Essay About United States And First Amendment

Censorship in Television
Essay Preview: Censorship in Television
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The government is correct in
trying to censor what is seen on television. Censorship does
not violate the first amendment and it prevents the harmful
effects of graphic television. Many people are in favor of
censorship and it may be accomplished without violating
the rights of broadcasters or any other individuals.
Censorship “refers to suppression of information, ideas, or
artistic expression by anyone, whether government officials,
church authorities, private pressure groups, or speakers,
writers, and artists themselves” (Grolier, Inc.). Censorship
can be a bad thing, and can also be positive. For television
use, it is there to protect the people, namely children. There
is a fear that the expression if not curtailed will do harm to
individuals in its audiences or to society as a whole.
“Obscene material is attacked because of the fear that it
will corrupt personal morality” (Grolier, Inc.). The first
amendment states that Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech,
or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to
assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of
grievances. In no way does censorship violate the first
amendment. Censorship prevents broadcasters from
infringing on the rights of the viewers. Censorship has really
been limited to obscenity and gratuitous violence or nudity
because people in the media have policed themselves
pretty harshly. The most prominent law established due to
censorship is the Childrens Television Act of 1990. It was
established to “remind broadcasters that there is indeed a
common ground outside their narrow interests, a
responsibility beyond profiteering, a common civic well
where national purposes may coalesce”
was put into place to protect the public. Many people
throughout the United States feel very strongly about the
issue of censorship. A firm supporter of censorship, United
States Senator Earnest F. Hollings, from South Carolina
stated that “Television should be a way to entertain,
educate, and teach our kids how to grow, not a way to
teach them how to shoot to kill”(Congressional Digest).
Another Senator, Bryan L. Dorgan, from North Dakota
described his anger when, while playing with his two small
children with the television on in the background, the words
“Son of a Bitch” were spoken. “That word has no place on
at 8:45 in the evening”(Congressional Quarterly report).
Things like that situation should not happen. Young viewers
should not be subjected to such obscenities and TV
violence. Broadcasters argue that censorship violates their
first amendment rights, but it does not. Violence and
obscene language violate viewers rights. The benefits of
censorship are simple. Less violence and graphic scenes
will result in a better society. Many people believe that TV
violence encourages youths to act the same way and that
censorship will help to get rid of this problem. Broadcasters
feel that parents should monitor what their children watch.
However, many parents are not always home and this is a
very difficult task. Each day, children are subjected to
violence through television. “If you came home and you
found a strange man teaching your kids to punch each
other, or trying to sell them all kinds of products, youd
kick him right out of the house,” says Yale psychology
professor Jerome Singer. “But here you are; you come in
and the RV is on and you dont think twice about it”
(Abandoned in the Wasteland). TV violence is one of the
culprits of adolescent criminal behavior. Violent programs
may have a negative influence on those individuals who are
already violence-prone or children who are living through
vulnerable periods of their development. Controlling what
children view on television is the responsibility of the
government in order to decrease violence in the real world.
Adult violent offenders ten to have shown certain
personality features as children. “One being they tended to
have viewed violence on television” (Congressional Digest)
The amounts of violence