Violence may join the ranks of sex on Congress' indecency radar, as the New York Times is reporting that broadcasters are facing a renewed battle over regulating televised violence.
"With a fresh Congress sworn in and a major federal report expected soon on TV gore," wrote Times staff writer, Jim Puzzanghera, in his Monday report, "pressure is likely to mount to more aggressively stem graphic and gratuitous scenes in shows. One proposal would give regulators powers similar to those they have now to punish indecency and coarse language over the airwaves."
"It's such an easy thing to do, curse Hollywood, curse television," Jack Valenti told the Times. The former movie studio lobbyist is spearheading an industry initiative to teach parents how to block TV programs they might find objectionable, and subsequently, head off government action. "It makes headlines…. It looks like they're doing something and they get political brownie points for it."
"The only way you can deal with it is to have parents do it in the home," Valenti said. "You can't do it by legislative fiat and you can't do it by regulation, because what is too much violence?"
The Federal Communications Commission is expected to release its study on TV violence shortly.
According to Puzzanghera's report, attempts by several U.S. states to ban the sale of violent video games to children have fallen short due to constitutional violations.
