The FCC's open-ended recommendation to Congress that it go ahead and write up some laws concerning broadcast violence did not go unnoticed among the megaphone holders. For starters, both the NAB and NCTA would prefer that parental controls be given a chance to work. Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson, who doubles as President of the National League of Cities (NLC) praised the effort, but at least called for his municipal colleagues to take on the issue themselves rather than wait for Washington to get around to doing anything. Cheryl A. Leanza of the United Church of Christ endorsed the FCC's effort, saying parents face the choice of exposing their children to harmful material or withdrawing them from the culture entirely. Jim Dyke of industry-sponsored watchdog TV Watch countered that most parents want to control content in their own home, not cede the task to the government, and that V-Chips and blocking technologies are widely available to enable parents. Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office made no bones about it, saying the government should stay out of our living rooms, and labeling the current attempt "political pandering."
RBR observation:
Apparently the Founding Fathers somehow telegraphed that speech regulation powers are right there in the Constitution, if only you have the will and ability to find them between the lines, or somewhere. Evidently, the actual text seen by those so gifted is something along these lines: "First Amendment excerpt, 2007 edition: Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech, unless urged to do so by a group of five unelected self-appointed national nannies installed in a federal bureaucracy that doesn't even exist yet, and that includes the power to eliminate all the times Daffy Duck's bill gets shot to the back of his head by Elmer Fudd, so there."
Watchdog statements
* Bart Peterson, Mayor of Indianapolis/President of the National League of Cities (NLC): I am deeply troubled by the culture of violence that pervades all forms of media readily available to youth...The FCC report addresses several issues that deserve careful consideration as we move this critical debate forward, but there is one overriding theme made clear in the report: More must be done to protect our children from the harmful effects of media violence. We don't have to wait for congressional action or more regulation, however, to make a difference in protecting our kids. Mayors, neighborhood leaders, teachers and others can start now and bring this important topic front and center in their own communities. For the health of our communities and the safety of our children, we as parents and community leaders must act now.
* Cheryl A. Leanza, managing director of the Office of Communication of the United Church of Christ Inc.: I am gratified that federal policy-makers are taking seriously the impact of violent television on children. I am particularly pleased that the Commission has recognized the limitations of current technological efforts to aid parents. It is of concern to me that the industry response to parental concerns is almost always to place the full burden on parents. These industry members essentially offer parents a Hobson's choice: either expose your children to content that you find unacceptable, or withdraw your children from popular culture. Unfortunately, in the face of a Herculean task of holding back the tidal wave of commercialism, inappropriate sexual content, and violence on television today, many parents feel compelled to cut themselves and their children off from mainstream society. This serves no one.
* Jim Dyke, TV Watch Executive Director: Government officials should spend more time helping parents understand the information available to make smart decisions and the technology available to enforce those decisions, rather than trying to decide what we all can or cannot watch on our own TV sets. Across the board, regardless of age, race, income, education, location, or political philosophy, the majority of Americans believe PARENTS, not the government, should make the decisions about what their families watch.
* Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office: The FCC's recommendations are political pandering. The government should not replace parents as decision makers in America's living rooms. There are some things the government does well, but deciding what is aired and when on television is not one of them. Parents already have many tools to protect their children, including blocking programs and channels, changing the channel, or turning off the television. Government should not parent the parents. How is it possible to quantify violence on television? The FCC has yet to define what "violence" means for the purposes of regulation, and how much is too much. Monitoring what your children watch on television is a parent's responsibility - not Uncle Sam's.
