Violence on Television: Distribution, Form, Context, and Themes

by Barrie Gunter, Jackie Harrison, Maggie Wykes

Overview

Concern about violence on television has been publicly debated for the past 50 years. TV violence has repeatedly been identified as a significant causal agent in relation to the prevalence of crime and violence in society. Critics have accused the medium of presenting excessive quantities of violence, to the point where it is virtually impossible for viewers to avoid it.

This book presents the findings of the largest British study of violence on TV ever undertaken, funded by the broadcasting industry. The study was carried out at the same time as similar industry-sponsored research was being conducted in the United States, and one chapter compares findings from Britain and the U.S.A.

The book concludes that it is misleading to accuse all broadcasters of presenting excessive quantities of violence in their schedules. This does not deny that problematic portrayals were found. But the most gory, horrific and graphic scenes of violence were generally contained within broadcasts available on a subscription basis or in programs shown at times when few children were expected to be watching. This factual analysis proves that broadcasters were meeting their obligations under their national regulatory codes of practice.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781135653392
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	01/30/2003
Series:	ISSN
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Barrie Gunter, Jackie Harrison, Maggie Wykes

Table of Contents

Contents: Preface. Violence on Television: The Parameters of Concern. Issues of Measurement and Analysis. Amount and Distribution of Violence on Television. Form of Violence on Television. Motives and Consequences of Violence on Television. Gender and Violence on Television. Children and Violence on Television. Violence in Soaps. News Values and Violence. Violence on Television in Britain and the United States. Violence on Television and Helping the Audience.

Editorial Reviews

"This book, Violence on Television, represents a good model for how to effectively examine the content on TV. The authors are to be commended for their presentation of the many examples of research studies that are relevant to their analyses."
—Contemporary Psychology APA REVIEW OF BOOKS

From the Publisher