TV Industry Criticized for Contributing to Violence : Programming: Executives at summit balk at accusation but say they are willing to help solve national problem.

The TV industry was told Monday that it contributes to violence in society, but producers and executives balked at the accusation, despite showing willingness to change the tone of programming.

Listening to a recitation of studies linking televised violence with society’s ills, industry figures attending a TV violence summit resisted the idea that they are responsible for what may be wrong with America.

But they said they were willing to take a leadership role and do what they could to improve the picture.

“As far as CBS is concerned, this is going to have an impact on how we do business,” CBS programming chief Jeff Sagansky said in an interview during the daylong event that drew 650 people to the Beverly Hilton.

Sagansky noted that some TV industry panelists were skeptical of research linking violence in American society to television programs. But he said the accuracy of such studies shouldn’t be the issue.

“The fact of the matter is our society has gotten more violent. No matter what you believe about the studies, we’ve got to be part of the solution and in no way part of the problem,” Sagansky said.

The meeting was organized by the nonprofit National Council for Families and Television. Writers, producers and television executives were joined by academics and members of watchdog groups critical of the industry.

The session followed congressional hearings in Washington that put increased pressure on the TV industry to reduce violence.

Sen. Paul Simon (D-Ill.) author of the 1990 Television Violence Act that gave the industry a mandate to reform its violent programming, urged TV’s creative community to recognize the importance of self-restraint and to help educate the nation about the harmful effects of television violence.

“You have in your hands a tool that is unprecedented in the history of humanity in its power,” Simon said.

Simon warned that time was running out because of public sentiment and rising impatience in Congress. Simon suggested that some regulatory action might be taken if the industry failed to respond within two months.

During a discussion by leading researchers on television and violence, it was made clear that experts have no doubt that there is a link. “This is up to you, to you people in the industry to do something to reduce the level of violence,” said Leonard Eron, a psychology professor at the University of Michigan.

He and others acknowledged there are many contributors to violence, including poverty and the prevalence of guns. But they said TV has special responsibility.

“You are the nation’s storyteller,” said Suzanne Stutman, executive director of the private Institute for Mental Health Initiatives.

She said that drama on television can show violence in an unglamorous fashion and can give viewers alternative ways of responding to problems.

Violence should be the last resort in telling a story, she said.

Another panel of industry figures showed how reluctant those in the business are to take more than what they consider their share of blame.

“I’m a little frustrated,” said Christine Hikawa, vice president of standards and practices for ABC.

Credibility goes out the window when researchers use the same language in describing “Roadrunner” cartoons and films such as “I Spit On Your Grave,” she said.