Action Against Porn, Violence on TV, Internet Urged in Video by U.S. Bishops' Communications Committee
WASHINGTON (May 26, 1999) -- Action against pornography and violence on the Internet, TV and other media is being urged by the U.S. Bishops in a 12-minute video released May 26.
Renewing the Mind of the Media: Overcoming the Exploitation of Sex and Violence in Communications outlines the state of the contemporary concern and is a companion piece to the bishops' document by the same name, issued last this year.
The video helps individuals and discussion groups examine how people are affected by portrayals of sex and violence in the media. It hails the media -- movies, TV, radio, print, the Internet -- for their power to inform and entertain society. It also heralds concern that in recent years media are relying more and more on offensive and dangerous portrayals of sex and violence. The video comes with a leader's guide and urges groups and individuals to pro-actively address their concerns at the parish, diocesan, neighborhood and national levels through individual and group action.
The video features three national church leaders: Cardinal William Keeler, Archbishop of Baltimore, Co-Chairman of the Religious Alliance Against Pornography (RAAP); Rev. Dr. Eileen Lindner, National Council of Churches (NCC) Associate General Secretary for Christian Unity; and Dr. Jerry R. Kirk, chairman of the Board of the National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families.
Cardinal Keeler, in his interview, cited parents' concerns and media's devaluing of human sexuality and respect among people.
"Every time that happens," Cardinal Keeler said, "a thread is being plucked out of the fiber that holds our society together."
He noted the U.S. Bishops' decision to address media concerns.
"We had a dream," Cardinal Keeler said. "The dream is to help people everywhere realize the beauty of God's creation, every aspect of it, and the potential and beauty and power of it as a creation that is in harmony with the Lord and people in harmony with each other."
Dr. Kirk warned of the potential harm which can come when pre-teens have unguarded access to the Internet.
"Now the Internet is filled with hardcore pornography. And every eight, ten, twelve-year-old boy in America who is computer literate and is online can access the worst pornography ever produced," he said. "It's the death of innocence of our children. A child does not have the opportunity to grow up without being exposed to pornography."
Dr. Lindner said the prevalence of aggression desensitizes society.
"We get inundated with violence and it no longer has the shocking effect it ought to have," she said. "We get accustomed to vile language, angry talk, the demeaning terms, and they no longer have their capacity to shock us."
Production of the video was facilitated through a grant from the Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Fund, an organization established by the Religious Alliance Against Pornography (RAAP) for production and distribution of materials to educate Catholics about problems related to pornography. The late Cardinal Bernardin co-founded RAAP with Dr. Kirk.
Golden Dome Media in South Bend, Indiana, produced the video. Executive Producer is Mercy Sister Mary Ann Walsh, associate director of the U.S. Catholic Conference Department of Communications.
The video with discussion guide is available for sale at $14.95 plus handling and shipping and can be ordered through the U.S. Bishops Office for Publishing and Promotions, 1-800-235-8722.
The video and its corresponding print materials are among the latest tools developed by the U.S. Bishops to assist families. Other tools include the Family Guide for Using Media, an 8-panel brochure listing ten steps for individuals to take in dealing with media in their own homes.
The bishops, through their Catholic Communication Campaign, also provide the toll-free movie review line, 1-800-311-4CCC, which offers reviews of currently running theater releases. The reviews also can be accessed through the Web address http://www.nccbuscc.org/movies/index.htm. Older movie reviews can be found at http://www.nccbuscc.org/movies/movieall.htm. A catalogue of reviews of recommended family videos can be found at http://www.nccbuscc.org/videoall.htm
Editors: For a preview copy, call (202) 541-3200 or fax (202) 541-3173.