The 11 myths of media violence / W. James Potter.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Potter, W. James.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Violence in mass media.

Physical Description:

xviii, 259 pages ; 24 cm

Other Title:

Eleven myths of media violence

Place of Publication:

Thousand Oaks, CA : Sage Publications, [2003]

Summary:

The 11 Myths of Media Violence clearly explains why media violence has not only been allowed but encouraged to escalate. Esteemed author W. James Potter challenges many of our assumptions about the relationship between media and violence. He argues that these assumptions are the primary barriers preventing us from confronting the issue of violence in films, TV, and video games.

While dispelling misperceptions and evoking emotions, each chapter: -- identifies a myth, its origin, its acceptance by the public, and its growth in popularity-- analyzes the faulty nature of the myth and shows how it deflects attention away from the truth-- presents "dilemmas" that challenge readers to reconsider their assumptions-- includes a list of indispensable references

The 11 Myths of Media Violence provides an in-depth review of how Congress, journalists, and researchers contribute to the problem and raises important questions that place the reader at the heart of the conflict. W. James Potter takes a broad social science approach, presenting technical information in a direct, balanced, and very readable manner.

Students and scholars of Mass Media, Communications, Film, and Sociology will find The 11 Myths of Media Violence inspires passionate discussion and innovative research. Consumer activists, teachers, and families will find it an essential resource and invaluable step toward finding solutions to this critical social issue.

Contents:

1. Current Context 1

2. Myth 1: Violence in the media does not affect me, but others are at high risk 31

3. Myth 2: The media are not responsible for the negative effects of their violent messages 52

4. Myth 3: Children are especially vulnerable to the risks of negative exposure to media violence 67

5. Myth 4: There is too much violence in the media 85

6. Myth 5: Violence in the media reflects violence in society 103

7. Myth 6: The media are only responding to market desires 115

8. Myth 7: Violence is an essential element in all fiction 129

9. Myth 8: Reducing the amount of violence in the media will solve the problem 140

10. Myth 9: The First Amendment protects the media from restrictions on violence 153

11. Myth 10: The rating systems and V-chip will help solve the problem 168

12. Myth 11: There is nothing I can do to make an effect on reducing the problem 185

13. Prognosis for Improvement 209.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 229-249) and index.

ISBN:

0761927344

0761927352

OCLC:

51095835