TV violence - networks refuse to act
Title -- 4372 NZ: TV violence - networks refuse to act
Date -- 2 April 2004
Byline -- None
Origin -- Pacific Media Watch
Source -- New Zealand Herald 2/4/2004
Copyright -- NZH
Status -- Unabridged
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TV VIOLENCE - NETWORKS REFUSE TO ACT
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3558489&thesection=news&thesubsection=general
By Alan Perrott
AUCKLAND (NZH Online/Pacific Media Watch): Television New Zealand and TV3 have washed their hands of responsibility for the amount of violence being broadcast to young children and teenagers.
Neither channel is prepared to make the first move in reducing the increase in television violence highlighted by a government-financed study issued yesterday.
The study recommended the government expand the role of the Broadcasting Standards Authority to address and monitor rising amounts of violence on television.
TVNZ chief executive Ian Fraser said yesterday violence on television was a problem and the network would address the levels in programme promotions.
But he rejected any more far-reaching changes unless similar actions were introduced throughout the industry.
TV3 spokesman Roger Beaumont said the network might look at how its programmes were classified and the warnings given to viewers.
But he, too, wanted an industry agreement before going further.
The $300,000 study, done by the Auckland University of Technology's Centre for Communication Research, found cartoons and promotion material were the most potentially damaging shows for young viewers.
In the project, researchers catalogued every act of violence seen over a week in programmes on TVOne, TV2, TV3, TV4, Prime, Sky 1, Nickelodeon and Sky Movies.
Study chairman Dr Rajen Prasad said violent acts were defined as any action that caused physical harm to a person or an inanimate being such as a cartoon character.
Each act was counted, whether it was deliberate or accidental and whether it occurred naturally or supernaturally.
Acts of psychological violence were not included.
Dr Prasad said the amount of violence seen was higher than found in the last study in 1995 and all but one of the studies made during the 1980s.
The increase was attributed to the arrival of pay television and the increase in the number of channels available to viewers.
Sky Television spokesman Tony O'Brien said the company would take no action despite the study naming the Nickelodeon cartoon network as the most violent on television.
It had an average of 13 violent incidents an hour.
O'Brien said the broadcaster had received no complaints about the cartoons and would not make changes unless its subscribers demanded them.
But Green MP Sue Kedgley said cartoon violence was a concern and could add to overall violence in New Zealand.
"It appears that some of the cartoons our children are watching are little more than animated thuggery," she said.
Acting Broadcasting Minister David Benson-Pope said the report was thoughtful and would be included in a more general examination of broadcasting.
One of the AUT researchers, Dr Geoff Bridgman, said the most violent programmes included Mad, Mad World of Sports, Smackdown, Life of Mammals, Cinenews and CSI.
But the study's most surprising finding was the amount of violence included in programme promotions that were broadcast before 8.30pm, when children were still viewing.
"They are screened to get us to get us to watch the show and then keep us watching," he said.
"Maybe it shows there's a little part of us that can be hooked on the little adrenalin shot that minimal violence gives us in the same way as the lights and bells on a pokie machine."
Working Group of the TV Violence Project:
Report to the Minister of Broadcasting:
Towards Precautionary Risk Management of TV Violence in New Zealand [PDF, 1.7MB]
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/pdf/violence-report.pdf
Centre for Communication Research,
Auckland University of Technology:
Television Violence in NZ: A study of Programming and Policy in International Context [PDF, 4.2MB]
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/pdf/violence-report.pdf
Appendices to the above [PDF, 2.8MB]
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/pdf/violence-appendices.pdf
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