Panelists To Debate Impact Of Media Violence

In old Westerns, newcomers riding into town sometimes had to give up their guns while visiting.

Lynne Williams thinks the modern entertainment industry should take a cue.

“It’s the job of society to train members to sort of surrender their violence at the door,” says Williams, an adolescent psychiatrist in Colbert.

Williams will join a panel Thursday night at Gonzaga University to discuss the question: “Can Spokane Afford to Ignore Media’s Contributing Role to Youth Violence?”

State Attorney General Christine Gregoire will be among seven professionals with varying opinions on how to handle everything from hip-hop music that disrespects women to R-rated movies marketed to children.

Gregoire plans to present findings from a nationwide study on violence she led for the National Association of Attorneys General last year. The kids interviewed didn’t give her much ammunition, she admits.

“They universally deny that movies, video games, music and TV causes violence,” says Gregoire. “That is not shared, however, when you listen to parents, teachers or administrators.”

The adults will present their side on Thursday.

Williams, the Colbert psychiatrist, believes it’s silly to condemn pop culture the way past generations blasted Elvis and the Beatles. Nor should media claim sole blame for violence, she says, noting “the Afghanistan militia doesn’t watch TV.”

But music, movies, television and video games should balance their offerings with heroes who have good values and problem-solving skills, Williams says. “You can have compensatory programming.”

Panelist Tom Higgins, executive director of the West Central Community Center, says it’s time to consider regulating an industry that does a poor job of taming itself.

He’s not alone. Vice President Al Gore says that as president, he’d give the industry six months to shape up before pursuing legislation to stop deceptive marketing.

The industry has been under fire since June 1999, when President Clinton asked the Federal Trade Commission to review its marketing strategies. The government found kids have easy access to adult-oriented material at theaters and stores.

Higgins says he doesn’t buy the argument from entertainment executives that parents can control what their children listen to and view.

He frequently sees low-income parents pushed into working by new reform laws. “The question is, who’s raising the children when economics are such that parents aren’t even home?” he says.

Higgins co-chairs the Northwest Alliance for Responsible Media, which is hosting the panel discussion. The group formed a few years ago to bring the national debate to the local level.

Research by University of Toledo professor Jeanne Funk backs Higgins’ views that parents have a tough time tracking their children’s media intake. She found many parents aren’t aware of their children’s preference for violent video games.

Her research does suggest, however, that kids who prefer violent games may have less capacity for empathy, Funk says. Funk believes more in-depth studies are needed before making strong links between violence and video games.

“You have to get a preponderance of evidence. We don’t have enough evidence yet.”

But Fred Schrumpf, a Spokane School District 81 administrator who specializes in conflict resolution, says he’s seen plenty of firsthand evidence that music, movies and other media promote violent tendencies among kids.

Students who grew up on Power Rangers, Ninja turtles and Sylvester Stallone bad guys can have trouble solving problems through old-fashioned talk — especially when raised in troubled homes as well, says Schrumpf, another panelist.

“I think the culture is stronger than parents,” he says, “and that’s the scary part.”

This sidebar appeared with the story: Panel discussion

The Northwest Alliance for Responsible Media will host a panel discussion on youth violence and the media from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday at the Gonzaga University School of Law, 721 N. Cincinnati. Admission is free.