communication ethics - media violence
TRANSCRIPT
Who is responsible for protecting children from harm?
Santambrogio RiccardoNeupane Mukunda
Tomassetti Giovanni Eugenio
Introduction “Visual portrayals of acts of physical aggression by one human or human-like
character against another”
Sources of violent exposition
Watching Television
Streaming Content Online
Watching DVD or DVRs
Children spend 22% of time watching television
Children’s television
•If it bleeds, it leads
•Half of topic covered by news magazine are about crime
Television news
•60% of programs include one act of violence
•Only physical violence taken in account
•Different from violence of other programs because humorous and unrealistic
National Television Violence Study
(1997) •24 Disney movies from 1937 to 2000
•464 violent elements with 564 weapons
Aust and Everhart
(2007)
•Verbal and physical aggression
•Verbal aggression is the prevalent (95%)
•Physical aggression 13 acts per hour with 71% of shows
Glascock
(2008)
Fictional violence exposure (68)
Negative effects
Behavioral effects
Imitation
Behavioral modeling
Aggressive actions
Script
After exposure to violence
How children decide to behave in certain situations
Effect still negative even though the
content is
Humorous
Unrealistic
Sanitized
Desensitization
Emotional reaction
Physiological reaction
Slow reaction to real violence
Symptoms
Sleeping
Crying
Shaking
Obsessive thinking
Violence in the news exposure( 69-70)
Research focus on fear reaction of children to Major crises
Wars
Terrorist attacks
Catastrophes
Everyday violence (50 % of the news)
Results shows that children show short and long-term symptoms like: Sadness
Fear
Anxiety-related behaviors
Post-traumatic stress disorder…
Responsible parties to prevent harm(70-71)
Harm is an act or state that "sets back" the interest of someone else E.g. Childrens’ disturbed in sleep, imitate a violent action etc.
Cognitive and emotional outcomes still can constitute harm
Media Industry
The Responsibilities of parents (71-74)
Restrictive mediation strategies Active Mediation strategies
Dictating the type of televison content
Limited time with television
But Forbidden fruit effect
Accidental exposure
Parents own viewing behavior
Parents’belief as news being educational
Parents co-view and explain their child
Mixed results but more positive outcomes
Parent’ s comment may multiplynegative effects
What parents say to children matters
What parents think might help theircildren may actually make the situation worse
Suggestions for parents (74-75)
Education and more edcation Rely on research rather than intuition
Homework Ethical responsibility to educate themselves on mass media Parenting books
Child`s pediatrician Discussion of media usage on yearly visits Appropriate practices and preocedures
Awareness What children are watching Media use should take place in open spaces Vigiliant in terms of monitoring children`s media use Model good media use habits for children
In addition, parents should inspire kids to:• Watch recreational channels like Discovery• Do sports and enjoy nature• Read books
Media Industry (74-76)
• Greatest partner of parents ( No legal obligation)
• Children’s lack cognitive and emotional skills needed to prevent negative media effects
• V-Chip technology= ratings (”V &FV”) based on content and age appropriateness ( Information to parents)
• Disclaimer= ”Extra Violent”
• Under-rated because there is no advisory board
• Parents are unaware or cannot interpret ratings
Ethical and Moral Responsibility
Why Media Industry? Whats being done currently? Problems?
Suggestions for the Media Industry (76-77)
Producers of Fictional television programing
• Mimic the movie rating system ( rating in ads)
• Black screen warning (e.g. ”The walking dead”)
Jouranalists
• ”Violence free” blocks of television time
• Provide ratinfs like fictional programs
Media scholars
Scholars have produced loads of researches over the last decades but they have failed in sharing their findings
Usually these researches are published only on academic journals and presented at academic conferences. They are unavailable for most of the people.
Suggestions for media scholars• Need of new mediation strategies• Collaboration between scholars and media industry• Take into consideration that families are different, and different are the strategies
they adopt• Focus more on the economic disadvantages related to violence-affected TV
programs
Scholars must make their findings accessible to the people.
• Write more books targeted to general public• Establish continuous conversation with the medical community (pediatricians in
particular)
Dexter – TV series STORYDexter is an American television drama series. The seriescenters on Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), a bloodspatter pattern analyst for Miami Metro PoliceDepartment who also leads a secret life as a serial killer,hunting down criminals who have slipped through thecracks of the justice system.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dexter_(TV_series)#Critical_reception
TIMOTHY F. WINTER
The TV series should not be broadcasted because"The biggest problem with the series is somethingthat no amount of editing can get around: theseries compels viewers to empathies with a serialkiller, to root for him to prevail, to hope he doesn'tget discovered.“
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/dexter-the-serial-killer-loses-his-mojo-1217792.html
CONCLUSION
• Gratuit violence, justified and awarded
• Repeated violent events depicted in details
• Identification in the principal actor
• Broadcasted in protected hours
• Easily reachable for children
Example
Steven Miles
16 years old
Oxted, Surrey
Fanatic for horror films and the macabre
Diagnosed as having an autistic syndrome
Elizabeth Thomas
17 years old
Oxted, Surrey
A-level student
Steven Miles girlfriend
Event
Steve Miles throttle his girlfriend and dismembered her putting all the pieces of his body in plastic bags.
He said at the questioning he had an alter-ego called Ed who said him to kill her
Psychiatrists: Not understand the “phenomenon” but the
defendant was not psychotic. He tried to emulate his “idol” Dexter doing what he
saw severe times in the TV show
Charged with 25 years of prison
Lewis Power QC:“The case is a sad testament to the perils of how young people can become entrenched in modern TV blockbusters involving violence which shockingly led to a copycat killing in real life”
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/oct/02/teenager-steven-miles-murdered-girlfriend
What could have possibly prevented? Did parents know how he was being influenced by the serie?
Had it not seen it?
Had it been co-viewed and explained better?
Had his behavior been monitored constantly?
Had it been presented diffrently, or presented not at all?
Had his paediatrician understood his behavior?
Did he have any external influence?
Critiques The case does not look at the bright side of media “valuable skills “
Schools could play a role as well- Media literacy curriculum
Children's reach to mobile phones and social network
Friends- feeding details about violent or inappropriate material he’s seen, or perhaps heard about from someone else
Consulting other parents
……….
Case conclusions
Imitation Solution
Parents
Active mediation
Restrictive
Media
LimitationsBroadcasting
rules
AvailabilityHours of broadcast
Scholars
Make Fox aware of the
danger
New mediation strategies
Possible solutions for the industry
Warning for the parents
Voluntary
References Dexter’s plot:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dexter_(TV_series)#Critical_reception
Parents Television Council president assessment, http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/dexter-the-serial-killer-loses-his-mojo-1217792.html
Crime news: http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/oct/02/teenager-steven-miles-
murdered-girlfriend
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-29459516
Riddle k., The Case of Media Violence: Who is Responsible for Protecting Children from Harm?, pp. 65- 84