Senator Wants to Decrease Violence in the Media

The debate over the presence of violence in the media is a huge controversy. There is no evidence that concretely proves that portrayals of violence will cause harm to a child. Over the years rating systems and warnings have been put in place to help parents be the judges of what their children watch. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., announced that in the coming weeks he will push for legislation that will limit the violence in the media.

"I fear that graphic violent programming has become so pervasive and has been shown to be so harmful, we are left with no choice but to have the government step in," Rockefeller said at a meeting of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.

Some hold the position that parents should be the ones to choose what their children watch and there have been other suggestions that would improve their ability to do that.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin supports the idea to require cable companies to offer "a la carte" programming. This system would allow parents to choose to receive only the channels that they feel are suitable for their child to watch. This debate is not over and will continue to be heated until there is a legitimate way to shield children from violence without inhibiting free speech or expression.