Newsgroups: alt.censorship,alt.journalism,alt.prose,misc.writing
From: kip@world.std.com (Bob B Chatelle)
Subject:  National Writers Union (UAW Local 1981) Opposes TV Censorship
Message-ID: <CFM7u8.HuD@world.std.com>
Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1993 16:15:42 GMT

The National Writers Union is committed to freedom of
expression in all media, including print, film, and elec-
tronic media of any sort.  Thus we are concerned about the
current panic regarding television violence.  At least ten
bills now before Congress seek to restrict the content of TV
programming.  We support legitimate efforts to improve tele-
vision quality.  We also advocate increased access to dis-
tribution, particularly for producers of educational pro-
grams and minority viewpoints.  But the First Amendment of
the US Constitution prohibits the Congress from making laws
that restrict freedom of speech or of the press.  If we per-
mit the federal government to censor TV today, they may seek
to censor books and newspapers tomorrow.

The extensive censorship that has resulted from the "volun-
tary" labeling of records, audio cassettes and compact disks
more than justifies our fears.  We believe that labeling and
rating systems, whether mandated by law or adopted by an
industry to avoid government regulation, constitute censor-
ship.  We agree with the American Library Association that
"Labeling is the practice of designating materials by affix-
ing a prejudicial label and/or segregating them by a preju-
dicial system...Labeling is an attempt to prejudice atti-
tudes and as such, it is a censor's tool."

We respect the rights of parents to control the TV viewing
of their young children and believe that right applies even
when the parents are out of the home.  Therefore we applaud
Peggy Charren, founder of Action for Children's Television,
for her suggestion that we develop technology that would
permit parents themselves to decide which TV shows to block.
Peggy Charren's idea requires no rating system or electronic
coding of signals.

(Adopted by consensus of the National Executive Board, Octo-
ber 3, 1993.)