wfn.org | TV Ratings a Form of Censorship

[owner-umethnews@ecunet.org]

"UNITED METHODIST DAILY NEWS" by SUSAN PEEK on Aug. 11, 1991 at 13:58 Eastern,
about FULL TEXT RELEASES FROM UNITED METHODIST NEWS SERVICE (3379 notes).

Note 3379 by UMNS on Jan. 17, 1997 at 16:06 Eastern (2233 characters).

SEARCH: television, censorship, v-chip, United Methodist, first
amendment, rating
Produced by United Methodist News Service, official news agency of
the United Methodist Church, with offices in Nashville, Tenn., New
York, and Washington.

CONTACT:  Linda Bloom                             25(10-71B){3379}
          New York (212) 870-3803                    Jan. 17, 1997

TV ratings system is form
of censorship, Gutman says

     NEW YORK (UMNS) -- Establishing a ratings system for
television programs is in itself a form of censorship, according
to the co-chairman of the National Coalition Against Censorship.
     "It's really government-imposed, in violation of the
Constitution," said Jeremiah Gutman, a New York attorney, during
the Jan. 16 Religious Public Relations Council meeting here.
     United Methodist Communications is among the participating
organizations in the National Coalition Against Censorship.
     Instituted in January, the ratings range from TV-Y --
appropriate for all children to TV-M -- for mature audiences only
and may be unsuitable for children under 17. The rating labels
appear on the screen when a program begins.
     Gutman, who characterized himself to as close to "a First
Amendment absolutist" as possible, said he believes that judgments
about whether a television program or movie is appropriate viewing
should be made by individuals, not an appointed group.
     Equipping television sets with a "v-chip" to allow parents to
block out violent content also is problematic, in his opinion. For
example, should only fictional violence be censored or real
violence shown on news programs as well? "I find the difficulty
insurmountable," he said.
     Parents monitoring the television viewing of their children
should not abdicate their responsibility "to either government or
industry censors," Gutman argued.
     The Rev. Thom White Wolf Fassett, general secretary of the
United Methodist Board of Church and Society, has criticized the
television industry's new rating system because of its lack of
specificity. His concern is that parents do not have sufficient
guidance in determining program content.
                              #  #  #

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

 To make suggestions or give your comments, send a note to 
 umns@ecunet.org or Susan_Peek@ecunet.org

 To unsubscribe, send the single word "unsubscribe" (no quotes)
 in a mail message to umethnews-request@ecunet.org

-----------------------------------------------------------------------