wfn.org | Stated Clerk Seeks Stronger Television Rating System

[PCUSA.NEWS@pcusa.org]

9-June-1997 
97245 
 
       Stated Clerk Seeks Stronger Television Rating System 
 
                      by Jerry L. Van Marter 
 
LOUISVILLE, Ky.--Citing repeated General Assembly calls for a reduction in 
sex and violence on television, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) stated clerk 
the Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick has urged the Federal Communications 
Commission (FCC) to require far more detailed parental advisories on 
network television broadcasts. 
 
     In a formal comment to the FCC, which is reviewing the television 
industry's year-old "voluntary" rating system, Kirkpatrick said the 
Industry Proposal for Rating Video Programming "fails to provide adequate 
and timely information about the nature of [television programs] and 
thereby fails to assist parents in determining whether such programming 
would be harmful to their children." 
 
     He said the television industry "only agreed to develop a ratings 
system when it became clear that if it did not a ratings system would be 
developed for it," and he claimed that promised consultation with religious 
groups in the development of the ratings system "did not take place." 
Instead, he charged, "industry representatives were quoted in the press 
describing organizations critical of its system as 
 special interest groups' pursuing their own agenda." 
 
     The industry system guidelines, Kirkpatrick said, "are overly broad as 
they include violence, language and sexual content in each ratings 
category, but do not explain why a program falls within a particular 
category."   
 
     He expressed particular concern for the treatment of violence in the 
system.  Noting that "Literally, hundreds of studies have confirmed that 
repeated exposure to portrayals of violence have definite consequences," 
Kirkpatrick also said, "Guidelines which delineated between violence, 
language and sexual content would assist parents and we believe would lead 
to fewer portrayals of violence." 
 
     The television industry has ignored public opinion, Kirkpatrick said, 
"forging ahead with its rejection of any content-based ratings system 
despite surveys, polls and studies which indicate that parents 
overwhelmingly want a system which provides content description." 

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