen as
the
way to achieve victory, to become the hero. It is shown as the remedy to
our
problems and as the way that boys get girls. In this way, violence
becomes a
cultural norm in our communities."
Moral question of television violence
Ethicist Nick Fotion, professor of philosophy, discussed the "greater
evil"
ethical question of television violence: "If the scientific question is
proved
that television violence causes violence in the streets, we might also
say that
is the price we pay for freedom of speech; that we are willing to lean
over
backwards, rather than bring about the greater evil of censorship."
Changing TV violence means not scapegoating the scapegoaters
People like to pick on television as a purveyor of social ills for the
same
reason that television sometimes portrays certain groups as "the violent
ones:"
Scapegoats unite people against a common enemy and make them feel better.
Theophus Smith, associate professor of religion, said television is no
better
or worse than many other cultural institutions that promote scapegoating;
it's
just more visible. "Unfortunately, there's a tendency to scapegoat the
scapegoaters by targeting media producers as especially evil or lacking
in
morality," said Smith.
-- Jan Gleason