Major media companies, facing criticism about the level of violence in their content, are initiating a campaign intended to make parents more aware about ways to limit exposure to violent entertainment.
Representatives for the companies said in a joint news release on Wednesday that they are planning to “roll out a national multimedia campaign†for parents. The effort comes amid renewed scrutiny of film and television violence in the wake of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in December.
Some lawmakers and pro-gun activists have pointed fingers of blame at shows, films and video games. Even President Obama, in a speech last month proposing new gun control measures, referred to the need to rethink the way violence is often glorified in entertainment offerings.
At least one activist who was scheduled to testify at a hearing about a proposed assault weapons ban on Wednesday said she was going to encourage “a true discussion about the culture of violence†rather than a ban on certain weapons.
The speaker, a former Republican member of Congress, Sandy Adams, said in her prepared remarks that the combination of violent video games, violent movies and “the desensitizing of death, blood and gore intheir everyday lives is only making the culture more violent.â€
The new campaign by the television and film industries and their lobbyists might be seen as a rebuttal to that point of view.
In the news release on Wednesday, representatives for the industries said they would “make a positive contribution to the national conversation on violent behavior by launching a national educational campaign through communications channels including television public
service announcements, educational and informational websites, in-theater advertising, and other media.â€
The industry representa! tives include the lobbying groups for filmmakers, theater owners, broadcasters, and cable operators. They said the public service ads would appear on television and on the Web in the months to come. The ads will remind parents about the existing television and film ratings systems and the parental controls that are built into most television sets. Ads about the film ratings system will also be shown in movie theaters.
The industry representatives will also promote Web sites about parental controls, including TV Boss, which includes information about how to “block unwanted programs†and “be the boss of what your child watches.â€
Since the shootings in Newtown, the industry’s main message in response to criticism has been that parents have a wide array of media choices at their disposal and have the ability to control the choices their children have.
Separately, makers of violent video games have been conveying similar messages while steeling for a political battle over potential reulation, as The New York Times reported last month.
