SHORT TAKES : Australia Targets TV Violence
The Australian government moved Thursday to reduce the violence shown on television, particularly in news programs.
Transport and Communications Minister Kim Beazley said he supports the recommendations in the Australian Broadcasting Tribunal’s report on television violence, which was brought up for discussion in Parliament.
The key recommendation is that the television industry draw up a uniform code on how to treat violence.
Although the emphasis is on “supervised self-regulation,” Tribunal Chair Deirdre O’Connor said in a separate statement that if the code could not satisfy public concerns, “the Tribunal would be driven to consider a range of options which could include imposing program standards and license conditions.”
The report said there is widespread worry about the repetition of violent images, close-ups of blood and intrusion on grieving people.
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