Media blackout In Denial - 'TV-Turnoff Week' - FMA — Family and ...

Family and Media Association Media Update September 2007
Democracy
or
‘Mediacracy’
(Pages 3 and 4)
Broadcasting Commission of Ireland
(BCI) clears way for
home-grown
pornographic TV stations ! (Page 2)
Media blackout
(Africa Betrayed—Page 2)
A MAJOR INTERNATIONAL
symposium on AIDS PREVENTION
has been the target of a
virtual media blackout.
(Africa Betrayed—Page 2)
!
!
The Broadcasting
Commission of
Ireland (BCI) has
cleared the way
for "exclusively
adult oriented"
(pornographic)
television stations.
The BCI’s
intention became
apparent in the
run up to the
publication of its
new Code of
Programme
Standards, when
it resisted public
efforts …
(Continued on Page 2)
Pages
3&4
Democracy or
‘Mediacracy’
RTE Liveline
promoted radical
same-sex agenda
(Pages 3 and 4)
INSIDE:
BCI clears way for
pornographic TV stations ........ Page 2
Media blackout — Africa betrayed! Page 2
In denial — ‘TV Turnoff Week’ ... Page 3
Some statistics ................. Page 3
Caught in the (Broadcasting) Act Pages 3&4
Who said “television is poison” Pages 4&5
Democracy or ‘Mediacracy’ ....... Page 4
New Galileo Crisis .............. Page 5
Clockwork Orange Society ........ Page 5
Grooming on a Grand Scale ....... Page 5
In Denial -
‘TV-Turnoff Week'
Page 3
It is
TWICE AS POTENT
as passive smoking,
so why are the risks of
exposure to media violence
being ignored
Page 3 XXX
Disclaimer: the views expressed herein
are not necessarily those of the
Family and Media Association
Family and Media Association
info@fma.ie www.fma.ie

Broadcasting Commission
of Ireland (BCI) clears way
for home-grown
pornographic TV stations !
THE BROADCASTING COMMISSION OF IRELAND
(BCI) has cleared the way for "exclusively adult
oriented" (pornographic) television channels.
The BCI’s intention became apparent in the
run up to the publication of its new Code of
Programme Standards, when it resisted public
efforts to have rules inserted in the code which
could curtail the activities of any such future
stations.
In a questionnaire which preceded the release
of the code on April 10, the BCI asked for
people’s views on whether broadcasters should
be required to include a type of ‘audience
information’ (or warning) system, and also
whether or not the type of system used should
be left to the discretion of the broadcaster in
question.
The majority responded in favour of a
standardized warning system, which would apply
equally to all broadcasters intending to screen
harmful content. For a pornographic station,
such a system could have meant that a warning
would have had to be issued before each and
every programme.
In a startling revelation which signalled its
intention to clear the way for pornographic
channels, the BCI rejected the majority view,
partially on the grounds that such a requirement
would be inappropriate for stations "that are
adult oriented all day."
Any move to actually license such a station,
however, is likely to be met with strong
opposition.
In May this year, directors at Channel 6
blocked plans to screen ‘soft’ pornography
bought in France, and a recent report by the
American Psychological Association blamed
sexualized media images for causing “harm”
to girls.
At a time when it seems everyone
is waking up to the damage
pornography is inflicting on society, it
is difficult to explain the BCI’s
determination to open a new path for
the ‘toxin’.
Cui bono
(Who benefits)
Cui bono
Cui bono
Media
BLACKOUT of
Major Aids
Symposium
(Africa
Betrayed!)
2
A MAJOR INTERNATIONAL
SYMPOSIUM on Aids prevention
has been the target of a virtual
media blackout.
The symposium which was
co-hosted by Harvard
University's AIDS Prevention
Research Project had raised
serious questions over the policy
of condom promotion in the
fight against Aids.
The event took place at the end
of last year between the 17 and 20
December, in Kampala, Uganda, and
was attended by several leading
Aids experts.
