Increasingly, electronic media--including television, music video, videotape, film, radio, compact disk, and hypertext for personal computers--have become primary sources of information and recreation, as well as emotional and artistic experiences for everyone.
 “Censorship refers to supervision and control of the information and ideas that are circulated among the people within a society.” In present day times, censorship refers to the assessment of books, periodicals, plays, films, television and radio programs, news reports, and other communication media for the purpose of changing or hold back parts thought to be offensive or unpleasant. The objectionable material may be considered immoral or obscene, unorthodox or blasphemous, seditious or subversive, or injurious to the national security. Thus, the rationale for censorship is that it is necessary for the protection of our society.

For the television and radio industries the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has generally propagated fuzzy rules about program content containing an indirect threat that a license can be cancelled for repeated poor judgment involving program content. In 1987, however, the FCC reacted to public complaints by assuming various measures to restrict the use of explicit language about sex and bodily functions from the broadcasting media. Station operators voluntarily adhere to another code, designed by the National Association of Broadcasters. The major networks also have their own self-regulating system. The Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), for example, has a staff of people who assess scripts and monitor everything that is aired on CBS-TV, including commercials. The Network is responsible for everything that is aired by them. 

Next week, America will observe the first year anniversary of the Columbine Tragedy. Have we stopped just for a moment and wondered why this tragedy happened in the first place? Many would agree that violence on television and other forms of media may have been responsible for this disaster.

Television can be a powerful influence in developing value systems and shaping behavior. Unfortunately, much of today's television programming is violent. We see it everyday around us this kind of vulgarity on the television.         
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry American children watch an average of three to fours hours of television daily. 

Television can be a powerful influence in developing value systems and shaping behavior. Unfortunately, much of today's television programming is violent. Hundreds of studies of the effects of TV violence on children and teenagers have found that children may: 
· Become "resistant" to the horror of violence; 
· Gradually accept aggression as a way to solve their troubles; 
· Imitate the violence they watch on television; and 
· Identify with certain characters, victims and/or victimizers;

Extensive viewing of television violence by children causes greater aggressiveness. Sometimes, watching a single violent program can increase aggressiveness. Children, who view shows, in which violence is very realistic, frequently repeated or unpunished, are more likely to imitate what they see. Same is the case for video games and such violent activities that children these days indulge in.

Studies have showed that the impact of TV violence may be immediately evident in the child's behavior or may surface years later and young people can even be affected when the family atmosphere shows no tendency toward violence.

National Coalition on Television Violence Organization is an organization dedicated to monitoring and reducing violence on television. It provides statistics about the frequency of violence; ideas for community and personal action to decrease it, especially the percentage seen by children; addresses and sample letters to television stations and other media representatives; toy selection guidelines; and a bibliography of additional information related to the issue. It discusses the advantages and disadvantages of recent developments, such as the V-Chip and industry ratings.

It would be impudent to say that violence on television is the only source for aggressive or violent behavior, but it is a significant contributor. And it is a fact to reckon that not only children are worst affected by this, but also adults. 

Several people have taken up for the cause of Children’s protection from Television violence. 
Senator Ernest F. Hollings and Senator Daniel K. Inouye co-sponsored the Children's Protection from Violent Programming Act of 1993, which would ban the broadcast or cable transmission of violent programming during hours when children make up a substantial share of the audience. This ensures some kind of screening that can prevent children from watching violent programs on television. 

In the hallmark case of Gay and Lesbian Public Access Show vs. Denver Community Television, Denver Community Television (DCTV) refused to air two episodes of Anthony Palange's "G/L Magazine" asserting they were "obscene." Palange then filed suit against the network station. Under Federal Cable Television laws, public access channels are public forums, and “neither a city nor an agency to which a city delegates the function of administering public access TV may censor the content of programs.” In the case of "G/L Magazine" there had never been any judicial determination that the programs met the legal standard for obscenity. The episodes did not even contain nudity. In early November 1993, "G/L Magazine" resumed broadcasting.
When such things happen, it is often difficult to draw a line where censorship is concerned. Censorship laws in the United States still need to defined more clearly and accurately. 

- LKS

Click here for more articles by Leena Kamath
 

Citations:
1. Censorship," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2000
2. http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
3. Children's Protection From Violent Programming Act Source: New York Times, 11/23/93
4. "ACLU Arts Censorship Project Newsletter", Winter 1994
5. www.brittanica.com - http://www.nctvv.org/Index.html