This article originally appeared in the January-February 1997 Children's Advocate newsmagazine, published by Action Alliance for Children.

Breaking the Grip of Media Violence

How Educators Can Help--in the Classroom and Beyond

By Jean Tepperman

Educators have unique opportunities to help defuse the power of media violence -- not only by teaching their students critical-viewing skills, but also by working together beyond the classroom.

Participants in the "Establishing Peace" conference came up with a list of ways educators could act to reduce the amount and influence of media violence. The ideas ranged from classroom projects to policy advocacy. It's that wide range of strategies, experts say, that's needed for the success of a major public-health campaign like violence prevention.

Anti-violence expert Larry Cohen describes a "spectrum of prevention," six strategies that reinforce each other to create significant change. The ideas generated at the conference include action on all these levels.

1. Strengthening individual knowledge and skills: Educators can help students develop critical-viewing skills and learn about the economic and institutional forces contributing to media violence.

2. Educating the community: Schools can play a key role in educating parents about media violence, teaching parents critical-viewing skills and sharing ideas they can use to create more positive TV-viewing habits at home. (See Smart Parents' Guide to TV Violence, by Milton Chen.) When V-chips are available, schools will have an important opportunity to help parents learn how to use them.

Schools, school boards, and educators' organizations can help educate the larger community, with town-hall meetings, "Turn off the TV" weeks, or other public-education campaigns. They can produce, or help their students produce, video programs, PSAs, and other material on media violence to be aired on local TV and radio stations.

3. Training providers: Educators can share critical-viewing skills and knowledge about media violence with colleagues in the same school, in other schools, and in professional organizations. Schools or school districts can conduct special training for others who work with young people-- health care givers, youth leaders, law enforcement professionals.

4. Building coalitions. In their local community-education efforts, schools can enlist the support of other organizations they work with, such as parent organizations, business partners, health care institutions, recreation and police departments. On a national level, organizations of educators can join coalitions like the National Coalition on TV Violence, which push for industry practices and government policies to reduce the effects of violence in the media.

5. Changing organizational practices: Schools can integrate critical-viewing skills into many parts of the curriculum, helping students analyze movie and TV presentations in English and social studies classes. Conflict-resolution training also shows students effective alternatives to violence, especially when the contrast to the messages of media violence is specifically drawn.

Educators can also work to change the practices of other organizations. School groups, for example, can urge local video stores and movie theaters to enforce ratings that restrict minors' viewing of violence. Schools, local coalitions, or the students in one school or classroom can write to local TV stations and national TV networks congratulating them for positive programming and protesting shows with excessive violence. Because TV programmers believe violence is profitable, say media analysts, it can be very effective to let them know that audiences will favor advertisers who sponsor positive programming, and avoid buying the products of those who sponsor programs that glorify violence. "They'll make the entertainment we'll pay for," says Chen. "You can vote with your advertising dollars."

6. Influencing policy and legislation: Educators can work through professional organizations, teachers unions, and community coalitions to influence Congress, state legislators and the Federal Communications Commission, which regulates television and radio. At election time, groups of educators or students and community anti-violence coalitions can question candidates about their views on media violence.

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