3/30/2007
Media Contact:
Justin Ohlemiller, [317] 327-3690 |
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Mayor: One-of-a-kind national summit aims for common ground on media violence
INDIANAPOLIS – Mayor Bart Peterson, in his role as President of the National League of Cities, today joined local community leaders to announce plans for a first-of-its-kind national summit on media violence and its impact on children. The summit will be held in Indianapolis April 17.
The summit will approach the issue of media violence from multiple perspectives, bringing together local leaders from across the country, national academic and medical experts and representatives of the entertainment industry. The goal is to provoke a national discussion and greater awareness of the negative impacts of violent media on children by encouraging local leaders to address the issue in their communities.
The summit will engage the movie, television, music and video game industries that produce violent and sexually explicit material in an effort to reach common ground on the often divisive issue. The central goal of protecting young people from the negative effects and influences of media violence may be best served by taking a new approach, the Mayor said.
“Cities and states have tried new laws and regulations, which have either been struck down or tied up in court,” Mayor Peterson said. “Instead of continuing to go down the legislative path, let’s look at ways to educate and make parents and citizens more aware of what’s out there and seek the involvement of the industry in doing so.”
Peterson said local leaders are key to the approach of education and reaching common ground with media industry leaders. While media violence is often considered a federal or state issue, Peterson says it’s local communities and families who are left to pick up the pieces after a violent tragedy involving a young person.
The mayor said a new approach for protecting children from media violence centered on outreach can be just as effective, if not more so, as pushing new regulation. And, Peterson said, aggressive action is needed now, stating communities can’t afford to wait for further case law to sort out legal questions involving the regulation of violent media.
“When I was a kid, there were disaffected students, students who felt ostracized, students who were bullied, left out, humiliated – but they didn’t shoot up their schools,” he said. “Something has changed. We simply can’t ignore the connection between violent media and the tragic behavior of some our young people, especially when we have mounds of medical evidence, startling real life examples and rising crime rates.”
Peterson concluded his remarks at the press conference by showing clips of popular violent video games now on the market. One clip showed a scene where the player scored points by shooting a police officer in the head. The player then kicked the dead body of the officer down the street before pouring gasoline on the body and lighting it on fire. The clip concluded with the player urinating on the dead body of the police officer.
“This unbelievably horrific game is a clear indication that we can’t waste any time in protecting our young people. We must act now.”
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