‘TV NOT MIRROR’

Press, 19 October 1976, Page 25

‘TV NOT MIRROR’

The premise that “television mirrors the society it serves” is rejected by the St Albans Residents’ Association’s media subcommittee which is concerned over violence in programmes. The sub-committee states that while there is widespread appreciation of many programmes which do fulfill the responsibility of broadcasters, too many other programmes project an unnatural image and create false attitudes. A letter from the Broadcasting Council stated that it was often said “that television mirrors the society it serves and to that extent it reflects in its programmes, trends and attitudes that currently prevail in the community.” The council went' on to say it would be unacceptable for a broadcasting organisation to impose unrealistic standards-on its audience and it was considered parents must take some responsibility for

what their children watched on television. “With judicious and selective viewing, pro-, grammes likely to be unsuitable for younger viewers can be avoided,” the council stated. And it went on to advise that programmes for children were advertised in the “New Zealand Listener” The media sub-com-mittee asserts: “We would refute the premise that ‘TV mirrors the society it serves,’ and we suggest in the strongest terms that some of the programmes selected are an indictment against the selectors and are a detrimental influence on the society they are responsible to serve.”