Addressing the symposium,
senior Harvard researcher, Dr
Edward Green noted that "HIV
prevalence appears to be starting to
rise again after years of decline." He
continued, "This may be caused by
less emphasis on messages stressing
the importance of fidelity and
more focus on condom promotion
and other risk reduction solutions."
Dr Green, a one-time ardent
advocate of condom promotion and
a sceptic where abstinence/
faithfulness programmes are
concerned was forced to radically
rethink his position after being
confronted with evidence from
Uganda.
The country's Aids prevention
programme, which was based
overwhelmingly on the promotion of
abstinence and faithfulness, resulted
in its HIV/AIDS infection rate
dropping from 21% in 1991 to 6%
by 2000.
In his testimony to the African
subcommittee of the United States
Senate in May, 2003, Dr Green
admitted, "Many of us in the
AIDS and public health
communities didn't believe that
abstinence and faithfulness
were realistic goals. It now
seems we were wrong." Dr
Green's book, Rethinking AIDS
Prevention – learning from
successes in developing countries, is
available from Praetor Publishers.
Further Information can be found
online at www.fma.ie/aids

'TV Turnoff Week'
3
‘TV TURN OFF WEEK’ has just taken place in the United States.
Honoured more in the breach than in the observance, as they say, TV Turn Off Week, which
was supported by 65 U.S. organizations, was used to encourage both children and adults to
watch much less television.
But why would groups like the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American
Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) want to encourage people to watch less TV
Well, in the words of American Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher who kicked off the 2001
event, "we are raising the most overweight generation of youngsters in American history…
This week is about saving lives.”
But obesity is really just the tip of the iceberg, as reported in a recent editorial (21 April) of
the ‘New Scientist’ magazine. ‘‘In Denial,’’ ran the headline. ‘‘Why are we so reluctant to accept
that on-screen violence is bad for us’’
Apparently the link between exposure to media violence and aggression is twice as strong as
the link between passive smoking and lung cancer! The report continues, “each time you bawl
out a stranger over the phone or loose it with another driver from the safety of your car,
consider that these too are aggressive acts which studies have shown are more likely after
repeated exposure to on-screen violence (therefore) it seems inappropriate to keep calling
this harmless entertainment.”
The New Scientist acknowledged, however, that, as with smoking, any criticism of a multibillion
dollar business is bound to provoke a sharp rebuttal.
More information on
http://www.fma.ie/tv_turnoff.htm
!!
Some statistics: Children on average watch
an estimated 18,000 murders on TV by age
18 and over 200,000 acts of violence
‘Caught in the (Broadcasting) Act’
RTE Liveline promoted
radical same-sex agenda
RTE's LIVELINE PROGRAMME has been found guilty by the Broadcasting Complaints Commission
(BCC) of 'unfairness' in a transmission which dealt with same-sex adoption.
In its strongly worded judgement, the commission upheld four complaints—including one by FMA—
against the February 12 broadcast.
In the course of the broadcast, presenter Evelyn O'Rourke had failed to challenge a number of
'callers' who were highly critical of interviewee Hermann Kelly for expressing pro family views.
Unleashing a litany of its own complaints against the programme, the BCC noted the following:
• "the line of questioning used by the presenter in the course of the discussion was unfair";
• "the manner of questioning of the presenter was at times unfair to Mr. Kelly, in that it clearly
indicated her own opinion" (the commission cited the following example: Ms O'Rourke to Mr
Kelly: "… Are WE now turning you around, are you being convinced"—emphasis added);
• the presenter "did not challenge the assertions put forward by callers opposed to Mr. Kelly's
views, but at times used them to address questions to Mr. Kelly"; whereas, (continued on page 4)

‘Caught in the (Broadcasting) Act’—
RTE Liveline promoted radical
same-sex agenda (continued from Page 3)
• the few callers who were allowed to speak in
support of Mr Kelly "were challenged or
questioned on their opinions by the
presenter or by another caller David, who
remained on-air for the latter part of the
programme";
• "Mr Kelly was at times denied the
opportunity to defend himself." In
particular, "at the end of the programme
one caller Paul, to whom the presenter had
returned for his further views, referred to
Mr. Kelly as creating a frenzy and being
deeply irresponsible. This was not
challenged by the presenter. Mr. Kelly was
not afforded an opportunity to respond to
the charge of being irresponsible and, to
quote the presenter, the programme ended
'on that note'", and finally;
• "the subject matter was not treated fairly."
