With so many different forms of media it is quiet easy for lines to be blurred when approaching a serious issue like media violence. Media violence is a highly controversial topic in today’s society were many of our lives revolve around the media and what is told to us through the TV, internet, and newspapers. Many parents find the violence in the media whether it is real or fake to be appalling, while other parents find nothing wrong with the violence. Although some images are rather grotesque and detailed I personally find no issue with having violence in the media, everyone has the right to change the channel.

With so many acts of hate and violence happening every day there is no doubt that some of the images or reenactment videos may show up on your nightly news or favorite programming. The issue is not censoring the news but censoring what you or your family may see on the TV or internet. In a recent poll from time magazine 66% of people who took the poll believe there is too much violent programming on broadcasted TV, taken from http://www.parentstv.org. When I read a statement like this I don’t see the true problem, if this 66% don’t want them or their family’s to watch violent programming then they should just change the channel and talk to their kids about not watching the violent programming, fictional or otherwise. A prime example of both my argument is, just the other day when I was listening to the radio about the riots in Egypt, and I heard that a CNN news reporter was attacked and sexually assaulted. If this story had never aired how else was the general public supposed to find out and if she didn’t want the public to find out she could have talked to the publisher and not air that section of the report.

By age 18, a U.S. youth will have seen 16,000 simulated murders and 200,000 acts of violence. - American Psychiatric Association. When I read this statement one word sticks out…simulated. Most viewers know it’s simulated, although rather well at times, they are simulated, and are for entertainment only. Although my opinions vary slightly from fictional and real media violence they still retain many of the same elements, if you don’t like it…Change the channel. With one of my favorite television shows being NCIS, a fictional crime, action, mystery, show and it does involve violence in the pursuit of criminals. These fictional crime shows can be graphic at times but they are still just actors and a lot of fake blood. Also these shows show real techniques and equipment used by professionals in the real world. Mind you some things are fudged the concepts and my opinion remains the same as with violence in the news.


With U.S.A youth watching an average of 25 hours of television and 7 hours spent on the computer they are going to encounter violence or other material that parents will not like, and I believe it would be better if parents sat down and talked about these things before hand so that parents and children have a mutual agreement of what is right and wrong. No one is forcing the violence on the children and youth of America it is by their and their parent’s choices what is considered acceptable material to watch and read, and this will most likely be different for each household.

Works Cited
"Sex, Violence, and Profanity in the Media Fact Sheet, TV Statistics - Parents Television Council." Parents Television Council - Because Our Children Are Watching. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. <http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/facts/mediafacts.asp>.