POLITICAL ISSUE # 508: EXCESSIVE TV VIOLENCE

PRESENT CONDITION: Many Americans find the content of Television programs either offensive for themsleves or inappropriate for their children.

DIRECTION OF IMPROVEMENT: The public should be provided with more capability to preview the contents of television programs and then control which programs have access to their homes.

ISSUE JUSTIFICATION: Television has become the primary information medium of modern society. Many children spend more time watching TV than they do attending school. Unfortunately viewers are not adequately preinformed on the level of violence and other anti-social content in TV programs. The right of free speech is also the right not to listen. Citizens have a right to know what information they or their children will be presented on TV so that they can make an informed decision on whether or not to let such information into their homes.

AUTHOR: UWSA SANTA CLARA CO EMAIL: humphrey@aimnet.com

OPTIONS FOR ISSUE # 508: EXCESSIVE TV VIOLENCE

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BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Each televison show shall be previewed and rated on a scale from 1-10 in terms of a) violence b) nudity or sexual content c) offensive language (e.g. profanity or blasphemy). These ratings (e.g. V4, N6, L3) would be published in the TV schedule, shown in bold letters for 15 seconds before each show and electronically encoded in the signal. Viewers could purchase an electronic box that could read the signals and display them via a hand remote signal on the viewers command. The box could also be programmed to block signals above parent's preset limits to block programs so that they could not be watched by their children.

JUSTIFICATION: Freedom of speech is also the freedom not to listen. This second freedom requires knowledge of what is going be presented so the viewer can make decisions both for themselves and for their children. Just like the movies ratings, this more expanded rating system (which could also be used by movies) gives the public a clear picture of the content of the material they are choosing to watch.

AUTHOR: UWSA SANTA CLARA CO EMAIL: humphrey@aimnet.com

OPTIONS FOR SOLUTION # 508.1 REQUIRED PREVIEW RATINGS

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