Who's Responsible?
A recent study revealed that 75% of
Americans form their opinions of the world primarily from what they see on
television. And now that American television dominates more and more foreign
markets, its influence is far greater than we ever dreamed or, perhaps, desired.
Consequently, like it or not, we -- the Creative Community, the Networks, and
the worlds of Cable and Advertising -- are being held strictly accountable for
program content. And, of course, we are.
Television is constantly under siege.
Whether from a lone Midwestern housewife, genuinely offended by the excesses she
perceives -- or a self-righteous zealot, seeking to impose his particular moral
and religious standards on everyone else, these periodic attacks will continue.
And we can't be so blindly self-righteous ourselves to deny that some criticism
is justified. Television is, in general, constructively entertaining and
informative, but, unfortunately, it is also, too often, a prolific purveyor of
violence and other societally inappropriate behavior. Nevertheless, we have a
legal right -- and a moral and aesthetic obligation -- to portray the real world
and the urgent problems confronting it. The problem, of course, is how to do
that responsibly.
Last year, the Caucus for Producers,
Writers & Directors voted an addition to its Aims and Objectives: "The
Caucus, although condemning censorship, believes that all parties involved in
shaping program content should be aware of the all-pervasive nature of the
television medium and should act responsibly by not giving the appearance of
condoning substance abuse, racism, sexism, gratuitous violence, sexual
exploitation, or any other antisocial behavior."
A commitment to such a precept is not a
self-restrictive surrender to outside pressures. It merely asks that each of us
be as responsible for our contribution to television content as we should be for
the conduct of our private lives. After all, we are what we do.
Television has the potential to be the
most powerful instrument for positive social, political, and ethical change the
world has ever known. But it can achieve that potential only if each of us
accepts the challenge and the responsibility to make it so.
Who's responsible? We are. All of us.
