Violence in the Media:

1
Chapter 13

• Violence in the Media
• The Turbulent Sixties

2
Background of Research Project

• When was the study conducted?
• Where was it conducted?
• Who were the main Researchers or Research
  Organization?

3
Violence in the Media Report

• Massive Work of 600 pages
• 1) Historical Perspective The Turbulent 60s
• Race riots
• Assassinations
• Vietnam War and Related Protests
• Confrontation Politics
• 2) The Media Task Force report
• 3) TV Entertainment research
• Content Analysis of TV
• Survey of peoples actual experiences

4
Part 3 of Violence Report

• Content Analysis section
• 1) The extent or quantity of violence on TV
• 2) The qualitative characteristics of TV violence
• 3) The Task Forces interpretation of the content
  analysis
• Violence Commission National Survey
• 1) Norms about violence
• 2) Actual Experience with violence
• 3) Media habits and preferences
• Comparison of the Two Worlds

5
Content Analysis

• Three areas were examined
• 1) The extent or quantity of violence on TV
• 2) The qualitative characteristics of TV violence
• 3) The Task Forces interpretation of the content
  analysis

6
Extent / Quantity of Violence

• 80 of all programs contain one or more violent
  incidents
• Violent programming increased from 1967 to 1968
• Those that wished to avoid violent programming
  had an almost impossible task, while those who
  desired violence had little trouble finding it.
• Crime-Western-Adventure Style 96.6 contained
  violence
• Comedy-tone 66.3 contained
• Cartoon-format 93.5 contained

7
Qualitative Characteristics

• Most violent episodes were serious only 20 were
  humorous violence.
• Violence
• Showed little pain
• Took on an entrepreneurial form
• Good guys inflicted as much pain as the Bad
  guys but good guys usually won
• Good guy killers did not suffer negative
  consequences, but Bad guy killers did.
• Major characters that did die were all Bad guys
• Non-white, young or middle-aged, unmarried
  usually the villain and did most killing

8
Qualitative Characteristics (cont)

• Violence
• Police and law-enforcement were nearly as violent
  as the criminals
• Criminals were infrequently given due process
• Shoot em up solutions were norm
• Reactions of witnesses not shown, and when
  witnesses were shown it was as passive bystander
• Historical Period
• Past 98 were violent
• Future 100 were violent

9
Task Forces Interpretation

• Procedure established for inferring substantive
  meaning
• Who and what are most violent?
• Young and middle-age men more violent than others
• More from non-whites, non-Americans
• Strangers encountered at close range
• Young and middle-age men most likely to be killed
• Police just as violent as the most violent
  citizens

10
Task Forces Interpretation (cont)

• Who and what are most violent?
• Past and present saturated with violence and and
  future will be too
• Violence may lead to death, but inflicting of
  physical injury does not cause discomfort or pain
• Witnesses seldom intervene
• Violent persons do not need to be concerned about
  punishment
• Use of violence by a good guy is legitimate.
  Good guys use violence just as much as bad
  guys

11
The National Survey

• Norms about violence
• high-level violence OK if done by authorities
• low-level violence somewhat more acceptable
  (unless its between a husband and wife)
• Experience with violence
• most people experience no high-level violence
• most common experience with violence as observers

12
The National Survey (cont)

• Actual experience related to norms
• 18-35 year old males are most likely to approve
  of violence and to experience it
• Norms about violence are directly related to
  experience
• Media Habits and Preferences
• Majority of adult Americans think there is too
  much violence on TV
• Americans not getting the type of TV they want

13
Comparison of Two Worlds

• Comparing real world to TV world
• TV world more violent
• TV exaggerates the probability of directly being
  involved in violent acts
• Illegal violence in TV programs often approved
• TV violence frequently uses weapon
• Most common role of violence is as assailant
• Strangers commit most violence on TV