The significance of this BCC decision cannot
be overstated.
Up to April of this year, an official judgement
of bias against a broadcaster was a rare
event. Even rarer was a finding of partiality in
the reporting of a moral or religious issue,
which is what we have here.
Last year, of a total of 49 complaints
alleging impartiality, only 4 (8%)
were upheld, of which none (0%)
involved the biased reporting of a moral or
religious issue ( in spite of several
complaints having been received to that
effect by the BCC).
Considering these figures, the willingness of
the BCC to make such a decision on this
occasion is a damning indictment of a certain
type of RTE broadcasting.
That conclusion is further supported when
one considers that the controversy surrounding
the issue of gay adoption might have led the
BCC to shy away from taking 'the hard
decision'—which incidentally appears to have
been what happened in the case of a recent
unbalanced Newstalk broadcast on abortion
counselling.
The commission received four complaints in
all. Two of these, from Michael O’Driscoll and
Mary Moriarty, were heard at its April meeting.
The other two from Harry Rea and The Family
and Media Association were upheld in May.
In accordance with statutory requirements,
RTE broadcast the judgement of the
commission on June 11 at 12:45pm, just
before (not during) Liveline.
'1984'—
Mediacracy or Democracy
(FMA Letter to Irish Examiner)
The Broadcasting Complaints Commission
(BCC) has now upheld 4 complaints
against an RTE Liveline programme for
breaching the terms of the 2001
Broadcasting Act. The programme in
question (February 12), was found to have
failed in its duty to be impartial concerning
the issue of gay adoption, and did not
afford journalist Hermann Kelly fair right of
reply to criticisms of his pro-family views.
The significance of the BCC decision
cannot be overstated. RTE maintains that
its vision is “to grow the trust of the
people of Ireland as it informs, inspires,
reflects and enriches their lives.” This trust
has been breached by an unprofessional
attempt to manipulate public opinion.
(continued below)
(continued)
There is a much referred to tendency in
some quarters of the media 'to try
to shout down' anyone who doesn't agree
with them. Denying a voice to pro-family
views is a new form of censorship. That
this should be done, in particular, by a
programme which likes to present itself as
the voice of the people brings an Orwellian
feel to our airwaves.
Following the general election, the
country is digesting the consequences of
being a 'demo-cracy'—‘government by the
people’. This anti-democratic activity on
the part of the public broadcaster,
however, is edging us more towards a
state of ‘media-cracy’—'government by the
media'.
4
fma
Who said, “Television

Aids—
Galileo Crisis
(FMA Letter to Irish
Independent)
In relation to the accusation that lies are
being told about the ineffectiveness of
condoms in preventing the spread of Aids
(Letters, March 23), perhaps it is time we
heard from the experts.
In a research paper presented at the
Medical Institute of Sexual Health in
Washington DC, Dr Edward C. Green of
Harvard University’s Centre for Population
and Development Studies stated that : “20
years into the pandemic there is no
evidence that more condoms lead to less
AIDS.” See a recent book by Dr Green
entitled Rethinking AIDS Prevention –
learning from successes in developing
countries. Praetor Publishers, Connecticut,
2003.
