1. Violence in the Media: The Turbulent Sixties
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 people’s 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 Force’s 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 Force’s 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 (con’t)
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 Force’s 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 Force’s Interpretation (con’t)
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 Experience with violence Norms about violence
high-level violence OK if done by authorities
low-level violence somewhat more acceptable (unless it’s 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 (con’t)
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