Reproduced for you; other letter got away.
Violent material marketed to youthFTC concludes entertainment industry
ignores own warningsBy Christopher Stern
THE WASHINGTON POST
WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 — Movie studios, record companies and video game
producers are aggressively marketing violent entertainment products to
children even as they label the material inappropriate for young
audiences, a yearlong Federal Trade Commission investigation has found.
The FTC found that underage children were frequently sold tickets to
R-rated movies even though the industry's own code bans them.
A DRAFT REPORT on the investigation shows that movie
studios advertised violent R-rated movies during television shows with
predominately teen audiences. It also shows that producers of violent
video games touted products suitable for "mature" users in magazines
aimed at young teens, according to sources who are familiar with the
report's findings.
Investigators reviewed thousands of pages of internal
documents from the entertainment industry, including market research
showing that violent material is an effective lure to get young people
to buy movie tickets, music and video games, sources say.
The FTC report, slated to be released next month, is
likely to reignite the debate between Hollywood and Washington over the
influence of media on the violent behavior of the nation's youth. Senate
Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) is planning to conduct
a hearing next month on the still-confidential FTC report.
Vice presidential candidate Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman
(D-Conn.), a frequent Hollywood critic, has expressed interest in
testifying. The senator will make a final decision about testifying once
he sees the results of the FTC investigation, according to Lieberman
spokesman Dan Gerstein. However, an appearance could put Lieberman in a
sensitive position because many of the high-dollar Democratic
contributors include movie studio and other entertainment executives.
President Clinton ordered the FTC and the Justice
Department to conduct the investigation last year in the wake of a
series of school shootings, including the tragedy at Columbine High
School in Littleton, Colo., in which two students shot and killed 13
people and wounded others before taking their own lives. Clinton's
directive came after the Senate approved a similar proposal authored by
McCain, Lieberman and others.
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FTC spokesman Eric London refused to comment on the
substance of the report prior to its public release. FTC commissioners
are still reviewing the staff conclusions, which are subject to change.
In addition to surveying internal marketing documents,
FTC investigators also found that the content codes voluntarily
administered by the film, music and video game industries are poorly
enforced.
FTC investigators found that underage children were
frequently sold tickets to R-rated movies even though the Motion Picture
Association of America's own code bans youths under 17 from entering
such movies unless accompanied by a parent or adult guardian.
A poll conducted by the FTC found that parents want more
information than is currently provided by the MPAA's rating code. The
code makes age-based viewing recommendations but provides little
information about the actual content of the movie, according to sources
familiar with the draft report.
MPAA chief executive Jack Valenti said he could not
comment on the substance of a report that he has not seen. However, he
insisted that the movie industry is "the most responsible of all
spectator entertainment."
Newsweek's fall arts preview
Valenti said the reasoning behind each movie's age-based
rating is provided to newspaper, television and radio critics. In
addition, Valenti's organization maintains a Web site,
mpaa.org/movieratings/, which refers users to a database that includes
details on each particular movie's rating.
"We give all the information in the world," Valenti said.
Valenti also noted that an annual poll of parents about
the movie ratings shows that most parents find it to be a useful tool
when making decisions about which movies to allow their children to see.
Like Valenti, Doug Lowenstein, president of the
Interactive Digital Software Association, a group that represents video
game producers, declined to comment on the report until it is released.
Lowenstein said there is a misconception that the bulk of the video game
market is made up of children. About 62 percent of video game
enthusiasts are over 18, according to Lowenstein. In addition,
Lowenstein said that video game companies have modified their
advertising practices in the last year to steer violent ads away from
children.
Recording Industry Association of America President
Hilary Rosen was unavailable for comment, according to her staff.
MSNBC's arts and entertainment coverage
The FTC conducted a similar probe of the tobacco industry
that looked into charges that cigarette maker R.J. Reynolds's "Joe
Camel" cartoon character was targeted at teenagers in an effort to get
them to begin smoking. RJR dropped the use of the Joe Camel cartoon in
1997, but not before seven tobacco company executives dramatically
testified at a hearing that they did not market their products to
underage smokers. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain plans a
hearing next month on the confidential FTC report.
While it is illegal to sell cigarettes to minors, no such
legal restrictions apply to the marketing of violent programming to
children.
McCain expects high-level entertainment industry
executives to testify about the FTC findings at his hearing, according
to a Commerce Committee staff member. Industry executives have sometimes
been reluctant to show up at hearings, where movies, music lyrics and
video games are often blamed for societal ills ranging from schoolyard
violence to sexual promiscuity. But the Commerce Committee staffer said
that subpoenas have been discussed as an option if industry executives
balk at making an appearance.
© 2000 The Washington Post Company
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