-Caveat Lector-
"Clinton's ties to Hollywood appeared to infuriate his Republican
rivals."
Now that the Cold War is back, should we expect a return to "censored"
cinema such as existed up until the late '50s, during the same period?
Senate approves bill aimed at Hollywood
By Christopher Stern
WASHINGTON (Variety) - The Senate Thursday approved a bill that started off
as an effort to reform the juvenile justice system and ended up becoming the
focus of a national debate on whether to blame the media or the gun industry
for a rash of high school shootings.
Democrats and gun control advocates emerged as victors after eight days of
debate, but the entertainment industry was also dealt some blows in the
legislation, approved on a vote of 73-25. The bill included a proposal,
approved 98-0, calling for a joint Federal Trade Commission and Justice
Department investigation into the degree to which Hollywood markets violent
movies to children.
The Juvenile Justice Bill, which had been kicking around the Senate more than
two years, was sent to the floor by Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott
(R-Miss.) in reaction to the April 20 massacre at Columbine High School in
Littleton, Colo., where two teenage shooters killed themselves after
murdering 12 fellow students and a teacher.
The Senate showed up Thursday for the final day of debate only to be greeted
by the news that a teenager at a suburban Atlanta high school had gone on yet
another such rampage. No one was killed at Heritage High in Conyers, Ga., but
six people were injured including four who were shot.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) originally wrote the
legislation in an attempt to reform the juvenile justice system with an eye
towards making it tougher for young people to commit crimes without facing
the threat of serious punishment. But as soon as the legislation became the
designated platform for Senate reaction to the Littleton massacre, it also
provided a stage for politicians to accuse the entire entertainment industry
of saturating the nation's youth with a flood of violent images in movies,
television, video games and the Internet.
Republicans led the fight against the entertainment industry, at least in
part, to deflect some of the blame away from the gun industry in the wake of
the Columbine shootings. But legislators from both sides of the aisle, not to
mention the White House, have been tough on the entertainment industry,
insisting that it is time for it to accept some accountability.
``There is still too much violence on our nation's screens, large and
small,'' said President Clinton in his May 15 radio address, adding, ``There
are still too many vulnerable children who are steeped in this culture of
violence, becoming increasingly desensitized to it and to its consequences
and, therefore, as studies show, hundreds of them are more liable to commit
violence themselves.''
Clinton toned down the message when he addressed his Hollywood fundraiser
last weekend, which raised more than $2 million. Clinton's ties to Hollywood
and his appearance in Los Angeles as the debate was going on in the Senate
appeared to infuriate his Republican rivals.
In addition to several amendments that will tighten access to guns in the
U.S., the bill also:
Requires the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission to investigate
the entertainment industry's marketing practices. The goal is to determine if
violent movies or videogames with adult-rated content are marketed to kids.
Gives entertainment companies a limited antitrust exemption to allow them to
discuss the creation of a ``voluntary code of conduct'' to govern the amount
of sex and violence on movie, television and computer screens.
Requires the movie theaters and video stores to enforce the movie industry's
age-based content ratings.
Requires the National Institutes of Health to conduct a study into the
effects of violent images and song lyrics on the behavior of children.
In addition, the Senate passed an amendment that bans the filming of ``wanton
and gratuitous violence'' on federal property. It also bans federal agencies,
including the Department of Defense, the Coast Guard and NASA, from
cooperating with shoots that feature ``gratuitous'' violence. The proposal
passed 66-34.
The bill now goes to the House of Representatives.
Reuters/Variety
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