.ie
Clockwork Orange Society—
Toxic Airwaves
(FMA Letter to The Irish Times)
Madam, - In response to Denis Staunton’s letter (The
Irish Times), I would like to pose the question: should
our fears of becoming a "Clockwork Orange" society not
prompt us to focus on preventative measures rather
than the eroding of civil liberties
The harmful effects of violent media images upon
the developing minds of children are well established
(see 'A longitudinal study, Douglas A. Gentile et al.,
American Psychological Society, May, 2004), while
recent anecdotal evidence (‘You Tube’ etc) has been a
dramatic wake up call for some.
The ‘air’ which children are forced to breathe today
is toxic, and any genuine concern for children’s welfare
will not fail to address this reality.
Clearly defined rules, eliminating the harmful
exposure of children to media violence and
pornography, is demanded by a society which truly
values children’s rights.
If we fail to uphold children’s right to a safe media
environment, what sort of future “Clockwork Orange”
society are we to expect Can we be surprised when
the visual imprints of the media violence and
pornography we have bombarded them with, are
reflected back at us in antisocial behaviour. Let’s have
‘clean airwaves’. - Yours, etc.,
5
is Poison”
Answer: Pop Star Madonna
(continued)
Dr P. B. Marwood whose article ‘AIDS a
Conspiracy of Misinformation’, was published in
(the British Journal of Hospital Medicine (Vol. 37,
1987), has stated: “Church leaders proclaim
abstinence as the only real protection. I fear that
they are correct. It would seem that virginity
and faithfulness will again soon become
fashionable.”
Given the unequivocal position of experts
such as these—who have no particular religious
axe to grind—why has there been so deafening
an outcry when an attempt was made to bring
important related findings to public attention
Are we witnessing a new ‘Galileo crisis’ where
facts have become an inconvenient challenge to
the anti-scientific attitudes embodied in the PC
Movement.
Grooming—
on a Grand Scale
(FMA General Letter/Text/E-mail)
Does the sort of pornographic material on view to children
in newsagents, on television and in the media generally,
not constitute a form of grooming on a grand scale

Dear Member/Supporter,
I
hope this finds you well. Recent months have seen some notable successes for the work of the Family and Media
Association (FMA), more of which, later! We have also been continuing with the programme we outlined for you in
what was our last printed publication at Christmas.
This programme has included the making of a number of live presentations followed by question and answer
sessions, both for the general public and for groups like school bodies which have a special interest in the spiritual, social
and psychological effects of the media. If you would like us to give a talk in a school, parish or community centre in your
area, please contact us at the address opposite. Alternatively, you can email us at info@fma.ie or phone us at 01 2789288.
Our programme has also included making submissions to broadcasters and statutory bodies with regard to the impact
that particular media-related events and decisions have—or would have—on families.
Additionally, in recognition of the increasing significance of the Internet—as outlined for example by Pope Benedict
in his World Communications Day message for 2007—FMA has, thanks to the efforts of Miryam FitzGerald, begun to
monitor Bebo and other social networking sites. New media such as these are having a powerful impact on the lives of
young people.
In this regard, we have also continued to use FMA text and Internet services a) to inform a wide range of people—
and thus empower them—about family/media-related events and research and b) to present a family-centered scientific
analysis of the way these issues are covered (or not covered) by the mainstream media.
While recognizing the importance of new media, FMA has continued to employ more traditional means of
communication: In the early part of this year, FMA representatives gave a number of radio interviews, participated in
television discussions and wrote several articles and letters. A small sample of FMA’s letters has been included in this
publication which was designed and edited by Dónal O’Sullivan.
But, as I began by saying, recent months have seen some notable successes for FMA: We have been successful in
highlighting issues which would otherwise have gone unnoticed by the Irish Media or by statutory bodies, and this has
resulted, for example, in two significant changes to the BCI’s Code of Programme Standards which was released in April.
Notwithstanding this good news, there are, however, some very serious problems remaining with the code, one of which
you can read about on pages 1 and 2 on the other side of this publication!
More good news: two of our complaints were upheld by the Broadcasting Complaints Commission (see pages 1,3 and
4, also on the other side of this publication) and there is a growing recognition of many of the media truths which FMA
has consistently brought to public and media attention over the years. One of these truths concerns the negative impact of
pornography on individuals and society in general (note for example the extensive special report on pornography by the
Irish Examiner in July, and several radio discussions, particularly on Newstalk). Another truth is the effect of alcohol
advertising, particularly on children—we hope to return to this issue in our next newsletter. Even the harm caused by onscreen
violence is beginning to be more widely recognised, and this recognition is leading to some action (in this context,
you may have heard of the Irish Film Censor’s recent surprising but welcome decision to ban a violent video game).
With every best wish from the members of the National Executive Committee—after the season’s washout, we hope
that we will all soon be enjoying an Indian Summer,
3
Ivo O’Sullivan
Chairman
A Light Has ‘Dawned’
DAWN EDEN brought some visible light into Irish radio waves this June. Ms Eden, a celebrated American
journalist, was in Ireland to speak at the Legion of Mary Catholic Youth Conference, but she also found time
to be interviewed by Ryan Tubridy on his morning radio show. Referring to her book The Thrill of the Chaste,
Ms Eden spoke in a refreshingly candid way about her discovery of the liberating power of chastity in her life.

2
APPEAL
YES
, it does make a difference! It is often said that one phone call, email, text or letter to a television
or radio station (or indeed to an Internet site) may well represent the opinions of thousands of
other viewers or listeners. These opinions may be either in praise or in criticism. To enable us to
encourage more and more people to make those phone calls and to write those letters, texts and emails. we need your
financial support.
The standard annual subscription for members and supporters is €30, though we shall be happy to receive lesser or
greater amounts. If you like, you may use the cut-out form below and return it with your subscription or donation in the
enclosed envelope. Many of you may have put your subscription reminder, for 2007, aside because it was the busy time
of Christmas when you heard from us. We are grateful to those who have sent their subscriptions.
If you wish, please choose between the following two options:
1. Cheque:
€15
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To the Manager:
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____________________________________________
(Please insert name and address of your bank)
Please debit my/our Account
by the following amount
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commencing with the first payment on ____/____/_____[enter date] and credit the amount indicated to Permanent TSB,
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It is understood that the bank shall not be under any liability for loss or damage caused by omission to make these payments.
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Please enclose this Banker’s Standing Order in the envelope supplied and return it to The Treasurer, Family and Media
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Family and Media Association Media Update September 2007
The Good News!
Spirit Radio awarded
Christian and Religious
license
Spirit Radio has been awarded a
license for a Christian and Religious
sound broadcasting service following
the BCI hearings on March 26 in the
Burlington hotel, Dublin.
The CEO of Spirit, Dave Heffernan
hopes that the station will be on the
air around September, 2008!
The award of a Christian radio
license was remarkable for several
reasons, not least among them
being that just 2 years ago, the
then Minister for Communications,
Dermot Aherne, stated that the idea
of Christian radio had been
abandoned!
Beauty in the Media
Pope Benedict XVI calls
for
beauty
in the media
and media education
for
children
IN HIS MESSAGE for World Communications Day,
dated May 20, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI has
emphasised the need for Beauty, Truth and
Goodness in the media. The Media, the Pope
said, needs to be 'formed' so that, through it,
children may be able to develop an appreciation
for what is good.
Calling on parents to educate their children in
the correct use of the media, the Pope has said
that The Church, in the form of the school and
the parish, should be at the forefront of media
education.
The theme of the address was "Children and
the Media: A Challenge for Education."
Beauty in the Media
INSIDE:
Yes, it does make a difference! … Page 2
Message from FMA … Page 3
A Light has ‘Dawned’ … Page 3
Alberione Media Centre
Newtownpark Avenue
Blackrock
Co. Dublin Tel: 01 278 92 88 Text: 086 859 3676
Family and Media Association
info@fma.ie www.fma.ie